More roundabouts could improve how older New Zealanders drive - and improve the safety of all road users in Aotearoa, according to a new AA survey.
By 2028, one in four New Zealand drivers will be 65 years or older. While drivers of a certain age tend to get a hard time from society, it's important to know how to make things safer for them, says AA spokesperson Dylan Thomsen.
Photo: Mehmet Ali Turan
The AA's Dylan Thomsen on the risks and considerations for New Zealand's many older drivers
The AA recently commissioned a survey to look at the issues older drivers face, and the implications of having so many on our roads.
Because people age at different rates, Thomsen tells Mark Leishman that the survey determined 'older' to be people aged 55-plus.
"There's some people who can be in the 90s and still be incredibly active, and mobile and able to do just about everything they've always been able to do. Other people that get into their 50s and 60s have different conditions that can mean they've got to change their lifestyle, quite a lot."
Older drivers tend to have lower crash rates than many other age groups, Thomsen says, but crashes involving people over 70 often result in more harm because of their increased body fragility.
When it comes to hazards, intersections are especially risky for older drivers, the survey found, and a location where they're two times more likely than younger drivers to have a fatal or serious crash.
Driving in heavy rain, driving at night and driving in low light also added risk and discomfort, Thomsen says.
To make things safer, there are many simple improvements to do with roading infrastructure that could be made, he says, including increasing the number of roundabouts.
"[With roundabouts] there's less likelihood of somebody getting things wrong and getting into a T-bone crash with side impact, which can be really dangerous for the people on the vehicle. More use of roundabouts at intersections would be a really helpful thing."
Other measures that would help older drivers include making road markings wider with more paint, using reflectorised paint, bigger signage and exchanging the light bulbs used on street lights for brighter ones.
"All of those things seem pretty minor and simple but it actually means that it's a lot easier for not just older drivers, but all of us to see the road markings and know where things are at night, improve visibility.
"All of those are going to really help not just older drivers, but all New Zealanders."
The decision to stop driving is a very difficult one to make for most people, Thomsen says, especially rural New Zealanders.
In general, he says people do a good job of starting to limit when they drive and how they drive as age advances, often taking steps like trying to avoid high-traffic situations and peak times, night driving, challenging roads and high-speed environments.
"By and large, a lot of New Zealanders, they notice when things are changing and they've tried to change their own behaviour to make sure they're feeling more comfortable and confident and feeling safer when they're out on the road."
Only a very small number of people actively plan for the time when they are no longer able to drive, though.
"Only 1 in 10 of the people that we surveyed had made an active plan about how they could manage their life when they stopped driving completely."
While some people might be able to keep driving for all of their lives, most reach a point where they have to make the decision - or have the decision made for them - that they can't get behind the wheel anymore.
Thomsen recommends people think about this transition earlier and start to make plans, for example looking for a new place to live if not driving will create a need to move.
"The earlier people start thinking about that the more time you have to try and put things in place. So if you do have to stop driving, your lifestyle is going to be able to sort of carry on [the same] as much as possible."
Only 3% of people surveyed chose to cycle when they gave up driving, he says, while about 84% had a partner, a family member or a friend drive them around.
"That was the most popular change - people just moved to a passenger seat, or taxis and buses and walking featured really highly as well."
For older drivers who want to brush up on their skills, Age Concern offers free refresher courses and the AA offers free senior driver coaching sessions for members 74 and older.
"It's a one-hour session in your own car that can be tailored very much to the individual in terms of if they've got certain issues that they're worried about or concerned about certain types of driving that they want to get some tips on. It gives them a bit of a Warrant of Fitness with their driving."
The AA has seen "really good results" from these sessions, Thomsen says.
"About 70% of the people that do them feel more confident about their driving afterwards, feel that it's helped them know, you know, get a bit of a refresher and know more about road rules and just feel safer out on the roads."
Modern vehicles can often be made more comfortable for drivers via little adjustments to the seats, steering wheel, pedals and seat belts that many people don't know about, he says.
"If you get somebody in the know to sit in the car with you, they might be able to make a couple of changes that are going to make it a lot easier and more comfortable for people in their own cars."
Read the full AA Research Foundation report on older drivers here