A prime example is my neighbour’s father who seems oblivious to the frustration he causes in others as he pootles tootles along at 20mph, despite the remarkable fact that he can do it all the way from Aberdeen to London, a journey that would make many a younger driver think twice.

My immediate reaction is that they should be banned from the roads, but recent research by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) challenges this myth and reveals that on the whole, older drivers are the safest around. Perhaps younger people could learn a thing or two from them?

The report reveals that drivers over 70 are no more likely to cause a car accident than any other drivers on the roads.

It completely contradicts the common assumption that the older driver is a liability on the road and shows that they are safer than younger drivers. Actually, while 8 % of road users are over 70 years of age, only 4 % of accidents are caused by then in contrast to 34 % of accidents being caused by teenagers and those in their twenties who account for 15 % of drivers. A sobering thought. So why are older drivers safer and why is it so important to focus on this grou

We are living in a society with ever-increasing numbers of older people. It is estimated that over the next twenty years the number of male drivers over 70 will double, and that of females triple. On the whole, these older people will have been driving all their lives and will want to continue to do so after their retirement so that they can continue to enjoy their freedom and lead active lives.

While it appears that these drivers are safest due to self-regulating their driving skills, such as taking into account bad weather conditions, poor light and taking fewer trips on motorways or at peak times, it was identified that there are some driving situations when they are more at risk such as with roundabouts, junctions and slip roads.

In other driving situations they are less likely to be involved in an accident because they adopt a more careful driving style. With this in mind, the IAM have made several recommendations to help improve the safety of older drivers, one of them being to provide driving assessments to help identify their weaknesses and show them how to reduce any risks. It is called DriveCheck55 and aims to give advice to improve people’s driving and to instill instil confidence.

Having taken a similar session myself last year (bearing in mind I am in the age group deemed relatively safe – not being too young or too old) I was amazed at how many bad habits I had adopted and what simple measures I could use to improve my driving, and all within an hour of driving with a qualified examine

The only fly in the ointment is the cost, but then perhaps this is an investment worth making as we get older? Not many of the others seem to be working too well in these straightened cash-strapped times…