Alan Jones Radio 2GB

I'm receiving an increasing volume of mail from people in relation to this issue of elderly drivers and how the driver's licensing system may apply to them.
For a start, what is an elderly driver?

Some people are old at 60.

Some people are young at 85.

I've no idea what an "elderly driver" is.

But the RTA, that outfit that have given us the Cross City Tunnel and a tunnel on the M5 East near Sydney Airport that belches poison into people who live close by; the same RTA that gives us tollways/freeways that are obsolete before they're built, they've now got a discussion paper on the table on these elderly drivers.

And under their proposal, restrictions on elderly drivers would be progressively imposed.

Medical tests annually from the age of 75, not 80.

And from the age of 85, drivers would have a 10 kilometre radius restriction placed on them.

Does someone at the RTA understand that there is an area west of the Great Dividing Range where some so-called elderly drivers live 50 kilometres from the nearest post office.

150 kilometres from the electorate office of their so-called representative MP.

That's how out of touch the RTA are.

The ten kilometre radius restriction is called a home to town restriction.

Whose home?

Which town?

Brain dead again.

Thankfully the NRMA, who represent drivers, have declared their opposition to the whole shebang.

And a director, Graham Blight, who's a bushie, spoke to me yesterday about this ten kilometre nonsense.

And he said rightly that such a piece of stupidity is a threat to the independence and mobility of a significant proportion of the population who live in areas without adequate public or community support.

But I've had a letter from a so-called elderly driver who wrote to the Roads Minister, Eric Roozendaal.

And writing on behalf of the Minister to this correspondent of mine, Matt Brown the Parliamentary Secretary for Roads, wrote that "That's why older drivers are required to pass a yearly driving test as well as an annual medical examination from the age of 85 years."

Now while I don't agree with that either, there's no mention of any reference to a restriction on travel.

So how does the RTA come out with a proposal that limits what drivers over 75 years can do?

The Minister is saying a medical examination from the age of 85.

The RTA is proposing a medical test from the age of 75 and a ten kilometre radius restriction.

No reference to that in what the Minister said in February this year.

Does the left hand know what the right hand is doing?

Why are older people regarded as potentially disabled?

Who's making policy?

I hope not the unelected and discredited RTA.

And is this an attempt to brainwash the public into believing that wholesale carnage exists on our roads due to the elderly.

Per capita we've got one of the lowest accident rates in the Western world and the accidents caused by older drivers are not even a blip on the radar.

And the 75 years and over age group are the most overly cautious on the roads.

They drive at low risk times, outside peak hour, during daylight and cover fewer kilometres than other motorists.

We are one of the few jurisdictions in the world, not just Australia, that's proposing mandatory tests for older drivers.

What's the rationale?

Perhaps these so-called older drivers should be told who they are and why, in spite of a mountain of legislation that says you can't discriminate on the basis of age, why are they being discriminated against.

As one correspondent to me said, if the 35 year old father who backed his car over his daughter in the driveway of his home about a year ago was the child's grandfather, there'd be all manner of hysterical calls from the RTA for more tests for older drivers.

What tests?  

A reflex test to see if they're eligible to compete in the Indianapolis 500?

As my correspondent said, one of these so-called elderly, "From time to time accidents happen and can be caused by any driver, regardless of age.  It is time this was recognised as a simple fact of life and we can all move on."

There's surely a simple test.

All drivers should be regarded accordingly, whether you're 20 or 80.

If you've got a perfect driving record you should be left alone.

But can there be any greater discrimination than regarding one group of the community, undefined but loosely described as elderly, as so second or third class that they have to be medically tested at 75 and prevented from driving further than 10 kilometres from their home.

Well, don't do nothing.

You can download this nonsense called a discussion paper at rta.nsw.gov.au or phone 13 22 13 to have a copy of the discussion paper mailed to you.

And you can make written submissions by the 19th of October.

But we have a court system to determine personal responsibility and accountability if something goes wrong on the road.

Not the RTA to arbitrarily categorise all people at a certain age as either disabled, untrustworthy or incapable of handling a motor vehicle.

But then what else would you expect from the RTA.