The Older Mobility website has now gone live. Older Mobility brings together research and evidence to help address the needs for an ageing population. In recent years the emphasis in research and among practitioners has often focussed on interventions for drivers as they age. In 2019, the Department for Transport awarded a grant to the leading road safety charity, RoadSafe, to develop a knowledge transfer programme to take forward the work on older drivers by widening its scope to address the risks to older road users, concentrating on the most vulnerable.
Combining a series of reports created specifically for the project and a library of research evidence OlderMobility.com is a valuable resource for those working in road safety, public health, transport planning, civic leadership and age-related charities.
This week we have visited 5 different venues across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight with our partners from many agencies. We gave help and support to over 1300 older drivers, advising on voluntary driving appraisals, health and well being, cyber crime and how to protect themselves from fraud and much more. We will be posting more pictures from the weeks activties in the next couple of weeks. If you missed being able to attend, then don’t worry have a look through our web site for advice.
Sgt Rob Heard – Chair of Older Drivers Forum – with Hampshire Chief Constable Andy Marsh
It is with great pride that we announce that our Older Drivers Forum chair, Sgt Rob Heard, has after years of dedication to keeping the people of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight safe on our roads has been awarded the ACPO and Police Federation Outstanding Contribution to Roads Policing Award 2014.
Rob, who has worked within the Roads Policing Unit for 22 years and is currently the force lead on road safety, was presented with the award on Thursday night (January 15) in recognition of his work creating and establishing the Older Drivers Forum.
Chief Constable Andy Marsh said: “I am very proud of the work Rob has done in helping to keep older drivers stay on the road, safely”.
“At some stage, we ourselves will be older drivers, and most of us know older drivers now. This forum and its website are a fantastic resource to help inform and reassure. This award is very well deserved recognition.”
The Older Drivers Forum was set up in 2013 with the aim of keeping older drivers safely on the roads for longer, and helping relatives and carers deal with the issues that can be associated with older drivers.
The forum was Rob’s idea, and he has worked tirelessly to liaise with partner agencies including local authorities, health, Age Concern and Age UK, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, Forum of Mobility Centres and Institute of Advance Motorists to co-ordinate its many activities and support services.
“It is basically about raising awareness of the services available to drivers aged 60 plus to help keep them driving safely for longer, and to encourage people to have regular eye-sight tests and, especially, take voluntary assessments to help build confidence and understand whether they remain fit to drive”.
“The forum can also provide assessments to check, following a collision, whether a person is safe or not to continue and, where appropriate, signpost refresher training. There are currently just over four million people aged 70 and above driving on the UK’s roads, the oldest person to hold a driving licence is a man aged 106″.
“Research predicts that, with people living longer, these numbers will double if not treble in the next 20 years”.
“I feel greatly honoured to have received this award. It feels a bit like winning an Oscar in the roads policing world. I would like to dedicate this award to Neil Colquhoun and his mother Patricia, who were the inspiration behind the creation of the forum”.
“Neil tragically died in a collision in 2011 when an 89-year-old man drove the wrong way for over a mile along the A30 at Old Basing. His car collided head-on with Neil’s. Neil died at the scene and our investigation found that the 89-year-old man was blind in one eye and below the legal eyesight limit in the other. However, he felt he was genuinely fit to drive. From that, we came up with the idea of the forum, and we hope by doing so we can prevent another tragedy like this. We are not about taking people off the road – we are about trying to help people keep their independence and carry on driving safely, for longer.”
In the 18 months since it was established, the forum’s website has had in excess of 20,000 hits and is used as a resource nationally. It has also run two weeks of awareness events across both counties which have been attended by more than 1000 people.
Rob is also now a national lead on older driver issues and is helping the Department for Transport and Road Safety Foundation develop national strategy in this growing area.
We know that older motorists have a wealth of experience, confidence and tolerance. However, sight, hearing, reaction time and judgement of speed and distance may not be as sharp as it once was.
Fragility increases with age, so injuries tend to be more serious and recovery takes much longer. Casualty rates do increase for car drivers aged over about 65, and the fatality rate increases significantly.
That’s where we come in. The Older Drivers Forum is about keeping mature motorists on the road safely for longer. Whether that’s helping giving you practical and informative help and support to continue driving or pointing you in the right direction for an assessment to identify your driving needs.
We’re a not-for-profit organisation made up of experts in road safety – from representatives from the emergency services, to charities, local authorities and businesses specialising in keeping older people on the road.
