91% elderly people for reviewing traffic rules: Survey

About 91 percent of the elderly feel that the existing traffic rules should be reviewed, according to a survey conducted by the Pohjola Insurance.

They opined that driving is important for older people and most of them consider themselves responsible drivers, said the OP in a press release on Wednesday, quoting the survey results.

Of the drivers aged between 65 and 80 who responded to the survey, 67 per cent drive every day or almost every day. Only 5 per cent of the respondents do not drive at all and 87 per cent consider driving important.

“The importance of driving is emphasised in regions where distances are long and the public transport is not extensive,” said Kristian Hiljander, Head of Motor Insurance at Pohjola Insurance.

Older people consider themselves to be exceptionally responsible drivers and 99 per cent of those who responded to the survey stated that they do not take unnecessary risks in traffic.

However, 24 per cent of the respondents admit to having a poor command of the new traffic rules, and 91 per cent would like to review the traffic rules.

“You can review traffic rules on the Finnish Road Safety Website, for example. More than half of the respondents also showed interest in the opportunity of roadway practice, which would help maintain driving skills,” said Hiljander.

Parallel parking is considered the most difficult thing about driving. Driving in an unfamiliar region, driving in the city centre, overtaking, and winter driving are also considered challenging.

Women report finding these situations more difficult than men.

According to the survey, 43 per cent of seniors have noticed changes in their ability to drive in the past five years.

However, more than 60 per cent do not support having an upper age limit for driving a car but think that the best time to give up driving depends on the individual and their health. Many say that they trust a doctor’s evaluation on a person’s ability to drive.

According to statistics from the Finnish Crash Data Institute (OTI), damage due to intersecting vehicles (25%) and rear-end collisions (18%) were the most common types of losses caused by older people that were compensated for from motor liability insurance in 2010–2019.