It's never an easy subject to discuss, but the consequences are unthinkable - our resident road traffic expert, Richard Freeman, explains the ins and outs.

As a consequence of an ageing population there is an increasing number of elderly drivers occupying the roads, some of whom will be well into their 80s and even beyond. Many are safe drivers and even arguably safer than most. But what happens when their road awareness skills and reaction time begin to decline, or when their observation and concentration levels are no longer what they used to be?

Who is there to decide when to call time on their driving?

Usually it is the adult children who first notice when the tell tale signs begin to creep in. These signs include an inability to keep within the contours of the road; driving well below the speed limit, not recognising potential dangers on the road in time; and and in general a display of nervousness when driving. Very often the prospect of not driving is unthinkable, as it robs us of a lifetime of independence which has formed an integral part of our lives. For that reason many such drivers will remain in denial and continue to drive when they really ought not to.

So, as responsible children of such parents what should we do? It is incumbent on us to protect our parent and other road users from potentially catastrophic consequences. Our first priority would be to persuade our parent to accept that the time has come to sell the car. Next, the family should meet with them to cajole the parent to give up their licence. The extra weight of persuasion might help. A softly-softly approach should still be adopted to try to make the parent see sense. Sometimes though the parent involved views it as a conspiracy theory and simply digs their heels in. If that doesn't work then they should be asked to go for a health check with their GP. If the GP has concerns about his patient's ability to drive he or she has a duty to inform the DVLA.

Eventually by this stage the parent will know full well that it's for the best, and capitulates in sad resignation that another ageing milestone has been reached. Once the DVLA is tipped off they can require the driver to sit a driving test or submit to an independent medical test. Usually that in itself is enough for the driver to call time on themselves.

It's never easy to whistle blow on your own parent like this, but the consequences of not doing it are unthinkable.

Click HERE if you wish to view the Article on the GlasgowLive.co.uk website.