We do not perform any legal function and do not have the authority to remove driving licences. We are merely here to assist you, or the older person in your life, with staying mobile for as long as possible.
We’ll be constantly adding advice and news for older drivers to our page so please keep coming back for all the latest updates and click on our ‘FOLLOW’ button, enter your email and we will send you updates on what we are doing.
Why not explore the web site and see all the advice, videos, brochures, recommendations on driving assessments and much more we give to help you, or someone you know, carry on driving safely for longer.
This webinar on Saturday 25th May at 10am Starting conversations with a family member about retiring from driving can be challenging, especially if they are unaware or complacent about their declining driving skills. This webinar is intended for families, friends, and carers concerned about a mature driver. To find out more click here. To register your FREE place click here
GEM FREE Webinars 2024 – Second webinar During 2024 we are running 4 FREE webinars in partnership with GEM Motoring Assist. They will be with expert guidance from TV and Radio Presenter Valerie Singleton OBE and our very own Chair Rob Heard. This webinar occurred in April 2024 and covers all matters to do travelling abroad. To view and watch click here and scroll down to ‘Previously Recorded Webinars’ and then see GEM Webinar Number 2.
LBC Radio Interview – Older Drivers 1st January 2024
Listen to our chair speaking to David Lammy on LBC Radio about Older Drivers and particular concerns raised about drivers over 90 years of age. Click here to listen to the interview.
BBC Radio Gloucestershire interview on Winter Driving Tips
Listen to Nigel Lloyd-Jones from the Older Drivers Forum for Gloucestershire talking about Winter Driving with some excellent tips to be safe on the road as we enter into Winter. Click here to find out more
Winter Driving tips
Winter will soon be upon us and with it brings many additional driving hazards. But with planning and preparation these can be made much less of a risk. There are three main elements to any winter driving scenario which we can influence:
Driving ability
Vehicle preparedness and suitability
Journey planning.
Visit our Driving in Safely in Winter page to read more and get some good advice – Click here
Government launches plan to put drivers back in the driving seat
The Government has announced a new 30-point plan it says will support drivers with easier parking, smoother journeys and fairer traffic enforcement. Click here to read more
Car Insurance premiums rising
Have you recently noticed that your Car Insurance premium has gone up and thought:
‘Why has my Car Insurance premium gone up?’
‘What can you I do to keep my premiums as low as possible?’
Visit our page on Car Insurance to see the answers to those questions – Click here
BBC News – ‘Fitness to Drive’
Today (4th July 2023) the BBC have been covering across it news channels the subject of ‘Fitness to Drive’. To read the article and listen to our chair being interviewed on the subject on BBC Radio Somerset click here
Gloucestershire Older Drivers Forum webinars
Gloucestershire Older Drivers Forum run regular webinars on numerous subjects to find out more click here
Older Drivers Forum supports Project EDWARD
In May we have been supporting Project EDWARD (Every Day Without A Road Death) week of Action. To see more watch the video by clicking on this link
Podcast – ScORSA
Listen to this Podcast involving our Chair Rob Heard talking with Scottish Occupational Road Safety Alliance. Click here to find the Podcast and scroll down to Older Drivers
BBC Radio 2 Interview with Jeremy Vine
On Friday 24th March the chair and founder of the Older Drivers Forum, Rob Heard, was interviewed by Jeremy Vine on BBC Radio 2 talking about Family and Friends and how to have and start those difficult conversations when we maybe concerned about a loved ones driving. To listen to the interview click here
To find out more about how a family and friend can support a mature driver then click here for voids webinars and lots of useful information.
Advice for Friends and Family of a Mature Driver
Understandably, friends and families can be reluctant to raise the issue with driving , especially if the older person is fiercely protective of their independence. That said, we all respond better when advice is coming from someone we trust so often families and friends will have the best influence on the way that an older driver sees their future behind the wheel. Click here to useful information and advice on how to have those conversations
FREE Webinars to view In March 2023 we ran three exciting new Webinars which were recorded and now can be viewed by visiting our webinar page. Click here to go to our ‘Webinar’ page. The webinars were on:
Concerned about an Older Driver? We can help This webinar provides support for families, friends, and carers who are concerned about an older driver. The webinar includes advice on how to: start empathetic conversations with their loved one, friend or client; keep them driving safely, for longer and plan for when it is time for them to retire from driving.
Are you driving whilst impaired? Impairment, when related to driving, often refers to drink, drugs or a medical condition. However, everyone drives in an impaired fashion from time to time whether it be through tiredness, stress, distraction or simply complacency. This webinar looks at all the factors which may impair our driving decisions and offers solutions to ensure the risk of a road traffic collision is as low as possible.
