Who says it's the end of the road for elderly drivers? Inevitably, of course, when these senior motor-moments happen, the internet noticeboards are nose-to-tail with comments demanding that drivers be either stripped of their licences at a certain age, or else forcibly re-tested to prove their roadworthiness. The fact is, though, as a report this week has pointed out, that mass car-key confiscation would neither be fair nor practical. According to It's My Choice, the 72-page document published by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), there are now six million over-70s on our roads, where there were fewer than a million 35 years ago. What's more, that figure is going to grow, as 80 per cent of 60 to 69-year-olds currently hold licences and are expected to continue driving for another 20 years. Forget the baby-boomers, these are the baby-vroomers. Instead of setting up a massive new quango, with powers to seek out and disqualify any driver unable to read a numberplate from the required 20.5-metre distance, It's My Choice concludes that what's needed is "a national strategy for an ageing car-driver population." Suggestions are very much of the slow-lane kind: development of a course accreditation system, before even thinking of introducing an older-driver test; plus the putting together of an information pack, "raising awareness and giving advice on the issues facing older drivers, such as renewing the driving licence, self-regulation and vehicle adaptation." At present, you have to re-apply for your driving licence at the age of 70, and every three years thereafter. That said, you don't have to undergo any kind of test or inspection - medical or motoring - and there is no legal age at which anyone must stop driving. "You can decide when to stop as long as you don't have any medical conditions that affect your driving," says the Government's direct.gov.uk website. And if you're uncertain whether your medical condition does or doesn't disqualify you from taking the wheel, there's a lengthy click-here section covering everything from ankylosing spondylitis (fusing of the vertebrae; you don't need to inform the DVLA) to Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome (heart condition; you do). That said, ultimate responsibility for declaring yourself unfit to drive remains a matter of what is called "self-regulation." In other words, it's entirely up to you. Just fill in the four-page "Medical Fitness to Drive" form, itemising how your condition affects you, and you can effectively apply the handbrake to your own driving career. Which is, in many ways, like expecting Texans to give up their right to own a gun. "We keep suggesting to Dad that it's time he gave up driving, but he won't hear of it," a friend tells me. He keeps asking how else he's going to take Mum to her hospital appointments. Plus, he loves his car and thinks giving it up will be the beginning of the end. Obviously, we're worried for his safety, but we're also worried he might injure or kill someone else. He's started pulling out without looking properly because it hurts his neck to turn round. Talk to most people in their fifties or sixties and they have at least one relative whose driving skills are cause for concern. And all of us have tales to tell of flat-capped octogenarians whose snail's pace along main roads leaves other drivers enraged. Indeed, a report entitled Staying Safe and Mobile - Older Drivers, compiled by the International Longevity Centre, found that one in four Britons thought drivers should be made to switch off the ignition for good somewhere between the ages of 70 and 75. The question is, though, at what age does someone become incapable of driving, and how can you predict when that is going to be? While mandatory testing may not be feasible, David Williams, chief executive of the Guild of Experienced Motorists, can see a way of weeding out the most lethal licence-holders. Because there is a requirement for drivers to renew the new, photo ID form of licence every 10 years, I think there should be an added requirement for them to get a stamp on their application from an optician, confirming that their eyesight has been tested, and is all right. After all, good vision has got to be the most important part of driving. Meanwhile, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents offers "refresher" courses for older drivers, known as Experienced Driver Assessments. "They cost £50 a time, there's no pass or fail, and they're designed to help you iron out any bad habits you might have picked up," says a RoSPA spokesman. Yes, everyone has to do a number-plate sight test at the start, but no, we don't have the power to make any referrals to the DVLA or anyone else, if we feel someone is unfit to drive. Nevertheless, if we did have concerns, we would strongly advise people to see a doctor or an optician. So how keen are insurance companies on covering the more experienced driver? "We find a lot of insurance companies simply refuse to accept new business from any driver over 70 or 75," says Williams. They take the attitude that you can stick with the firm who's always insured you, but when it comes to shopping around for a better deal, forget it. An exception is the company RIAS, which specialises in older motorist cover; whereas insuring a teenage boy racer can cost thousands of pounds per year, they cite an annual premium of £434.70 for a 79-year-old, Ford Fiesta-driving couple living in Dorset. Statistics show that older drivers cause fewer accidents than their younger counterparts do. Maybe this is because they already "self-regulate" (that is, they don't drive at night, or go fast to impress girls), but according to Department of Transport statistics, 8 per cent of the country's drivers are over 70, yet they are only involved in 4 per cent of crashes resulting in injury. Meanwhile, 15 per cent of the country's drivers are in their tearaway teens or twenties, and are involved in 34 per cent of crashes where injuries occur. So rather than running older drivers off the road, more and more organisations say we should be giving them the green light. "Those who wish to continue driving beyond the age of 70 should only be prevented from doing so if there are compelling reasons," says Simon Best, chief executive of the Institute of Advanced Motorists. Rather than seeking to prevent older people from driving, we should make them more aware of the risks they face, and offer them driving assessments to help them eliminate bad habits.