Motorists aged 70 and over in poor health may be restricted to driving in daylight hours only. They may also be ordered to stay near to home, with their cars fitted with trackers to ensure compliance.

Under proposals discussed between the DVLA and Driving Mobility – a network of test centres – over 70s who could otherwise lose their licence because of ill health could be eligible for ‘graduated driving licences’. These would restrict them to a radius of 20 or 30 miles from home and ban them from night-time driving.

Driving licences expire when a driver turns 70, and those wanting to stay on the roads must inform the DVLA of medical conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, diabetes (if treated with insulin) and any condition that affects both eyes or the total loss of sight in one eye. Reviews take place every three years.

According to a Sunday Times report, there has been an increase in elderly drivers on the roads in the last 25 years, with the proportion of drivers over 70 doubling, from a third to two thirds. However, the number of deaths on the road in this age group leapt from 95 in 2010 to 145 last year, while fatalities for every other age group fell sharply or stayed stable.

Proposal could lead to loneliness

Edmund King, president of the AA, criticised the possible plan, warning it could lead to loneliness, and called on the medical profession to report drivers to the DVLA: “They are there to save lives and what better way to save lives than to prevent someone who you know is capable of killing through their own medical condition,” he said.

However, Edward Trewhella, chief executive of Driving Mobility, defended the proposals, saying many elderly motorists stick to their own local area already. “They go to the shop, the doctor’s surgery, go and see a granddaughter down the road, probably on minor roads with which they are familiar.

“This process would regularise that, and make it legal for them to do so as long as they didn’t take a trip outside of an area or outside of a time restriction. That would mean that they were driving safely within their familiar environment.”

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The RAC has called on Scottish authorities to conduct “swift corrective maintenance” to the North Coast 500 route in Scotland ahead of the summer, following a report that the roads are in a “terrible” condition.  

The North Coast 500 follows the main roads along the coastal edges of northern Scotland and is popular with sightseers and car enthusiasts due to the rugged nature of the terrain – and twisting roads. 

According to The Scotsman, the 519-mile tourist trail has ‘big holes in sections’ and there are also ‘suspension-destroying’ potholes along the route.   

Fraser Mackenzie, a Highlands-based renewable energy project manager, claimed a harsh winter and underinvestment has led to a deterioration in maintenance and said some sections resemble a cart track. He said: “The surface has gone from huge sections, with an uncountable number of potholes and mere metres of newish tarmac”.

‘A blessing and a curse’

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis told Motoring Research: “The wild, exposed nature of many of the roads that make up the NC500 are both a blessing and a curse – great from a scenic point of view, but a real problem when it comes to the elements getting the better of them.”

Dennis added: “This year, the colder winter we’ve had means potholes are likely to make driving some stretches of the route a lot less enjoyable, but they also risk causing expensive damage to vehicles. 

“Between October and December last year, RAC patrols attended more than 1,400 breakdowns nationally where potholes were most likely to be the cause, and without some swift corrective maintenance it looks as though the arrival of spring could coincide with many more drivers running into problems, including on the NC500 itself.”

Responding to the complaint, a spokesman for Highland Council – which is responsible for maintaining the majority of the route – said: “The recent severe weather between January and March has caused considerable damage to Highland roads. We have a process in place regarding potholes and defects, and all incidents that are reported are followed up.”

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EV entrepreneur Henrik Fisker has predicted that petrol and diesel cars could fall out of favour with the public well before the UK’s 2030 ban on the sale of new fossil-fuelled vehicles (excluding hybrids).

Speaking to Motoring Research, the founder of the eponymous EV start-up suggested motorists wouldn’t buy a petrol or diesel car for fear of losing money on it. “If you buy a petrol or diesel car in 2023 – who is going to buy that car in 2026? You won’t be allowed to drive into the centre of London or Manchester and everyone hates the car because it is essentially forbidden,” he said.

“It’s like trying to sell a horse to someone who needs to commute to work every day and saying ‘why don’t you just ride that to work?’ It isn’t going to work anymore. Gasoline vehicles could be extinct much faster and the resale value is going to fall.”

Fisker’s company is set to launch its Tesla Model Y-rivalling Ocean EV in the UK in late 2022. He says British customers will pay the same price for vehicles as Americans, because European-bound models will be manufactured by Magna Steyr in Austria.

“Our vehicle has a price of $37,500, which will translate to less than €40,000 (£35,632). We won’t upcharge people in England. Because it is coming from Graz, you don’t have to factor in transport costs from America, so pricing will be pretty similar,” he said.

Specifications for the Ocean are yet to be revealed in full, but Fisker says it has a maximum range of 350 miles, calculated using the American testing cycle, so he expects the European test to record a higher figure.

Like Tesla, Fisker said the Ocean will be fitted with ‘fun’ features: “I know in England it can suddenly start raining and we are planning a special ‘UK mode’ which we will announce closer to the launch,” he teased.

‘Different plugs become annoying’

Fisker did, however, take a swipe at his Californian rival over its decision to build up its own Supercharger network and socket design.

“I don’t think it would be an advantage for the customer if every car maker makes their own charging station and own plug like Tesla has done because it becomes annoying for the consumer. Ultimately, the consumer needs to be able to go to any charging station – just like you would go to a gas station – and charge your car.”

Fisker confirmed the Ocean will be fitted with a CCS plug and will be able to accept a charging speed that adds 100 miles of range within 10 minutes.

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The government has been criticised for its patchy and inconsistent approach to electric car adoption, with SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes declaring it “a game of snakes and ladders”.

Although the government has urged the phase-out of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 – the most onerous target for any industry – recent cuts to the Plug-in Car Grant are the latest hurdle faced by car manufacturers.

While ministers say they are working with industry, said Mr Hawes, “for automotive, the policy is just ‘end the sale’.

“The government seems to have the automotive industry in its sights, but seems to have lost sight of the one vital player in this deal: the consumer.”

This is reflected in the take-up of electric cars, with private buyers registering just 4.6 percent of electric vehicles in 2020, compared to 8.7 percent for fleets and businesses.  

Generous tax-saving incentives are driving the uptake of electric company cars – as incentives for private car buyers are cut back.

Car firms are rapidly stepping up the launch of new electric cars and the government now needs to match the industry’s ambitions rather than slashing retail incentives, said Mr Hawes.

Nearly one in two car buyers say they won’t be ready to drive an EV by 2030 – and many believe that, because of cost and a lack of infrastructure, they will never drive one.

The SMMT has now produced a blueprint to help retail uptake of electric cars, focused on fairer incentives and a “dramatically expanded” public charging infrastructure.

‘Cut VAT for EVs’

The automotive industry trade body is calling on the government to not only maintain, rather than cut again, the current £2,500 Plug-in Car Grant, but also exempt consumer EVs from VAT.

This could increase uptake by almost two-thirds by 2026, compared with current predictions.

Public charge points also need to rapidly grow in number: the SMMT predicts that more than 700 a day need to be installed between now and 2030.

The current installation rate is just 42 a day.

“To deliver an electric revolution that is affordable, achievable and accessible to all by 2030, government and other stakeholders must put ordinary drivers at the heart of policy and planning,” said Mr Hawes.

“We need incentives to tempt consumers, infrastructure that is robust and charging points that provide reassurance.

“A clear and collaborative strategy engaging all would ensure the UK remains an attractive place both to manufacture and market electric vehicles, helping us achieve our net zero ambition.”

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