About us:

We know that older motorists have a wealth of experience, confidence and tolerance. However, sight, hearing, reaction time and judgement of speed and distance may not be as sharp as it once was.

Fragility increases with age, so injuries tend to be more serious and recovery takes much longer. Casualty rates do increase for car drivers aged over about 65, and the fatality rate increases significantly.

That’s where we come in. The Older Drivers Forum is about keeping mature motorists on the road safely for longer. Whether that’s helping giving you practical and informative help and support to continue driving or pointing you in the right direction for an assessment to identify your driving needs.

We’re a not-for-profit organisation made up of experts in road safety – from representatives from the emergency services, to charities, local authorities and businesses specialising in keeping older people on the road.

We do not perform any legal function and do not have the authority to remove driving licences. We are merely here to assist you, or the older person in your life, with staying mobile for as long as possible.

We’ll be constantly adding advice and news for older drivers to our page so please keep coming back for all the latest updates and click on our ‘FOLLOW’ button, enter your email and we will send you updates on what we are doing.

Why not explore the web site and see all the advice, videos, brochures, recommendations on driving assessments and much more we give to help you, or someone you know, carry on driving safely for longer.

In the meantime, got a question? Click here to contact us.

Below are just some exciting things going on:

GEM FREE Webinars 2024 – Second webinar
During 2024 we are running 4 FREE webinars in partnership with GEM Motoring Assist. They will be with expert guidance from TV and Radio Presenter Valerie Singleton OBE and our very own Chair Rob Heard. This webinar occurred in April 2024 and covers all matters to do travelling abroad. To view and watch click here and scroll down to ‘Previously Recorded Webinars’ and then see GEM Webinar Number 2.

Driving Safely in Spring – Biker Aware

This webinar on Saturday 27th April at 10am In this this month’s webinar we share information on how to drive safely on rural roads, with updates on general advice about mature driver safety. To find out more click here. To  register your FREE place click here

LBC Radio Interview – Older Drivers 1st January 2024

Listen to our chair speaking to David Lammy on LBC Radio about Older Drivers and particular concerns raised about drivers over 90 years of age. Click here to listen to the interview.

BBC Radio Gloucestershire interview on Winter Driving Tips

Listen to Nigel Lloyd-Jones from the Older Drivers Forum for Gloucestershire talking about Winter Driving with some excellent tips to be safe on the road as we enter into Winter.
Click here to find out more

Winter Driving tips

Winter will soon be upon us and with it brings many additional driving hazards. But with planning and preparation these can be made much less of a risk. There are three main elements to any winter driving scenario which we can influence:

1. Driving ability
2. Vehicle preparedness and suitability
3. Journey planning.

Visit our Driving in Safely in Winter page to read more and get some good advice – Click here

Government launches plan to put drivers back in the driving seat

The Government has announced a new 30-point plan it says will support drivers with easier parking, smoother journeys and fairer traffic enforcement. Click here to read more

Car Insurance premiums rising

Have you recently noticed that your Car Insurance premium has gone up and thought:

‘Why has my Car Insurance premium gone up?’

‘What can you I do to keep my premiums as low as possible?’

Visit our page on Car Insurance to see the answers to those questions – Click here

BBC News – ‘Fitness to Drive’

Today (4th July 2023) the BBC have been covering across it news channels the subject of ‘Fitness to Drive’. To read the article and listen to our chair being interviewed on the subject on BBC Radio Somerset click here

Gloucestershire Older Drivers Forum webinars

Gloucestershire Older Drivers Forum run regular webinars on numerous subjects to find out more click here

Older Drivers Forum supports Project EDWARD

In May we have been supporting Project EDWARD (Every Day Without A Road Death) week of Action. To see more watch the video by clicking on this link

Podcast – ScORSA

Listen to this Podcast involving our Chair Rob Heard talking with Scottish Occupational Road Safety Alliance. Click here to find the Podcast and scroll down to Older Drivers

BBC Radio 2 Interview with Jeremy Vine

On Friday 24th March the chair and founder of the Older Drivers Forum, Rob Heard, was interviewed by Jeremy Vine on BBC Radio 2 talking about Family and Friends and how to have and start those difficult conversations when we maybe concerned about a loved ones driving. To listen to the interview click here

To find out more about how a family and friend can support a mature driver then click here for voids webinars and lots of useful information.

Advice for Friends and Family of a Mature Driver

Understandably, friends and families can be reluctant to raise the issue with driving , especially if the older person is fiercely protective of their independence. That said, we all respond better when advice is coming from someone we trust so often families and friends will have the best influence on the way that an older driver sees their future behind the wheel. Click here to useful information and advice on how to have those conversations

FREE Webinars to view
In March 2023 we ran three exciting new Webinars which were recorded and now can be viewed by visiting our webinar page. Click here to go to our ‘Webinar’ page. The webinars were on:

Concerned about an Older Driver? We can help
This webinar provides support for families, friends, and carers who are concerned about an older driver. The webinar includes advice on how to: start empathetic conversations with their loved one, friend or client; keep them driving safely, for longer and plan for when it is time for them to retire from driving.

Are you driving whilst impaired?
Impairment, when related to driving, often refers to drink, drugs or a medical condition. However, everyone drives in an impaired fashion from time to time whether it be through tiredness, stress, distraction or simply complacency. This webinar looks at all the factors which may impair our driving decisions and offers solutions to ensure the risk of a road traffic collision is as low as possible.

Is your vision roadworthy?
This webinar was hosted by Valerie Singleton OBE and offers the opportunity to find out more about driver vision and the vital role played by good eyesight in reducing risks on the road. The webinar discussed what the law says and the legal requirements for driving, as well as advice from an optometrist on good eye health and importance of regular eyesight tests and lots more.

Driving Safely in Winter
Winter brings with it many additional driving hazards. But with planning and preparation these can be made much less of a risk. To find out more click here

Webinars / Presentations – Click here to see the recordings

In March 2022 we ran a webinar all about the new changes to the Highway Code and road safety tips. This webinar starts by giving an update on the findings from the Older Drivers Task Force report published in November 2021. The webinar then goes on to cover the new Highway Code and particularly the new changes, as well as giving you useful road safety tips.
To view the Webinar visit our Highway Code page by clicking here

NATIONAL WEB SITE
For advice, support and courses nationally then visit:
www.olderdrivers.org.uk

SITE OWNERSHIP
This site is supported by Hampshire Constabulary Road Safety Team as such follows the same Privacy requirements as them.

PRIVACY NOTICE
To find out more about how we treat personal data and how to exercise your data rights, see our privacy notice

IMPORTANT NEWS

Highway Code – Changes

As of the 29th January 2022 the Highway Code has a number of key changes. To find out more about theses changes, Click Here

Older Drivers Task Force Report published

In November 2021, the Older Drivers Task Force via Road Safety Foundation published a review of older driver road safety. To find out more about this click here

National Highways teams up with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower

 Click here to find out more and listen to our chair talking on a podcast to Hidden Disabilities Sunflower

For an introduction in British Sign Language, please see below.

In the meantime, got a question? Post a comment below or contact us here.

Thank you.