Reducing the toll of road traffic accidents

Rodger Charlton and Gary Smith (October 2003, JRSM¹) provide useful suggestions on how to reduce the toll of road traffic accidents. However, I am surprised that they make no mention of the need to develop a more robust system of renewal of driving licences, particularly in the elderly population.² Although I have no concrete evidence whatsoever, personal observation over many years has convinced me that accidents on the roads are increasingly attributable to elderly drivers, many of whom have poor reaction times, poor memory, poor concentration and poor visual acuity, and are physically very frail.

To test this hypothesis would not be easy since the age of the responsible driver would need to be established, and this in turn would necessitate identification of responsibility. I wonder if the police are sometimes reluctant to prosecute these drivers for fear of being accused of ageism? I believe that a more robust system of reassessment would substantially reduce the number of injuries in all age groups.