Older drivers could improve their safety and maintain their independence if they were encouraged to use self-regulatory driving practices as opposed to having their licenses revoked based on age, according to a recent study.

Researchers from Queensland University of Technology contend that a person's age is not an accurate predictor of their driving ability.

"People do not wake up on their 75th birthday a worse driver than they were the day before, which is what current age-based testing assumes," researcher Ides Wong of the QUT's Center for Accident Research and Road Safety said in a statement.

Despite the fact that physical, cognitive and sensory abilities decline as people age, aged-based testing for older drivers is problematic because "we lack consensus as to which age-based tests can accurately predict a driver's performance," Wong added.

For the study, Wong looked at whether self-regulation of driving behavior was adopted by older adults. She used in-car monitoring to confirm that older drivers do self-regulate their driving such as avoiding peak hour traffic and night-time driving.

She found that older drivers who have changed their driving patterns as a result of age, for example restricting their night-time and long distance driving habits, reduced the challenges of high-pressure driving and improved their safety while driving.

"This suggests that rather than discriminating against older drivers because of their age by restricting their way of getting around town, we could aim to improve their safety, as well as mobility, by supporting them to self-regulate their driving behaviors," Wong said.

She said while older drivers had a higher crash risk when measured per kilometer, the fact they tend to drive significantly less than other age groups exaggerated this statistic, giving them an unwarranted bad reputation on the roads.

"They have a far lower crash risk when compared to younger drivers, but when they do crash they are more likely to be seriously injured or killed, because they tend to be more fragile," she said.

Wong said managing the safety of older drivers was fast becoming a critical social and public health issue.

"We do know that taking away a person's license impacts on their mobility, independence, health and overall quality of life." She said. "Not having a license can be socially isolating and result in health issues like depression."