Prince Philip car crash prompts spike in older motorists giving up licences

Prince Philip’s car crash last year and his subsequent decision to surrender his licence appears to have prompted a surge in older drivers giving up driving.

The Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a collision near the Sandringham Estate in January 2019 when he was 97 years old.

After the smash between his Land Freelander and a Kia, the Prince decided to voluntarily give up his driving licence. Now new figures released by the DVLA show that in the wake of the crash there was a significant jump in the number of drivers following suit.

Figures provided by the licensing body to retirement mortgage experts Responsible Life reveal a 21.2 per cent jump in the number of drivers aged 90 and over voluntarily surrendering their licences last year — rising from 6,612 to 8,014. In 2018 the increase was just 9.7 per cent.

Among those the same age as the Prince, the increase was sharper - at 39.4 per cent. Among the tiny number of centenarians who still hold a licence there was a 146 per cent increase in the number giving up driving for good, with 32 surrendering their licences.

No age limit

There is no age limit on holding a driving licence but drivers must be able to read a licence plate from 20 metres away and not have any medical issues which could impair their ability to drive.