This number will continue to increase in the future, with DVSA data finding that the number of driving tests taken by those aged 50 and older has increased by 259 percent in the last year.
Around 3.5 times as many tests were taken by this age group in the 2021 to 2022 period, compared to the previous 12 months.
Last week, the DVLA updated its social media platforms to remind motorists of the need to renew their licences.
It said: “Did you know after you turn 70 you need to renew your driving licence every three years?
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Drivers can also fill out the form online using the DVLA website and can do so from the beginning of the 90-day period.
This comes as over 75 percent of motorists believe elderly drivers over the age of 70 should take regular mandatory “fit to drive” tests in order to keep their licence.
A further 51 percent of road users thought all drivers should have to surrender their licence altogether – regardless of their health and fitness – once they reach an advanced age.
The data, from Forbes Advisor, revealed that 12 percent of survey respondents believe a licence should be taken at some point in a person’s early 80s.
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That idea, perhaps unsurprisingly, was less popular with people in older age brackets – more than half (55 percent) of those over 70 asked said no such law should be introduced, although a third said it was a good idea.
Asked whether drivers aged 70 and over should face mandatory health and fitness checks in order to keep their licence, 77 percent of people said yes.
Almost two-thirds of respondents over 70 said they were in favour of being tested.
Older drivers consider themselves among the safest on the roads – despite research showing the frequency and average value of insurance claims climbs among motorists when they reach their 70s.
Only 18 to 20-year-olds have a higher average claim figure than those aged over 80.
Kevin Pratt, car insurance spokesperson at Forbes Advisor, said: “The UK’s roads are getting more crowded, with improved longevity playing its part as drivers stay behind the wheel for longer.
“But how do we manage the potential problem of having an increasing number of drivers with declining faculties and health problems that might impair their driving ability and lead to accidents?
“Many older drivers will tell you that their experience and cool-headedness make them safer drivers in the same way that inexperience and exuberance can make those under 25 a riskier proposition.
“But others will argue that a mandatory health test for those above a certain age makes sense, as only those that fail will be affected, with wider benefits for road users generally.”
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