Senior drivers turn to refresher courses as car technology evolves

More older drivers are signing up for driving courses at the TCS driving centre in Frick, Switzerland, to refresh their practical and theoretical knowledge, SRF reports. New traffic rules and increasingly complex vehicle functions are challenging some participants.

During one course, driving adviser Angela Schneider practised emergency braking with 78-year-old Peter Rauscher. Many older drivers were not used to braking with an ABS system, she said.

Rauscher said he wanted an independent assessment of his driving. “My wife feels safe with me in the car. But that is not objective. I wanted to drive with neutral people,” he said.

Schneider said the courses attracted highly motivated older people, many of whom wanted to remain active on the roads for as long as possible. She was surprised by how little some participants knew about the rules. “It astonishes me that more does not happen on the roads,” she said.

Some drivers also struggle with the controls in modern vehicles, which often have numerous functions and screens. Instructors show participants how to adjust the seat and steering wheel, as well as how to use automatic headlights and driver-assistance systems.

Ivan Nogara, who also leads courses at the TCS centre, described the case of a 90-year-old woman who arrived in a manual car. She was unable to process the different instructions or respond to them, he said. After they drove to a car park, she asked for his opinion. Nogara recommended that she voluntarily surrender her driving licence, which she did.

Christoph Jöhr, head of traffic behaviour at the Swiss advisory body for accident prevention, supports refresher courses for older drivers. The risk of injury is higher because the body becomes more vulnerable with age, he said.

Statistics show that around 29 out of every 1,000 older people involved in crashes die each year, compared with six among those aged 20 to 24.

Jöhr said that improving traffic knowledge could affect road safety. The advisory body recommends that older drivers voluntarily keep their knowledge up to date. Mandatory driving tests for everyone would not be feasible because of the resources required, he said, but voluntary drives with a driving instructor or adviser could be useful.

He also said drivers needed to understand and use modern systems correctly, including emergency braking assistance, lane-keeping assistance and blind-spot warnings. Such systems could help prevent crashes, but drivers still had to remain attentive.

Jöhr was sceptical that self-driving cars would remove the problem. Automated driving would ease many difficulties, he said, but it would be premature to say that the problems would disappear. New challenges would arise.