Family Member and Carers Advice
If you have concerns about an older driver’s safety, you may be facing a complex situation—and it helps to have expert guidance.
We’ve supported hundreds of families and can help you find the right balance between road safety and your loved one’s wellbeing and independence.
First of all, we need to know a little background. Which of the following apply to your situation:
Concerns about safety issues after witnessing someone's driving
As a passenger, you often have a good sense of whether someone is driving safely. If you can relax on any roads they need to use, their driving is likely to be safe. If you feel tense or concerned, it may indicate reduced safety margins, such as:
1. Road position: driving too close to kerbs, parked vehicles, or oncoming traffic.
2. Speed choice: driving too fast or too slowly for conditions, or missing changes in speed limits.
3. Observation: poor mirror checks, late reactions, or drifting between lanes.
4. Decisions: difficulty judging gaps, handling the unexpected, or becoming hesitant at junctions.
You may notice other concerns, but they usually fit within the areas above.
Sometimes the cause is long‑standing habits or normal age‑related change; however, a pattern of reduced safety margins can also suggest possible cognitive impairment.
You may also have noticed signs such as forgetfulness, confusion, or reduced concentration.
If you suspect cognitive changes, encourage the driver to book a GP appointment to discuss your concerns. Cognitive impairment can affect position awareness, multitasking, attention, and decision‑making—often leading to hesitation and uncertainty on the road.
If a medical condition (including cognitive problems or dementia) may affect driving, the driver has a legal responsibility to inform the DVLA. GOV.UK provides the official guidance under “Cognitive problems and driving”. Click on the button below for more information.
The driver has had a recent collision
A collision doesn't necessarilly mean that there is an urgent problem, particularly if it was fairly minor. Afer all, many very good drivers have had collisions in the past due to a moentary lapse or some poor driving habits.
However, it could be an earlier warning of problems ahead. You should be particularly concerned if yopu have noted other worrying signs such as forgetfullness or brain fog. This could point to a cognitive issue and that may lead to a higher risk of a crash.
If you do suspect a cognitive probllem you should try to encourage the driver to go to visit their doctor. You can also sit with them as a passenger on a variety of driving situations to see how you feel. if they are becomming unsafe, it is likley to be an uncofortable ride at times. A professional driving assessor can have a look at the driving and make further recommendations.
Please note that if the driver does have cognitive problems that seem to be affecting their driving, it is a legal requirment to notify DVLA of this
Click on the button below for more information and contact us for free guidance.
Any concerns raised by a neighbour or any third party shouldn’tt be taken lightly.
However, it’s important to understand whats behind those concerns. If it was a one-off mistake or a misunderstanding, there may be no ongoing issue.
A practical next step is to sit in the car with them on a representative journey, not only on familiar local roads, but also on the types of roads they sometimes use (for example, dual carriageways, roundabouts, and busier routes). This can help you evaluate how comfortable you feel about their driving. If you feel relaxed, there may be little cause for concern; if you feel tense or notice specific issues, those points should be explored further.
Include slow-speed manoeuvring in your observation, such as driving in a busy car park and reversing. Before reversing, check that the driver looks all around the vehicle (including blind spots), then reverses slowly and with control.
Safety concerns are more likely if your family member is showing signs of cognitive slowing or increasing forgetfulness. Concerns may also relate to physical issues, such as neck stiffness that makes it difficult to turn and check effectively.
Finally, natural slowing of information processing with age can increase the risk of pedal confusion in some drivers, particularly in automatic vehicles. If someone is struggling with gears, avoid assuming that switching to an automatic will automatically make driving safer; consider an assessment or professional advice to determine the safest option.
Contact us if you’d like information tailored to your specific concerns.
Concerns from a neighbour or other third party
Physical concerns involving flexibility or strength
If a driver has physical difficulties that appear to be affecting safety, the next steps depend on how severe those difficulties are.
For example, neck stiffness that makes it difficult to check blind spots when changing lanes may be helped by vehicle adaptations, such as wide-angle mirrors or additional blind-spot (bubble) mirrors on the door mirrors.
Weakness in the hands or feet can be more significant if it affects safe use of the vehicles controls. One option sometimes suggested for drivers with left-leg weakness is switching to an automatic vehicle; however, this is not automatically safer for everyone, as it can increase the risk of pedal confusionespecially if there are any cognitive concerns.
If you feel the driver does not have full control of the vehicle, or cannot reliably make observations at junctions, seek a professional driving assessment or specialist advice as soon as possible.
This does not necessarily mean they need to stop driving. Organisations such as Driving Mobility can assess the driver and recommend suitable vehicle adaptations to help maintain safety.
Contact us for guidance and to discuss your specific concerns.
Attitude in behaviour problem
Attitude or behaviour problems are difficult to change without knowing mopre information.
They can be due to a personality trait, incorrect perception of road risk or over confidence in driving ability. If this is a recent chage, it could be due to a devloping medical condition.
We are happy to discuss possible solutions with you.
Forgetfulness and cognitive problems
When someone contacts us with concerns about the safety of an older driver, there are often signs of cognitive change, particularly short-term memory difficulties.
A decline in certain driving skills can be an early indicator of an underlying cognitive medical condition. Where possible, it is important to arrange for a doctor to assess and investigate any concerns.
It is a legal requirement to notify the DVLA of relevant medical conditions, including cognitive problems, particularly if they may be affecting driving. A driving assessment with an experienced assessor can also help determine whether there are safety concerns that need to be addressed.
One sign you may notice is that the driver positions the vehicle closer to the centre line than they used to. This can sometimes be linked to spatial-awareness difficulties, which may be associated with cognitive impairment.
They may also seem flustered when trying to manage more than one thing at a time, such as driving around a busy roundabout. Cognitive impairment may still allow safe driving on familiar, straightforward routes, but can lead to significant difficulties on unfamiliar or complex roads.
If cognitive changes have started suddenly, this could indicate a medical event such as a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or stroke. It is important that any medical problems are assessed and diagnosed so that appropriate treatment and support can be put in place.
We would be happy to discuss your concerns with you, including safety considerations and any relevant legal requirements.
Attitude in behaviour problem
Attitude or behaviour problems are difficult to change without knowing mopre information.
They can be due to a personality trait, incorrect perception of road risk or over confidence in driving ability. If this is a recent chage, it could be due to a devloping medical condition.
We are happy to discuss possible solutions with you.
The driver has a medical condition
Certain medical conditions can affect the safety of someone's driving. Physical limitations and eyesight problems are often easier to notice.
However, many conditions older drivers may experience involve cognitive decline or impairment, which can affect attention, judgement, reaction time, and decision-making. For example, a stroke can lead to cognitive changes that may improve over time. Dementia is a progressive condition, so if someone has recently been diagnosed, seeking advice early helps keep everyone safer.
This is the path you need to follow if the driver has a medical problem that may affect safe driving:
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Check with DVLA whether the condition needs to be notified. You can do this online by clicking here.
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Cognitive problems, Dementia, and Parkinson's do need to be reported. Stroke needs to be reported in some circumstances.
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Once reported, DVLA will begin a medical enquiry into fitness to continue to hold a driving licence.
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In the meantime, driving can usually continue unless your relevant medical professional advises against it.
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DVLA will contact the drivers doctor to ask for guidance on the health condition.
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Very occassionally drivers are asked to attend a Driver Assessment Centre for a fitness to drive assessment.
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A medical enquiry can take many weeks or months but if your current licence expires in this period you may be able to continue driving. under Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Click here for details.
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It may be sensible to arrange for a driving assessment which can help the medical professional advise DVLA more accurately.