As society ages, it is inevitable that there will be an increasing numbers of older drivers on our roads. Yet there is no evidence that older drivers are less safe than other age groups or that restrictive regulatory systems produce safer roads. Dr Craig Berry of the International Longevity Centre-UK considers whether this is a policy area amenable to the government’s ‘nudge’ agenda

Berry, Craig

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LSE Research Online

http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/2011/02/08/nudging-older-drivers-to-self-regulate/?pfstyle=wp February 11, 2011As UK society ages, ‘nudging’ older people to self-regulate the way they drive may improve roadsafety and improve their wellbeing.As society ages, it is inevitable that there will be an increasing numbers ofolder drivers on our roads. Yet there is no evidence that older drivers areless safe than other age groups or that restrictive regulatory systemsproduce safer roads. Dr Craig Berry of the International Longevity Centre-UK considers whether this is a policy area amenable to the government’s‘nudge’ agenda.There is a fairly significant, albeit unintentional, ‘nudge’ at the heart of the regulatorysystem on driving in later life. At the age of 70, and every three years thereafter, olderpeople are obligated to self-certify their fitness to drive on the basis of a medicalquestionnaire. Answers are not necessarily verified – but the questions themselves mayencourage people to consider their driving habits as they get older.The measure epitomises the UK’s liberal regulatory system, but it may in fact bediscriminatory. There is no evidence that older drivers, up to the age of around 80, areless safe than other age groups; indeed, young people tend to be more dangerousbehind the wheel. Older people are more likely to suffer from health conditions thataffect driving but age per se does not cause deterioration in driving skills. It should alsobe pointed out that most older people have ceased driving by 80. This is suggestive ofthe real centre-piece of the older driver regulatory system: self-regulation. There issignificant evidence that older people restrict or reduce their driving as they get older.If older people are safe drivers up to around 80 years of age, by which time most haveceased driving, why should driving in later life be a concern for public policy? The ageingsociety means that the numbers of older drivers will increase, but older people do notcause more accidents. Rather, it is the greater frailty associated with old age whichmeans they are more likely to be killed or injured on the roads (greater rates ofpersonal injury, rather than vehicle damage, are the reason that insurance premiumsare higher for older drivers).The importance of driving to older people’s mobility, and subsequently their ability tosatisfy basic needs and mitigate isolation and loneliness, makes driving in later life a keyconcern for policy-makers interested in older people’s well-being. Furthermore, it maybe that not all older people self-regulate effectively. There is a huge variety in howindividuals age and some may cease driving too soon. At the same time, while mostolder people look to manage their driving at some point, most do not recognise everychange associated with ageing. While older people tend to recognise physical changes,they often fail to recognise the decline in cognitive skills which are vital for navigatingcomplex driving situations, and mitigating risk.The current government’s fondness for the ‘nudge’ agenda has become associated,perhaps indelibly, with its public spending cuts. Nudges are seen as a way to encourageindividuals to alter behaviour which leads to sub-optimal outcomes for individuals andsociety, and are seen as most cost-effective than traditional educational, regulatory andpunitive interventions.  In fairness to the government, nudge probably has as much todo with the ‘big society’ agenda, in which individuals are meant to take moreresponsibility for their own welfare, as it does with fiscal policy.Equally, the nudge agenda, despite its apparent faddishness, should be seen toembody an interest in people’s behaviour which has been growing for decades withinpublic policy circles.  Individual actions and decisions result from systems of behaviourthat may be deep-rooted and highly routinised rather than deliberate. This notion is asmuch a challenge to the right’s assumption of utility-maximising individuals as it is tothe left’s reliance on a overbearing nanny state.But why should regulatory measures take the form of nudges? The strong inclination toself-regulation indicates that this is an area amenable to behavioural changeinterventions. If self-regulation is to remain at the heart of the driving regulatorysystem, only nudge fits. The Second European Driving License Directive (and theforthcoming Third European Directive which will take effect from January 2013)contains provisions for licensing restrictions on older drivers in the UK. Yet severalEuropean countries have more draconian systems than the UK (including medicalscreening and compulsory re-testing as well as restricted licenses for older people),even though there is no evidence that roads or older drivers are any safer in suchcountries.If employed appropriately, several different nudges may help older drivers. Theemphasis should be on nurturing a sense of personal responsibility. As such, the UKshould introduce a system of voluntary restricted licenses. Older people would elect torestrict their driving in various ways, such as only driving at certain times of day, orwith corrective lenses, depending on the individual. This system would overcome the‘loss aversion’ that seems to prevent older people from seeking advice about drivingfor fear of losing their license. Self-selecting restrictions would be a way ofguaranteeing one’s license for longer. Self-certification of fitness to drive, the nudge atthe heart of the current regime, should be extended to all age groups, to encourage a‘norm’ of managing driving skills across our lifetimes.It is a truism that most nudges originate in advertising. As companies like Starbucksincreasingly use social media to engage with their customers, they are starting torealise that relationships can be nudges. In terms of advice for older drivers, there is aneed to consider where relationships of trust exist. For older people, this often meansfamilies and GPs. Research shows that GPs are reluctant to advise patients on driving,but are often involved by default in their patients’ decisions on driving in later life.Clearly there needs to be more advice and training for GPs who play this crucial role.Older people should be asked to self-certify that they have sought the advice of amedical professional when renewing their license. Families also need additional supportand advice, so they can help older relatives to self-regulate, rather than simplyintervening when self-regulation seems to fail. There is evidence that distributing self-assessment kits to older people helps them to initiate difficult conversations with family.Perhaps the most important nudges available to policy-makers are financial incentives,which could be rolled out alongside a system of voluntary restrictions. If older driverscan demonstrate self-regulation, should they be rewarded by lower vehicle taxes? Inaddition, it surely makes business sense for insurance companies to lower theirpremiums for such drivers, as the self-regulating driver is likely be safer. A pay-as-you-go system would reward drivers who drive less, and at safer times of day, therebyminimising the likelihood of insurance claims. Through financial and self-regulationnudges we can therefore imagine a scenario in which older people are better able tomake informed, safe decisions about their mobility and well-being, while at the sametime enhancing road safety for the rest of the population.To learn more, please download the full report by Craig Berry, Can Older Drivers BeNudged? How the Public and Private Sectors Can Influence Older Drivers’ Self-Regulation (London: RAC Foundation/International Longevity Centre-UK, 2011).

As UK society ages, ‘nudging’ older people to self-regulate the way they drive may improve road safety and improve their wellbeing

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