It should be taken into account that 8.5 percent of drivers -2,251,000 of the 26,312,000 people who have some type of driving license in Spain- are over 70 years old, according to data from the Dirección general de Tráfico (DGT). Not all of them drive regularly, but there are many of them who do drive, especially in smaller municipalities, where the distances to travel are shorter. In addition, it should be noted that some of those who do so are almost nonagenarian, and to add danger to the matter, they usually drive cars that are more than 10 years old, since many buy their last car at 60 years of age.
It should also be noted that European regulations - and, therefore, Spain's obligation to transpose them own regulation- has lengthened the renewal periods for the oldest group: if previously those over 65 had to renew their permit every two years, now the EU has set it at every five years.
For all this, we believe that it is necessary to inform, raise awareness, make them see, and transmit to people over 65 the risks they take when driving and their faculties have been reduced, as well as lead them to make the decision, for themselves, to set limits such as not driving at night, not exceeding a series of kilometers or routes, not carrying passengers or even stopping driving, if necessary, to protect not only themselves but other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists or passengers (relatives, grandchildren ...)
The campaign, therefore, is aimed at the elderly, who go to the special centers for the elderly, where the Aesleme speakers show them a Powerpoint presentation, interspersed with illustrative videos, appropriate to them risks and age. The objective is to show them the risks, in a simple way as pedestrians, drivers and passengers; emphasizing their role as a grandparent/grandmother driver or pedestrian taking them grandchild to school or elsewhere, thereby highlighting and encourage them role as an educator and role model.
