Around 250 centenarians currently hold a full UK driving licence, according to figures published on the AA website.
The figures, included in a feature on older drivers, suggest that there are more than 4m licence holders over the age of 70 years – including 1.2m in their eighties and 100,000 in their nineties.
The article looks at whether older drivers are more dangerous on the road, pointing to statistics which show that drivers over the age of 70 years are less likely to be involved in a fatal collision than drivers under 20 years of age.
The AA says this is partly because older drivers limit when and how far they drive – avoiding busy or complex junctions – and are more likely to visit familiar locations like local shops and relatives to when the roads are less busy.
The feature suggests 73% of drivers aged 70 years and over would feel reluctant to ask friends or family for lifts if they were no longer able to drive.
One in 20 (5%) say they don’t have any friends or family they could ask for a lift, while 44% say they would feel like they’d lost part of their identity if they couldn’t drive.
The AA feature also looks at how older drivers can stay safe on the roads for longer, such as having regular medical and driving assessments and making modifications to your car to assist any visual or physical ailments.
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