Today’s Theme “Various efforts for elderly drivers in the world”
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【 Contents 】
〇 Various efforts for elderly drivers in the world
〇 Self-understanding of an elderly driver on one’s ability
〇 What is the society where the elderly or people with dementia can live in peace?
〇 Various Efforts for Elderly Drivers in the World
〇 Various efforts for elderly drivers in the world
In countries facing aging society including Japan,
how to cope with the problem of elderly drivers with declined cognitive function to decrease fatal traffic accidents is becoming a major issue.
In Japan, the National Police Agency has been considering introduction of “limited license”,
which limits the area and time for drivers with diminished skill,
and “in-vehicle examination”, which tests actual driving skill.
The revision of the Road Traffic Law in 2017 made it compulsory for 75 or older drivers
to see a doctor after being determined as a possible patient of dementia by a cognitive function test in license renewal.
Voluntary return of license is rapidly increasing, but the number of fatal accidents is still high.
Here are a few examples of other countries.
New Zealand
Major Efforts in New Zealand are shortening of the validity period of license,
obligation to submit a medical certificate and driving test set depending on the content of the certification.
The validity period is generally 10 years, although all drivers must renew the license at the age of 75.
Also, they are required to renew again at the age of 80 and every two years after that.
The renewal at 75 or older needs a certain medical certificate indicating official approval
for the driver’s ability by medical professionals certified by the New Zealand Transport Agency.
Every issuer of the certificate required to write to the Agency as soon as possible after determining the driver lacks the ability from medical perspective.
75 or older drivers determined as carrying serious doubt for safe driving despite having driving ability from medical perspective must take driving tests.
In 2012, about half of the examinees were reported to fail the test.
Depending on the content of a medical certificate,
there may be additional conditions such as limitation of the license or confirmation by a medical specialist.
Illinoi, the United States
Illinoi’s major efforts are stepwise shortening of validity period,
driving test set by age and limitation of the license.
General validity period is 4 years except for drivers at the age of 81 to 86
whose period is 2 years and 87 or older drivers whose period is 12 months.
Every 75 or older driver must prove his ability to pay attention necessary
for safe driving and pass the eye test in renewal process.
Each drivers under 75 qualified as a safe driver is required to take the eye test every 8 years,
which means once in two renewals.
Every driver living in an area with the population of under 3,500 can be licensed
after passing the driving test on a certain route within the area.
However, this type of license is very rare.
All drivers are required to report to the Secretary of State within 10 days
after finding risk in health which can cause loss of consciousness or other impairment of the ability for safe driving.
Qualified medical professionals, policemen, prosecutors and judges can inform the Secretary of State of a driver’s insufficient health which can prevent safe driving.
In this case, informers are free from both criminal and civil liability.
The United Kingdom
UK sets self-certification on health as a primal measure.
The license is valid until the driver gets 70 and needs renewal every 3 years after that.
The administrative validity period of the license of drivers under 70 is 10 years.
Every driver at 70 or older must declare one’s health with the form set up by the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to renew the license.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/driver-and-vehicle-licensing-agency
Renewal process including above mentioned declaration is available online.
Regardless of age, any driver must report to DVLA in case of having health issue which can effect driving.
Failure of the report carries a fine up to 1,000 pounds.
Any report must indicate the name and address of a general practitioner.
The General Medical Council, a British medical professional society,
permits doctors to inform DVLA of a driver’s health without consent of the driver in exceptional cases.
In principle, doctors should advise the driver to report to DVLA in case he is not healthy enough,
but if the driver doesn’t understand the advice, doctors should inform DVLA.
China
Unlike most countries over the world, China has suspension of the license by age.
In China, the license is revoked when the driver get 70.
Drivers over 60 need to have physical examination every year,
and more strict conditions are placed on heavy vehicle’s drivers.
Most of the European countries having relatively long validity period such as Germany,
where the license is permanent, have a number of car accidents because of long absence of physical exam or driving test.
Countries with less strict renewal system for older drivers tend to equip road systems friendly to those drivers.
〇 Self-understanding of an Elderly Driver on One’s Ability
The United States
Last year, the United States had 14 millions of people involved in traffic accidents caused by 65 or older drivers.
An U. S. media Consumer Reports says this number is much bigger than that of drunk driving accidents.
SeniorDriving.AAA.com
(https://seniordriving.aaa.com/),
an American organization of motor clubs, provides users with general information to help them keep good health
and driving skill for long-lasting safe driving.
