I went to the other car which was on its side, and there was an elderly gentleman in there, otherwise known as the Duke of Edinburgh.
A WITNESS HAS described the scene after a road traffic collision involving the British royal family’s Prince Philip.
Roy Warne told the BBC that he helped the Duke of Edinburgh to get out of the car after the crash near the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, with images showing the royal’s Land Rover on its side.
The female driver of the other car suffered cuts, while the female passenger sustained an arm injury, both requiring hospital treatment. They were later discharged from hospital.
Warne said that after assisting those in the other car, he went to the Land Rover. He said he didn’t immediately realise it was Prince Philip, because “he couldn’t see his face”.
“I helped him move his legs which were a bit trapped, it was all a bit crushed and then I saw his face and I realised who it was.”
He said that he didn’t seem to be in pain, that he didn’t seem particularly concerned but “obviously, he was very shocked in the circumstance.”
It was a horrendous accident, it’s just amazing that people weren’t seriously injured.
Debate about elderly drivers
Britain’s lack of an upper age limit for driving was in the spotlight today after the incident involving 97-year-old Prince Philip.
Once motorists reach 70 in Britain, they need to renew their licences every three years, though they do not need to retake their driving test.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) figures out in November showed 110,790 people aged 90 or over still held driving licences.
There were 314 licence holders aged at least 100. The oldest were four people who were 107.
Drivers must give up their licences if their doctor tells them to stop driving for three months or more, or if they do not meet the required standards for driving due to a medical condition.
Drivers must also meet a minimum standard of vision. This includes being able to read a number plate from 20 metres.
Though Thursday’s crash has triggered a debate in Britain about old age drivers, Edmund King, president of The AA motoring association, said new drivers were more prone to accidents.
“If driving restrictions based on age and safety were introduced, we would be more likely to restrict young drivers rather than older drivers,” he said.
Older drivers often self-restrict their driving by not driving at night and only driving on familiar roads.
“The decision to hang up your keys is a tough one but should be based on personal advice from your GP (family doctor) and family, rather than being based on some arbitrary age.”
© – AFP 2019, with reporting from Gráinne Ní Aodha
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