Police want doctors and family members to dob in dangerous senior drivers

Assistant Commissioner Stephen Leane has called on doctors to dob in their elderly patients who are no longer fit to drive.

Victoria’s new top traffic cop encouraged family members and GP’s to come forward and raise concerns with police about anyone in their family they thought presented a danger on the road. 

“If you’re a family member and nervous you can walk into a police station and raise concerns,” Asst Comm Leane said talking to 3AW’s Neil Mitchell this morning.

As the population ages, the number of older drivers is ballooning. There are currently requirements in NSW for anyone older than 85 to pass a driving test every two years.

Asst Comm Leane didn’t rule out the possibility of introducing similar re-testing or health checks for older drivers.

He also detailed his desire to reduce the blood alcohol level to zero for Victorian drivers saying it was “inevitable,” although admitted it may not happen during his career.

“Eventually we’ll have to get there [zero], but we may need to give it a nudge,” he said. 

Asst Comm Leane also said that he wants to see an increase of point-to-point speed cameras to regulate speed of distance and stop what he called “camera surfing".