By Luke Voogt
A car crash that injured three people at Westfield Geelong has ignited a debate over licence testing for elderly drivers.
Emergency services rushed to the scene Thursday morning after a man in his sixties smashed into the shopping centre’s western glass-door entrance.
Paramedics took the driver and two elderly pedestrians to hospital as police closed surrounding streets while investigators checked for structural damage to the building.
Police said the three crash victims escaped “life-threatening” injuries.
The driver had apparently accelerated his Toyota Camry sedan on Corio St toward the doors, said Geelong Senior Sergeant Nicole Yin.
“The two pedestrians were inside the shopping centre,” Sen Sgt Yin said.
Shopping centre staff shut off power to nearby stores as emergency crews worked to free the man from his car. Paramedics took the driver and pedestrians to hospital for observation.
“There are no life-threatening injuries,” Sen Sgt Yin said.
The car also hit an RACV shopfront in the shopping centre, damaging a window.
The shopping centre escaped “structural damage”, Sen Sgt Yin said.
Indy readers were quick to debate the incident after the paper posted the story online.
“I think this is a huge debate, when is being too old to drive?” posted Vikki Gage under a Facebook link to the story.
She expressed concerns about impact of medication on driving skills before relating her own experience of a doctor revoking an elderly family member’s right to drive.
“I totally understand it is hard for them to lose their independence but it is just not safe.”
Karen Reynolds wanted “automatic retesting based on medications”.
“If people cannot function properly in everyday activities or life, whatever they be, then how can they possibly drive a car,” she posted.
Penelope Perrin raised the physical abilities of “old people” as she called for annual testing.
“My issue with the elderly driving is the fact that they simply don’t have the quick reflexes required to drive safely,
“Little old ladies driving into childcare centres critically injuring children is simply preventable.”
Motorists representative body RACV has opposed licence testing for elderly drivers, saying on its website they were “generally safe, experienced, cautious and more law-abiding”.
Impairment rather than age was “key” to determining whether someone should drive, the RACV said.
“Giving up a licence can have a huge impact on an individual’s quality of life and their health, and should only be applied when there is a safety risk because of an individual’s impairment.”
