Coroner makes warning after death of woman in Newark
It was suggested that older drivers with "compromised" ability may cause further deaths
A coroner has warned that older drivers with "compromised" ability may cause further deaths after a woman died in Newark.
Rosemary McAndrew, 64, had been struck by a car and became trapped under it, sustaining chest injuries on July 5 last year. It's said it was "reversing at speed" while she had been a pedestrian near the Waitrose shop in Newark, Nottinghamshire.
The car was driven by an 89-year-old man, who paramedics suspected "may have had a neurological event" while driving.
In the two years before the crash, the man's mobility had reduced, he reported back and leg pains to his GP, and went to A&E in October 2023 with symptoms suspected to be the result of a mini stroke.
He died of dementia and gangrene in both feet eight months after the collision.
Assistant coroner for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Beth Brown has sent a Prevention of Future Deaths report to the Secretary of State for Transport warning that the number of older drivers is increasing "rapidly".
She wrote that the 89-year-old driver's medical conditions prior to the crash were self-reportable if he considered they impacted his driving safety, but no self-referral had been made.
Ms Brown added that his conditions were not notifiable to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in accordance with the Assessing Fitness To Drive: A Guide For Medical Professionals.
The coroner wrote in the report: "The current system for vehicle licensing relies largely upon the self-awareness of a driver and their willingness and\or ability to self-report medical conditions to the DVLA.
"I am concerned that older drivers with vulnerabilities, including age, decreasing mobility and cognitive decline pose a risk of future deaths through compromised driving ability thereby creating a risk of deaths in the future."
Ms Brown sent copies of the report to Ms McAndrew's family, the driver's GP and Nottinghamshire Police's Serious Collision Investigation Unit.
It comes a month after Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she is "open to considering" making older drivers pass eye tests to keep their driving licence.
The senior coroner for Lancashire, Dr James Adeley, sent a Prevention of Future Deaths report to the Transport Secretary last month which related to the deaths of four people killed by drivers with failing eyesight.