Hazards_of_Elderly_Drivers

Driving Mr. and Mrs. Daisy The Hazards of Elderly Drivers ENC 1102 December 6, 2012 On a clear September afternoon, I was at a traffic light on a four lane highway. I was the first vehicle at the light and an older SUV was stopped behind me. The lane next to me also had several cars lined up. While waiting for the light to turn green, I hear loud squealing behind me. I look in my rear view mirror in time to see a car coming at a high rate of speed ram into the SUV behind me which in turn hit me, pushing my car through the intersection. After gathering my wits, I exited my car and went to check on the driver of the SUV. The driver of the automobile that caused the accident gets out of his car and immediately states “I guess they will take my license because of this.” This man was at least 80 years old, he was doing 55 mph at impact, and I believe he had no idea the damage he caused. Because elderly drivers often experience an increase in response time, poor eyesight, and faulty judgment, new laws should be passed in order to ensure their safety and the safety of the public. “Roughly 10,000 Americans reach age 65 every day, and nearly 1 in 6 people will be in their golden years by 2020” according to Joshua Miller, Diminished motor skills: 'Silver tsunami', Fox News. An increase in the older population means an increase in older drivers as well. About ten percent of the nation's drivers are over 65. However, by 2030, when one in five Americans are over age 65, this percentage will skyrocket. As stated in the Insurance Journal, University of Rochester, “when elderly drivers get behind the wheel, they often confront the harrowing reality that they cannot easily see other cars, pedestrians, or cyclists moving around them.” Research conducted at Harvard Medical School shows as we get older our temporal visual area improves, making it better to perceive motion in the background. However, the brain then uses its limited capabilities paying attention to irrelevant movement of background objects and making it harder to notice movement of smaller objects. This is also true for not only older individuals, but those with conditions such as schizophrenia and depression. I believe there should be more stringent requirements for drivers to retain their license once they reach a certain age. There are currently 33 states that require more frequent testing, eye exams or doctor’s notes. For example, in Massachusetts, where drivers must renew their licenses every five years, drivers 75 and older must renew in person, and in Texas where the renewal period is every six years, drivers older than 85 must renew every two years. “State laws are inconsistent on the issue”, according Robert Davis and Anthony DeBarros, USA TODAY. “Most state driver's license laws require basic eye exams but typically cannot detect a driver's diminished physical capacity and cognitive awareness. No state has an age limit on drivers.” Basically, all that is required in most states is the ability to see a few letters for the Department of Motor Vehicles to deem you worthy to operate 2 tons of metal on the open roads. Testing of reflexes and perception of space should also be done regularly. State laws vary on so many issues; physicians must make the tough decision between patient confidentiality and safety when it pertains to their elderly patients. To risk liability by alerting authorities on the hazard of an older patient behind the wheel or keep silent and a fatal accident occurs. Even communicating with family members regarding their loved ones ability to drive is hard on doctors. There are many resources out there for physicians and family members to assist them in determining the right time to take the keys from grandma or grandpa. The A.M.A. Physician’s Guide to Assessing and Counseling Older Drivers, AARP and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety are just a few of the many resources available. Normal aging causes medical problems that affect driving. Reflexes, flexibility, visual acuity, memory and the ability to focus all decline with age. Medicines that treat various ailments also make it more difficult to focus and make snap decisions. Age related declines in cognitive and physical ability significantly impair an older adult’s ability to safely drive. As we age it gradually becomes more difficult to scan for, detect, process, and ultimately react to critical elements in our driving environment. In her article, Elderly Drivers: Stop or Go' Phyllis Staff, Ph.D. wrote: Good drivers rely on looking out rear and side windows as well as checking rearview mirrors. When a driver lacks the ability to turn his head and shoulders to look outside, he may not see oncoming vehicles or obstacles traveling in the car's blind spot. (2009) As we know, when we get older we are unable to move as easily as we once could. We are not as flexible and agile as someone in their 20’s. According to elderly driving statistics, it is clear that elderly drivers have more fatal car accidents than any other age group. In addition, elderly drivers are more at risk of dying after being involved in a vehicular accident because of their frailty. In 2008 more than 5,500 older adults were killed in accidents and over 183,000 were injured. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states an average of 500 people over 65 are injured in auto accidents each day. As we age, we slow down, and reaction times diminish. Keeping extra space between the driver's and other cars can help reduce the likelihood of accidents, but there comes a time when reactions are too slow for road safety. Situations such as when a vehicle pulls out in front of another or a child running into the road are prime examples of the need for quick reaction times. Another perfect example for the need of a quick reaction time is the personal experience I shared at the start of this paper. Had the elderly driver been able to react faster, the accident could very well have been avoided. Elderly drivers are less likely than other drivers to be in crashes involving high speeds or alcohol, but they are more likely to crash at intersections where they miss a stop sign or turn left in front of oncoming traffic. Statistics show older drivers have