The full programme for Road Safety GB’s upcoming Mature Drivers’ Conference has been finalised, with an esteemed line-up of speakers to explore Safe System thinking for this cohort of road users.
The UK’s population is ageing, with the proportion of people aged 65 and over increasing year-on-year. As a result, the number of mature drivers is also on the rise. Government data shows there were more than 6 million people aged 70 or over with a full driving licence in the UK as of September 2024.
This conference – hosted by Road Safety GB and supported by GEM Motoring Assist, The Road Safety Trust & Waymo – will bring together road safety professionals and those committed to supporting mature drivers to maintain their independence while at the same time enhancing their safety.
It takes place at Austin Court, Birmingham, on 28 April 2026.
The agenda comprises 16 presentations and two panel discussion sessions. Click here to view the agenda at a glance, and here to find out more information about the speakers and presentations.
The first session, titled ‘The Perfect Storm’, will set the scene for the day. It will highlight the importance of an evidence-based approach to mature driver safety, and then examine two of the key health issues that impact mature drivers.
Speakers in this session include:
- Professor Charles Musselwhite, Aberystwyth University – Keynote address
- Rob Heard MBE – Mature Drivers – the statistics: a perfect storm
- Dr Liz Box, RAC Foundation & Tanya Fosdick, Agilysis – Evidence-based approaches to enhancing older driver safety
- Dr Carol Hawley – A focus on eyesight and mature drivers
- Dr Maaike Esselaar, Manchester Metropolitan University – Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy and Safe Driving: Understanding Functional Risk
The second session takes the audience through each element of the Safe System and showcases research or activities covering Safe Roads, Safe Vehicles, Safe Speeds and Post Crash Care.
The presentations in this session are:
- Professor Richard Cuerden, TRL – Vehicle design for life
- Brian Lawton, Road Safety Foundation – The effect of increasing older driver numbers on road casualties (safer roads)
- Dr Sam Chapman, Co-Founder, The Floow – Safe Speeds and Older Demographics: Insights from behavioural and risk research
- Professor Andrew Morris & Professor Jo Barnes, Loughborough University – Post-crash Care in the Safe System – What are we missing and what are the impacts on mature road users?
Following a break for lunch and networking, the afternoon comprises two sessions looking at the Safe Road User aspect of the Safe System.
The line-up for these sessions is:
- Dr Carol Hawley, University of Warwick & Ian Edwards, New View Consultants – Standardised mature driver assessments & the Road Safety GB ADI Register
- Keith Millard, Northamptonshire Safer Roads Alliance – CarKraft for mature drivers
- Dr Anu Varshney, Head of Service, South East DriveAbility – Empowering Safe Mobility: Driving Mobility’s Strategic Role in Supporting Mature Drivers
- Dr Theopisti Chrysanthaki, University of Surrey – Supporting Timely Driving Retirement for People Living with Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment
- Anna Southall & Vikki Bristow, West Mercia Police – A partnership approach to engaging with mature drivers across West Mercia
- Nigel Lloyd-Jones, the Older Drivers Forum for Gloucestershire – Empowering Mature Drivers: A Gloucestershire Community Road Safety Model & Living without a car
A small tabletop exhibition will run alongside the conference. For more information about this, and the conference in general, please contact Nick Rawlings by email.
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