PENSIONERS are more likely to get fined for speeding than younger drivers, says a surprise report by the Royal Automobile Club of Spain (RACE) and Liberty Insurance.
More drivers aged 65 and over get killed on the roads because of driving too fast, and people of this age-group much prefer their cars to public transport.
But they tend to leave their vehicles at home when the weather is bad or when they know there will be a lot of traffic on the roads, and avoid driving at night.
In general they were said to become more cautious as drivers with age but also more set in their ways, and inclined to get lost more easily en route.
The 65-75 age-group sees 500 deaths a year on the road as a result of speeding, one of the highest in the country and a long way ahead of the 75-85 age-group, which accounts for 108 fatalities.
Over-65s account for 17 per cent of the population of Spain, 12 per cent of its drivers, and yet 23 per cent of its motor accident deaths.
This said, of the total figure for road traffic fatalities among the 65-and-over age-group, only 14 per cent were drivers – another 25 per cent were passengers, and 55 per cent were pedestrians run over.
According to the research, over two-thirds of drivers over 65 take regular medication and a third of these had no idea whether their drugs had any effect on their driving, and when asked how authorities can help them in their driving once they hit pensionable age, they say they want access to refresher courses to get them familiar with updated road traffic rules and new technology – one in three said they knew little or nothing about how ABS braking, ESP or satellite navigators worked.
They also want to see much clearer road markings and signs, more widespread street-lighting – in Spain, several motorways connecting major cities have no lighting whatsoever – and awareness campaigns so that other drivers respect middle-aged and elderly motorists more.
Pedestrians want to see more time allowed for crossing roads – as in, for the 'little green man' to stay lit for longer – as well as more and better zebra crossings, and a clampdown on people riding bikes on the pavement.
The over-80s in particular said they would much prefer to carry on driving than to have to use public transport.
