OLDER DRIVERS FACE 'DIFFICULT' CHOICE - PHILLIP SCHOFIELD OPENS UP ON FATHER'S LICENCE
The hosts of This Morning, Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, were discussing whether older drivers should retake their test. It had stemmed from the recent discourse around the safety of older drivers, as highlighted by a debate on Good Morning Britain the day before.
Phillip Schofield spoke about the decisions some elderly drivers have to make to choose to give up driving, much like his own father.
He said: "With something like this, anybody, when they pass their driving test they get that high grade of euphoria of the freedom you have when you suddenly now able to go out.
"To get to the point where you're not safe to drive, and I can remember it happening to my dad.
"He had a heart condition and it wasn't safe for him to drive his car and I saw the sadness on his face when he had to hand his licence back.
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"It was an agreement with our family, no one forced him. But he said 'no I actually agree'.
"But the sadness on his face that day, you could see the little boy gone."
One of the guests, columnist Sonia Sodha, said it was a very important choice for drivers to make, especially when they may feel it is a lifeline.
She highlighted how elderly drivers may be living alone, and their car is the only thing keeping them connected with other people.
She added: "You get to see other people and do things. It can lead to a lot of social isolation and is a really difficult thing.
"I kind of hope driverless cars, we're always told they're just around the corner but that could be something where slower reaction times matter less.
"I do think it's very important and we know that social isolation is a really big problem amongst some older people and not being able to drive a car in an area where there's no public transport really contributes to that."
In the UK, elderly drivers are required to renew their driving licence every three years once they reach the age of 70.
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Tom Swarbrick, LBC radio host, concluded the segment, saying: "It's like you're coming to terms with the fact that you're getting older and that's a tricky thing."
Earlier this week, legendary actor Dick Van Dyke was involved in a motor accident when he crashed his Lexus into a gate in Malibu, California.
It was reported that he lost control of the wheel when the streets were slick after the state was battered with heavy rain and storms this month.
According to TMZ, the police submitted documents to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) requiring the Mary Poppins star to retake his driving test, because of his advanced age.
In the US, there are no laws stating that drivers must give up their licence once they reach a certain age, although different states have various rules.
For example, California - where Van Dyke was driving - requires older drivers to renew with an in-person examination at age 70.
This includes a written test and an eye exam. Similar rules exist in Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts and South Carolina.
Van Dyke, who also starred in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Diagnosis: Murder, reportedly suffered a concussion in the accident.