Some 68 per cent of people believe mandatory retesting for drivers over the age of 70 should be introduced in the UK, according to the results of a new survey.

The results of the poll conducted by the Institute of Advanced Motoring (IAM) also showed that 73 per cent of those surveyed would report an elderly friend or relative to the authorities over their driving standards.

However, conversely, 77 per cent of the 1,628 questioned by IAM also believed young drivers posed a greater risk to road safety than older ones.

The IAM said that providing advice and assessments for elderly drivers could do more to improve driving skills than taking away driving licences from over 70s.

Director of policy and research at the IAM, Neil Greig, said that elderly drivers "do not represent a disproportionate risk" on the roads.

He added that only eight per cent of drivers are over 70 and they are only involved in four per cent of injury crashes on the road.

This figure is comparatively less than teenage drivers and those in their 20s who actually account for 34 per cent of injury crashes.

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