more traffic convictions and accidents per mile than any other age group and are more frequently cited for being at fault in accidents. The elderly need to consider if the risk of being injured or killed out weight the desire to stay active, mobile and independent. There are many older individuals who take it upon themselves to limit, restrict or even cease their driving due to declining vision, reflexes, or health then on the flip side, there are those who wait until a string of accidents or traumatic events, indicating they waited too long. Recognizing one’s own limitations is a difficult task and to many elderly, giving up the freedom driving would be like a self-imposed prison sentence. An independent individual suddenly having to swallow their pride and ask for assistance getting around town is not appealing. Positive family support will go a long way in assisting our elders to accept the fact that it’s time to rely on others. Poor vision is another huge factor for older drivers. One major problem with eyesight as we age is the change in the eye’s optics. The lenses become yellower which makes it harder to discriminate blue colors. Also the older we get the more light we need to see. The pupil of our eyes shrinks as we get older, allowing less light to reach our photoreceptors. Only 33% of the light we see at the age of 20 is reaching our photoreceptors when we reach 60 years of age. Our eyes adjust or adapt to the changes of light. For example as we enter or leave a tunnel, our eyes adjust to the change in lighting. The speed in the eye adjustment is called light adaption. Aging decreases the speed of light adaption, causing elderly drivers to be near blind during light transitions. Older people also have clouding of the eye’s optic which causes a blinding glare as light enters into the eyes. The National Institute of Aging asked 400 older drivers what their largest issue was with driving. The overall issue was the difficulty with speed judgments and car dash lights were too dim for them to see properly. They also admitted that they have problems merging with traffic due to the fast pace of other vehicles. Problems with unexpected appearance of cars not in the line of sight were also a common complaint. All of this coincides with the mentioned facts on visual aging that I have mentioned thus far. What can be done to address the problem' Mandatory driving tests for one thing. California, which requires retesting for anyone involved in a fatal crash or three or more crashes in one year, requires drivers over 70 to retest if they are involved in two or more crashes in one year. I feel that it is not impossible for drivers over 70 to renew their license in person and present physician certification on an annual basis. A deficit reporting law is a way to assist in keeping hazardous older drivers off the road. Pennsylvania is one state that has a physician's reporting law, requiring physicians to report disabilities that may affect driving ability. This law eliminates the physicians concern for breeching patient confidentiality. Drivers over the age of 70 should be required to carry higher liability coverage on their automobile insurance. Referring to my accident in September, the elderly driver that caused the collision only had a $50,000 liability policy. He damaged 3 cars including his own and injured 2 drivers. My car only had rear end damage and the repairs were over $7000, the SUV he struck was totaled with damage in the rear and front. The requirements for renewing a driver’s license vary by state. Some states require individuals to renew in person at their local DMV office annually beginning at the age of 65, however, in Florida, the renewal time is 6 years and the vision test is required beginning at the age of 80. Florida along with 13 other states still allows seniors to renew by mail or internet. According to Christine L. Himes, Which U.S. States are the Oldest', “There were 35 million Americans age 65 or older counted in the 2000 Census. One quarter of these elderly Americans live in one of three states: California, Florida, and New York.” Florida of all states should then have a more strict driver’s license renewal process. There are a variety of driving assessments that individuals should be required to pass once they reach a certain age. There are self-assessments where elderly motorists can rate their own driving skills as well as simulated driving courses that test an individual’s visual perception, reaction times, attention span and overall knowledge of traffic laws. The standard vision tests currently given at the Department of Motor Vehicle is hardly a true measure of someone’s vision. Even requiring the written test is not enough to determine if an individual’s driving skills have deteriorated. There is clearly a need for more thorough testing standards. Screening could be given to all drivers for whom age-related decline is suspected and whose performance is viewed as a safety concern for themselves and other motorists. In addition, health professionals and others who work with older populations could administer the tests. Screening could become a part of the regular process of license renewal. By reducing testing time, drivers could be quickly screened and identified either as capable, or as in need of further testing. I strongly feel after my accident that once a driver hits a certain age, there should be a tighter renewal process for drivers when they hit a certain age. Driving not a right, it is a privilege we earn through obeying the traffic laws and taking measures to ensure the safety of ourselves and those around us. With a collaborative effort of the medical field, Department of Motor Vehicles and family members, we can ensure the safety of our elderly loved ones and those around them. Works Cited Miller, Joshua R. Diminished motor skills: 'Silver tsunami'. FoxNews.com, April 16, 2012. Web. Davis, Robert and DeBarros, Anthony. USA TODAY. May 2, 2007. Web Staff, Phyllis, Ph.D. Elderly Drivers: Stop or Go' Mental Health Matters.com. February 16, 2009. Web. University of Rochester. Why Elderly Are Bad Drivers. Insurance Journal. February 2, 2011. Web. Himes, Christine L. Which U.S. States Are the Oldest' Population Reference Bureau. April 2003. Web.