Elderly drivers who barely use their vehicles have been urged to quit driving to save money.
Elderly drivers have been urged to quit driving if they cover less than 2,000 miles per year (Image: Getty)
Older drivers who travel fewer than 2,000 miles per year have been advised by experts to give up their driving licence. The Older Drivers Forum stressed that motorists travelling below the threshold should consider ditching their car and looking for alternatives.
The experts stressed that deciding it’s time to give up a driving licence and to retire from the roads can be very difficult. But they suggested that it could make “financial sense” to quit driving if motorists are barely using their vehicles.
Older drivers usually travel around 1,665 miles per year (Image: Getty)
The Older Drivers Forum explained: “Retiring from driving does not mean that you will lose your freedom and mobility, as there are many alternatives to driving.
“It may even make good financial sense to use your money for other ways of getting about, rather than for owning and running a car, especially if you drive less than 2,000 miles a year. You would get money from selling your car, and save money because you no longer have to pay for insurance, MOTs, servicing, fuel, parking and repairs.”
Petrol prices have skyrocketed amid the disruption in oil production across the Middle East, while older drivers face the threat of costly car insurance bills. Premiums for older motorists have fallen over the past year, but new data suggests that motorists face a £127 rise the more they age.
New data from MoneySuperMarket shows drivers between 70 and 79 are charged £429 per year to use the roads. But, individuals between 80 and 89 are paying £586 to insure their vehicles in a whopping £157 price rise.
According to experts at Taking Care Personal Alarms, the average annual mileage for drivers above the age of 70 is 1,665 miles per year.
They explained that this was approximately 28% lower than the average mileage for drivers across other age groups and demographics.
On average, motorists tend to hand over their driving licence and quit driving at the age of 75. However, motorists of any age can stay behind the wheel as long as they are fit and healthy.
USwitch explained: “In the UK, there is technically no such rule about being ‘too old’ to drive, as your right to hold a full driving licence is dependent on your physical and cognitive ability to operate a vehicle safely.”