The future for cars and motoring

THERE ARE a staggering 38.6 million licensed vehicles in Great Britain, 82 per cent of which are cars, and 65 per cent of households own at least one, according to figures from the Department for Transport.

Among older people there has been a big increase in the numbers holding a full driving licence, with the proportion of over-70s still happily motoring rising from 39 per cent in 1997 to 67 per cent in 2019. Women are partly responsible for this increase, and in 2020 the oldest person in Britain to hold a full driving licence was a 108-year-old female...

Being able to drive prolongs independence for older people, but there are caveats. After the age of 70 motorists need to renew their licences every three years, as opposed to every ten for younger people, and it really is down to individuals to act responsibly and give up driving if they feel they are no longer able to continue safely.

However, while many older people are understandably reluctant to stop driving, new government data from MOT tests suggests the Covid-19 pandemic has