The subject is sensitive, the proposed solution can get people talking. In a new prevention campaign entitled “Doctor, is it serious if I drive?” », Road Safety reminds that it is possible to report to the authorities a loved one deemed unfit to drive.
“Reporting a person is a delicate subject,” concedes Road Safety, before detailing the procedure: a parent or relative can report another, whom they consider dangerous while driving.
After sending a letter or an e-mail detailing the report to the prefect, the latter can act by setting a deadline for the person concerned. She must then go to an approved doctor for a medical examination. Depending on medical advice, the authorities may suspend the license, or authorize driving with restrictions (prohibition of driving at night, on motorways, etc.).
“I am more in favor of dialogue with the person”
Among our readers of 20 Minutes, the procedure divides. Some people don’t want to hear about denunciation. “I am more in favor of dialogue with the person. Denunciation is very unhealthy and counterproductive,” judges Cédric.
Béatrice found herself facing a case of conscience with her father. But she preferred to act alone. “It wasn’t easy, several times I had to bring the subject up until the day his car was deemed too dangerous. I had a mechanic come and take it to ‘repair’ it. Since then, no more cars. »
Same reasoning for Alain, who says he prefers to “steal the papers and keys” of a dangerous relative in the car, rather than reporting him to the authorities.
“I made it for my mother, it was about time”
Other readers, on the contrary, find the device useful. “If I had known about it a few years ago, I would have done it,” swears Alphonsine, thinking of her grandfather, now deceased. “He was disabled, he no longer knew how to walk. Despite this, he still drove and made the Lille/Nice trip several times a year. Would he have been able to react urgently while driving? »
Marc was forced to use this reporting procedure, without regrets. “I made it for my mother, it was about time. She was having difficulty shifting gears and had crashed the excavator onto our property.”
Remembering the conduct of his father, now deceased, Jean-Pascal can only support the campaign. “My father drove his vehicle until he was 83 years old. He could hardly hear anymore, he saw very poorly and therefore drove very dangerously. For example, he could travel 15 km stuck in second gear without realizing it, or swerve into a street in the wrong direction. »
To be controlled, you still need to have the will. As a last resort, Geoffroy reported his father to the authorities. “He suffered three strokes, was placed in a nursing home, but despite his psychological problems, he refused to give up his vehicle,” laments our reader. I could no longer sleep, I was afraid that he would crush the children in the school located right next to his establishment.”
Mandatory medical examinations in several countries
Despite multiple summons, Geoffroy’s father never showed up for the meetings. “His license was taken away from him but he did not return his vehicle,” continues the son, who still refuses to notify the police even though he suspects his father of driving.
Especially since the consequences can be tragic. On Christmas Day, in the North of France, a 91-year-old motorist died after traveling the highway in the wrong direction for several dozen kilometers.
Senior drivers were “more often presumed responsible for fatal accidents (64%) than other drivers (56%)” according to figures from the National Interministerial Road Safety Observatory in 2022.
However, “the number of seniors presumed responsible compared to the million inhabitants of this age is equivalent after 75 years to the similar ratio for 25-34 year olds, and lower than that for 18-24 year olds. However, compared to the mileage traveled, the risk of being presumed responsible for 75-84 year olds exceeds that of 25-34 year olds, and, for those 85 and over, that of 18-24 year olds.
“Rather than authorizing denunciation, it would be more judicious to provide for a compulsory medical examination which would make it possible to formalize, or not, the ability to drive,” judges Alexandre.
Although 14 EU countries require amateur motorists to undergo a compulsory examination from a certain age, the European Parliament this year rejected the principle of compulsory medical examination.
In France, paraathlete Pauline Déroulède, who had a leg amputated in 2018 after being hit by a nonagenarian motorist, has been fighting for years to raise awareness on the subject.