Elderly Driving

Dangers of Elderly Citizens Driving

Suddenly a sharp pain emerges in the ribs of a young student; but it is not only him that has been injured, but the majority of his class, a broken rib being the most minute injury. Teachers and other pedestrians concerned while a couple gets the license plate of the car that just plowed through

a crowd of children. But on the other end; there is the driver of the car, who did not see that the light was ever red, who was on auto-pilot and still has not recognized what had happened. The driver is almost a mile away when the driver comes to the realization "I just ran through a crowd of people." Yet the memory is so vague that the driver believes that it is only a day dream; the thought is dismissed, and they continue to drive. While reasons such as health concerns or age related impairment indicate the need for greater restrictions for elderly drivers; lawmakers must also demonstrate respect for those who are healthy and unimpaired.

Health concerns play a major role in an elderly persons ability do drive. One after another, day after day you can guarantee that there will be an accident some where caused by something. Though the elderly are not the only ones at fault for this, they have a higher risk at being involved in a fatal car crash than teenagers (Loyola). Some of the largest threats of having elderly drivers on the roads are vision, hearing, physical disabilities, dizziness, confusion. When discussing physical disabilities it may include reaction time to events happening around them, traffic light signals changing from one color to another. Which is bad enough on its own, but as if that was not enough another even more dangerous worry is the loss of sensation in extremities (Loyola). When such loss of sensation occurs it is difficult for an elderly person to be sure of how much pressure is being applied to a gas or brake pedal.

Alzheimer's disease plays another large role by the driver not being able to recognize what has happened around them; such as going through

a red light with out realizing that they had done it. They also may become easily lost. Though it is said that "the accident rate of a driver with a cognitive impairment is equal to that of a driver who has been drinking" (Loyola).

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, elderly citizens and teenagers are the two highest ranking groups for accidents and deaths due to having a common ground (Gazette). All in all out of the various age groups, the two most dangerous are elderly drivers and teenage drivers. The reason for the two of them to be the most dangerous is the same, the lack of attention that they give to their surroundings. This is indeed what the two separate age groups have in common. The difference that sets the two groups apart is that the young mind of a teenager is more capable of handling a complex traffic situation. Also the reason the percentage of elderly drivers involved in fatal accidents is that such that at an older age you are less likely to recover from serious injury therefore wrecks commonly cause death for elderly citizens. An example, a 92 yr old man was going 45mph when he struck a 52 yr old man who then went through

the driver's windshield; the driver continued for 3 miles without noticing a body in his windshield. This man was suffering from dementia and the 52yr old man died on impact from loss of blood and the speed of the impact (Gazette).

Other similar incidents such as an elder that was found 30 miles away from home when they became lost, or possibly the elder woman that ran through a group of people on a sidewalk because she had mistaken the gas pedal for the brake pedal (680). All these incidents could have been prevented by a road test or by having a regular physical check up that is submitted from a Doctors office to a local DMV when there is a person that needs attention (Loyola).

The above chart shows the increase in fatal crash involvement begins to not only decline after the age of 16 but it also shows that as a 17 yr old you have just as much of being in a fatal accident as someone that is over 70. That is also presuming that the 70 year old is in relatively good health and does not have any of the diseases or downfalls discussed above in the background portion of this piece (CNN).

All of these above incidents and accidents could be prevented if the right actions take place. But so far some attempts have been unsuccessful. Elderly citizens could help prevent these accidents in several ways. If they were to regularly have a physical that consisted of more than just simply checking vision and hearing we could reduce the amount of fatal crashes by taking drivers off the road that should no longer have the privilege of driving (Associated Content). Young people are always told by their parents when they start driving that "driving is a privilege not a right, and you must earn this privilege by proving that you are capable of handling a vehicle and complicated traffic situations" (Carpenter).

This philosophy should not change as driver's age. It is indeed a fact that yes drivers are tested once at the beginning of their life of driving, but if there is significant proof that after a certain age, elderly are more vulnerable to disease and disability, that it is a strong possibility that we should invoke mandatory testing once drivers hit a certain age. This test should include more than the current test does; by that, the DMV should make it possible that elders have to re- take the behind the wheel portion of the test in order to keep their license. With that it should be implemented that elders must re-take the written exam as well as having there senses checked.

Most elderly citizens feel that this being implemented would end their driving privileges due to unpreventable diseases. Not only with this system help reduce the amount of fatal crashes, but it would also encourage people to take better care of them selves in order to live a longer, healthier, and more prosperous life. This is not a proven fact that it could cause this but it is a definite positive side affect that could be a possibility. Some things that could be done to put off losing privileges due to disease include: not smoking, achieving a higher level of education, not risking brain damage such as head injuries early in life, and one thing that you could not prevent unless well known is possibly that aluminum is another cause. By doing the small things listed above a person could lengthen the term in which to keep a drivers license. Not only that but it does indeed promote a healthier lifestyle.

There are groups dedicated strictly to the rights of elderly citizens. One of which the