Grieving parents of toddler call for stricter driving rules for elderly

The parents of a toddler killed by a car driven by a 91-year-old woman are calling for more stringent measures to compel elderly motorists to give up their licences.
Three-year-old Xander Irvine died in June 2020 when a Kia driven by Edith Duncan veered off Morningside Road in Edinburgh, striking both him and his mother.
At a fatal accident inquiry, Xander’s parents, Paul and Victoria Irvine, made a plea for legislative changes to ensure that unfit drivers are removed from the roads.
The inquiry previously disclosed that Duncan, who died before she could face trial, might have been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease at the time of the crash.
In a statement read to the inquiry at Edinburgh sheriff court by the advocate depute, the Irvines said that they had heard of several older drivers who had surrendered their licences after the incident. However, they argued that this response was insufficient and called for stricter regulations to prevent individuals with cognitive impairments from driving.
The statement read: “Xander meant everything to his parents. In a fleeting lapse of cognition, judgment and consideration, he was taken from his family and their lives became unrecognisable. Xander’s parents know that many elderly or medically vulnerable drivers, touched by Xander’s story, have already surrendered their driving licences or been urged to by friends or relatives.
“They do not doubt that accidents, injuries and lives have been saved in the four years since Xander was killed, but they feel this does not go far enough. Xander’s parents do not want this to happen to anyone else and to live with the pain that they will carry forever.”
The statement concluded with a plea for change in Xander’s memory.
The Department of Transport is reviewing the licensing regulations for drivers with medical conditions. In the UK there is no mandatory age to cease driving and Duncan had renewed her licence earlier that year. Drivers over the age of 70 must reapply for a licence every three years and declare any cognitive impairments to the DVLA. Failure to do so can result in a fine of up to £1,000 and potential prosecution.
Duncan had cancelled her car insurance earlier in 2020, citing infrequent use of her vehicle. She had also been parked illegally on a pelican crossing before performing the U-turn that led to the crash. In a police interview played to the inquiry, she stated that her “foot must have slipped on the accelerator” before hitting Xander and his mother and crashing into the window of a charity shop. She expressed deep remorse, saying she was “so, so sorry”.
Duncan faced charges of causing death by dangerous driving and driving without insurance but died in May 2021, months before her trial.
The inquiry was also told that Duncan had an earlier accident in September 2019 when she reversed into another vehicle in a supermarket car park, an incident not disclosed to her GP. Experts believe she may have shown signs of Alzheimer’s disease since May 2019, with a forensic psychologist who assessed her in April 2021 describing her as “articulate and sharp”, although noting she “performed poorly” in cognitive tests.
Hundreds of mourners lined the streets of Morningside in July 2020 for Xander’s funeral cortège. The Irvine family expressed gratitude for the community’s support, saying he would be “fondly remembered”.
They said: “When Xander died, his family were comforted by the outpouring of love and support from the community in Morningside and beyond. Xander is fondly remembered by so many people. In the three short years, two months and eight days that he lived, he cut quite the figure in his local community and was known and recognised by many; the little boy with the wild blond curls and ready smile. This is how he will be remembered.”
Sheriff Principal Nigel Ross is expected to deliver his findings from the inquiry in October.