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Ageing driver licensing requirements and traffic safety

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2011

RICHARD TAY
RICHARD TAY*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Law and Management, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.
*
Address for correspondence: Richard Tay, Chair in Road Safety Management, Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Law and Management, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3086, Australia. E-mail: r.tay@latrobe.edu.au
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Abstract

As the population in most developed countries continues to age, there is an increasing concern about its effect on traffic safety, resulting in calls to tighten the licensing renewal policies for mature drivers. This study examines the licensing requirements in five Canadian provinces and their respective vehicle collision rates for ageing drivers. Contrary to expectation, we find a positive correlation between the stringency of the licensing system and the mean crash rates. Therefore, increasing the mandatory testing and licensing requirements is not recommended at this time.

Keywords

ageing driverlicensing policiescrash ratesroad safetyCanada
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 32 , Issue 4 , May 2012 , pp. 655 - 672
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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