Last month, the Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a car crash that left two women injured and the prince shaken, but unharmed. Two days later, photographs emerged of the 97-year-old driving without a seatbelt, for which he was reportedly spoken to by the local police.
During the coverage of the incident, the subject of whether or not the duke’s driving skills had been properly assessed was repeatedly raised, leading to a renewal of the discussion surrounding elderly drivers. In the United Kingdom, the DVLA requires that drivers over 70 renew their licence every three years, and that any health conditions that could affect an individual’s ability to drive must be declared.
Of course, given the prince’s age, many have questioned whether he should still be allowed to hold a valid licence, leading to him voluntarily giving up his licence recently. Many are now questioning whether there should be a maximum age for drivers in the UK. But how many people over 95 actually hold a licence?
As of December last year, more than 11,500 drivers over the age of 95 hold a current licence, although it’s unclear how many of those actually drive a vehicle on UK roads. Further examination of the data also shows that there are more men in this age group with a licence than women, although this is true for all age groups.
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