A Lancashire coroner has requested the Secretary of State for Transport to tighten regulations on drivers with dementia.
Senior Coroner Dr James Adeley conducted the inquest in relation to the death of Sheila Edwards, who was killed following a crash in Clitheroe in 2023.
The driver of the vehicle, Graham Davis, was said to have begun to rapidly speed up after picking Mrs Edwards and her son up and did not apply the brakes before his care collided with another vehicle.
Mrs Edwards later informed Andrew Savage, a senior paramedic, she had grasped the wheel of the car and steered it around the Ford Galaxy to avoid an impact.
Unfortunately, this caused a head-on collision in the opposite lane with an Audi A2.
She suffered bruising to the lungs, an unstable lumbar fracture, three rib fractures and a small laceration to the liver, and despite treatment at Blackburn, Preston and Airedale Hospitals, she died on March 2.
At the time of the incident, Mr Davis appeared confused when speaking to responders due to the shock of the crash and an exacerbation of his underlying dementia.
Professor John Duncan, an expert neurologist who is also a member of the DVLA’s Panel of Neurologists, said his erratic behaviour before the collision indicated he had suffered a seizure with impaired awareness.
Prof Duncan went on to identify four other separate collapses after the collision, indicating there was a sustained history consistent with focal seizure activity.
He states the risk of focal seizures increases after the age of 65 and incrementally increases with age.
Dr Adeley said: “The risk of drivers continuing to drive while suffering from age-related loss of either cognitive ability or dementia are self-evident.
“Dementia and cognitive impairment affect these complex processes, and a driver suffering from these conditions is unable to safely drive their vehicle, creating a high risk for other road users.”
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After the incident, Mr Davis was visited by Jennifer Beaumont, Court Intermediary, and said in the early stages of the interview he could hold a conversation but his deficits began to come to light after being asked specific questions.
Expert clinicians determined he had mild-to-moderate dementia.
The DVLA advises that people suffering from seizures or dementia must notify them six months from the date of the episode, and they should have been notified of Mr Davis' blackout.
Dr Michael Mulholland, Honorary Secretary of the Royal College of General Practitioners, gave evidence on the difficulties of dealing with the fitness to drive in an increasingly elderly population.
However, he explained GPs were poorly equipped as they are unable to identify how someone behaves behind the wheel.
Dr Adeley concluded: “The current system is ineffective in identifying drivers who answer questions dishonestly or honestly without sufficient insight into their current condition.
“The consequence of the current system is that patients suffering from dementia, who may not be aware of their condition or other medical conditions that make them unsafe to drive, can self-certify and obtain a driving licence, placing other road users at substantial and unpredictable risk of death and life-changing injuries.”
The coroner concluded Sheila Edwards' cause of death to be a road traffic collision.
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