News: Older drivers outsmart the young in new survey

THEY’RE MOCKED for being slow, hesitant and confused behind the wheel but according to new research, older drivers are smarter than the young.

The research, by Shell, found that elderly drivers in the Midlands are the nation’s smartest, while young drivers from Wales and the South West are a wheel or two short of a car.

The company ranked drivers on their attitudes towards fuel efficiency and safety. It found that older drivers were more fuel-conscious than their younger counterparts, driving more smoothly, turning off the engine when idling and removing excess weight from the car’s boot.

They were also safer than young drivers, being less inclined than them to drive with one or no hands on the wheel, accelerate through amber lights and text or make phone calls.

As to their choice of footwear, older drivers also displayed greater wisdom, favouring supportive shoes offering good pedal grip. Meanwhile, younger drivers admitted to sporting a range of inappropriate footwear, with nearly a third saying they wore high heels or sandals, both regarded as safety hazards by experts.

And would you believe it: some even admitted to driving barefoot.