Is your vision roadworthy? This webinar was hosted by Valerie Singleton OBE and offers the opportunity to find out more about driver vision and the vital role played by good eyesight in reducing risks on the road. The webinar discussed what the law says and the legal requirements for driving, as well as advice from an optometrist on good eye health and importance of regular eyesight tests and lots more.
Driving Safely in Winter
Winter brings with it many additional driving hazards. But with planning and preparation these can be made much less of a risk. To find out more click here
In March 2022 we ran a webinar all about the new changes to the Highway Code and road safety tips. This webinar starts by giving an update on the findings from the Older Drivers Task Force report published in November 2021. The webinar then goes on to cover the new Highway Code and particularly the new changes, as well as giving you useful road safety tips.
To view the Webinar visit our Highway Code page by clicking here
NATIONAL WEB SITE
For advice, support and courses nationally then visit: www.olderdrivers.org.uk
SITE OWNERSHIP
This site is supported by Hampshire Constabulary Road Safety Team as such follows the same Privacy requirements as them.
PRIVACY NOTICE To find out more about how we treat personal data and how to exercise your data rights, see our privacy notice
IMPORTANT NEWS
Highway Code – Changes
As of the 29th January 2022 the Highway Code has a number of key changes. To find out more about theses changes, Click Here
Older Drivers Task Force Report published
In November 2021, the Older Drivers Task Force via Road Safety Foundation published a review of older driver road safety. To find out more about this click here
National Highways teams up with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower
Click here to find out more and listen to our chair talking on a podcast to Hidden Disabilities Sunflower
For an introduction in British Sign Language, please see below.
In the meantime, got a question? Post a comment below or contact us here.
The Older Mobility website has now gone live. Older Mobility brings together research and evidence to help address the needs for an ageing population. In recent years the emphasis in research and among practitioners has often focussed on interventions for drivers as they age. In 2019, the Department for Transport awarded a grant to the leading road safety charity, RoadSafe, to develop a knowledge transfer programme to take forward the work on older drivers by widening its scope to address the risks to older road users, concentrating on the most vulnerable.
This webinar on 
Listen to our chair speaking to David Lammy on LBC Radio about Older Drivers and particular concerns raised about drivers over 90 years of age. 
Listen to Nigel Lloyd-Jones from the 
Winter will soon be upon us and with it brings many additional driving hazards. But with planning and preparation these can be made much less of a risk. There are three main elements to any winter driving scenario which we can influence:
The Government has announced a new 30-point plan it says will support drivers with easier parking, smoother journeys and fairer traffic enforcement. 
Have you recently noticed that your Car Insurance premium has gone up and thought:
Today (4th July 2023) the BBC have been covering across it news channels the subject of ‘Fitness to Drive’. To read the article and listen to our chair being interviewed on the subject on BBC Radio Somerset 
Gloucestershire Older Drivers Forum run regular webinars on numerous subjects to find out more 
In May we have been supporting Project EDWARD (Every Day Without A Road Death) week of Action. To see more watch the video by 
Listen to this Podcast involving our Chair Rob Heard talking with Scottish Occupational Road Safety Alliance. 
Understandably, friends and families can be reluctant to raise the issue with driving , especially if the older person is fiercely protective of their independence. That said, we all respond better when advice is coming from someone we trust so often families and friends will have the best influence on the way that an older driver sees their future behind the wheel. 
This webinar provides support for families, friends, and carers who are concerned about an older driver. The webinar includes advice on how to: start empathetic conversations with their loved one, friend or client; keep them driving safely, for longer and plan for when it is time for them to retire from driving.
Impairment, when related to driving, often refers to drink, drugs or a medical condition. However, everyone drives in an impaired fashion from time to time whether it be through tiredness, stress, distraction or simply complacency. This webinar looks at all the factors which may impair our driving decisions and offers solutions to ensure the risk of a road traffic collision is as low as possible.
This webinar was hosted by Valerie Singleton OBE and offers the opportunity to find out more about driver vision and the vital role played by good eyesight in reducing risks on the road. The webinar discussed what the law says and the legal requirements for driving, as well as advice from an optometrist on good eye health and importance of regular eyesight tests and lots more.
As of the 29th January 2022 the Highway Code has a number of key changes. To find out more about theses changes, 
In November 2021, the Older Drivers Task Force via Road Safety Foundation published a review of older driver road safety. To find out more about this 
Older Drivers Forum 