Drivers' health problems 'being ignored'

Date: 20/1/2010

Up to a fifth of drivers know someone who has driven while suffering from a medical condition that should have stopped them from getting behind the wheel of a car, new research shows.

In a poll of more than 20,000 AA members, some 19 per cent said they knew someone who has driven when they knew they should not have done.

However, only two per cent of those surveyed admitted that they had driven in such circumstances.

Despite these findings, those that are the fittest - the young - remain the most dangerous on the roads, AA president Edmund King said.

And while the death rate of those over the age of 60 involved in accidents does increase, this may be due to frailty rather than poor driving standards, the organisation suggests.

"Drivers need to be aware of the risks they are taking and the consequences of getting caught," Mr King said.