The organization offers certain exercises to keep physical abilities required for driving,
professional check to find perfect fit of a driver to his car,
lessons for updating driving abilities etc.,
through which users can learn naturally how their abilities decline with aging.
The United Kingdom
The UK has Older Drivers, a website in Older Drivers Forum by the Department for Transport.
The Older Drivers hosts forums and events for keeping older motorists on the road safely for longer, appreciating their wealth of experience, confidence and tolerance.
It offers physical tests, skill assessments, training courses etc. as well as providing and sharing information on those topics.
Both of SeniorDriving.AAA.com and Older Drivers sees the positive side of aging.
They intend to help people drive safely for longer, while at the same time encouraging drivers to know their ability’s limit.
This makes sense because a one-sided claim that driving is absolutely danger for the elderly can easily push them to insist stubbornly that they still can drive safely.
In Japan, the Japan Automobile Federation offers a certain test for matured derivers to know their own state objectively though Elder Drivers Supporting Website.
〇 What is the society where the elderly or people with dementia can live in peace?
According to Japan’s National Police Agency, 46.3% of the reason for refusing license return is “lack of or inconvenience in alternative transport”.
Also, 57.4% of older drivers answered they don’t feel it necessary to return licenses despite being aware of declined physical capabilities.
These respondents don’t feel comfortable to accept their decline because of subjective self-awareness, typically saying they are confident, they are in better shape than others in the same generation, or they are in the normal range.
Actually, the Cabinet Office noted in its paper on aging society that total score of the new physical test for the elderly is increasing.
As they feel younger relative to actual age, their family members’ or friends’ opinions sound unreasonably against their positive self-awareness,
which can make them deaf or antipathetic to those advices and cling to driving.
Adhesion to driving are also linked to egocentric tendency, which is often pointed out as one of the typical characters of an older person,
such as playing by own rules, accusing someone without admitting own failure, adjudging he can do everything so long as avoiding accidents, or not caring for others.
Some older drivers feels they are discriminated because of age, which works as a part of the reason to stick to driving.
This is similar to what a number of elderly were reported to feel for the “medical insurance system for the elderly aged 75 or over” just before its enforcement in 2008,
which was actually uncomfortableness for its “discriminative” name rather than substance of the system.
Also, most elderly people suffer difficulties in civil life with aging.
As well as inconvenience in using various digitalized devices or equipment, they feel bitterness over being treated as the underprivileged in terms of information accessibility.
This kind of sentiment can boost their belief that they can still drive and go anywhere they like, which makes them stubbornly cling to driving.
“I can’t live without a car in the countryside. If we had more bus operation, I could go without a car.”
“I have chronic disease so I must have a car to go to hospital or shopping.”
These are typical reactions from the elderly in license return issues.
Indeed, they are compelling words appealing life can’t go on once returning the license.
In Saga, Japan, transportation service was initiated under the leadership of the local residents.
The service is financed by donation from locals, hometown tax donation system and so on.
Although local governments are supposed to offer this kind of service,
those in desperate are lack of money so somebody in need had to take up the business after all.
To accomplish the challenge,
it was important to discuss each of driving ability
and social infrastructure and consider objectively what the task is.
In the case of Chofu, Tokyo, the elderly who had returned the licenses advised matured older drivers who love driving,
suggesting that travel by train or bus is also fun or they don’t have to worry about accidents after quitting driving.
It is important to think about the rest of the driver’s life together and help him find a new joy.
In the area from Kumamoto to the west side of Japan,
increasing number of the authorities places public health nurses or nurses in license renewal process to offer counseling on driver’s health,
through which more drivers have been inclined to return the licenses.
Those nursing professionals are locals, so they can give concrete advice on alternative transport after the drivers return their licenses,
hearing their actual needs for shopping or hospital visit.
This sat so well that more people chose new way of living.
After taking notice of the effectiveness, Oita, Miyazaki and Tottori also began to introduce this system.
Although primary solutions are supposed to be provided publicly by laws,
spontaneous construction of mechanisms to help elderly see themselves objectively
and make their own choices will be one of the dominant options.
We believe the key to establish the society
where the elderly or people with dementia can live in peace is to share understanding on people
with dementia and construct inclusive mechanism of society.
From the very beginning of the association,
we’ve been pursuing sustainable social mechanism by striving financial independence based on cultivation,
production and sales of reishi and the supplement by the workers including those
who have dementia, as well as opening dementia cafes for people’s interaction,
under the slogan of building zero dementia community with the high quality reishi supplement.
