Death of young boy shows need for regular cognitive tests for oldest drivers


The death of three-year-old Xander Irvine after he was hit by a car being driven by dementia sufferer Edith Duncan was a heartbreaking tragedy that should never have happened. She had been attempting to perform a turning manoeuvre in Edinburgh when her car accelerated and struck the boy and his mother. Xander suffered multiple injuries and died later that day in hospital.
In a written Fatal Accident Inquiry determination, Sheriff Nigel Ross said that the collision, in 2020, could have been avoided if the elderly woman’s cognitive ability had been assessed and her driving licence revoked. It is thought her dementia was undiagnosed.
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Hide AdThe current system of self-certification of fitness to drive for people aged over 70 was “significantly defective”, the sheriff said, adding: “It fails to recognise that driving ability may decline with age, or that dementia sufferers may be unaware of their own condition.” He recommended that drivers over the age of 80 should be required to take a cognitive test every three years in order to renew their licence.
This will be an imposition on some, with many older people perfectly capable of driving. Indeed, there are a number of people over the age of 100 who are still able to drive. While spatial orientation and other skills required for driving may decline with age, research has found that older people tend to compensate for this by driving more carefully. This is one reason why the over-70s are much less likely to crash a car than young men, who tend to take more risks.
However, that said, we seldom notice that we are getting older and yet we all do. Things that were once easy in our youth become more difficult.
We feel sure that if Edith Duncan, 91, who died less than a year after the crash, could have had her time again, she would have gladly given up her licence. No driver wants to be responsible for anyone’s death and the state has a duty to protect its citizens, young and old. It’s time to accept that, on balance, a regular test for the oldest drivers would be a sensible measure.
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