The public debate about mandatory fitness to drive checks for age groups of 60 and older continues to flare up! Offers such as voluntary driver safety training and medical checks are intended to contribute to greater safety on the roads. How useful are psychological tests in this context?
In 2023, more older people were killed on the roads than at any time since records began in 1992 in Austria. 35% of these people were traveling by car. Older road users not only had more serious accidents than younger people, but also caused more serious accidents: 18% of drivers over the age of 65 caused serious road accidents (involving multiple people), compared to 13% of drivers in other age groups. Among the causes of accidents, right-of-way violations (45%) and inattention/distraction (24%) dominate among older people. (Statistics Austria, 2024). Similar results can be observed not only in Austria, but for example also in Germany (DEKRA; 2021). The phenomenon is therefore not just localized or unique to Austria.