Warning: Elderly Driver Ahead

By Lacey May

Most people are aware that teenagers who drive with freshly made licenses are prone to cause accidents that injure and kill many people per year. However, some may not be aware that the grandparents of those teens are responsible for almost the same amount of accidents.

The cause for this? Elderly drivers simply do not have the capabilities to drive a motor vehicle safely. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed in 2006 that there are nearly 30 million elderly drivers on the roads of America; furthermore, the study revealed that 6,017 elderly people were killed that year in a road accident.

As time moves on, elderly people will continue to build a larger part of the population, creating a hazard for both themselves and for others. It is projected that, by 2030, the elderly will comprise almost 25 percent of total people driving and will also be involved in nearly 25 percent of fatal vehicular accidents.

While the age limit for elderly drivers may not be certain, the health issues effecting their driving skills are. Some people over the age of 70 suffer from hearing loss, vision problems such as glaucoma and cataracts, and mild forms of dementia. These are just a small number of the issues affecting the performance of elderly drivers. The impaired vision, diminished hearing, and mental capacity poses a major threat to other pedestrians and drivers.

As if these issues weren’t enough to spur governments into legislative action to enforce an elderly driving test or law, take into account a tragic incident that occurred in California. Brandi Mitock, 15, was crossing the road when an elderly gentleman ran her down and caused her death. The man, Bryan Cox, was 96 years old and hadn't taken a road test since he got his driver's license in 1918. Mitock’s father believed that had the elderly gentleman been made to take some kind of driving test at a certain age that his daughter’s death could have been prevented.

Another example includes an elderly man with Alzheimer’s who forgot where he was and caused an accident by traveling down a one-way street. Another young girl was killed when she was hit by a woman in her early seventies who claimed not to see the girl and that she was traveling at the speed limit. The investigation following the accident found she was speeding and that she was also suffering from dementia and a seizure disorder.

Stories like the ones mentioned should be satisfactory to those who question the fairness of testing elderly drivers on their driving ability. Enough laws and restrictions are placed on teens that are 15 and 16, but nothing is mentioned about those whose abilities to function are slowly deteriorating and whose reflexes are nowhere near what they once were.

Some legislators are taking action, but it is not occurring fast enough. Massachusetts Senator Brian Joyce filed a bill that drivers over the age of 85 should have to pass a road and vision test every five years. Obviously, this test would come far too late. Pennsylvania offers a non-discriminating approach that requires physicians to inform the Registry of Motor Vehicles about any patient 16 years old and above whose medical condition presents a serious danger on the road. Often they are elderly.

It is apparent that more action needs to be taken about the dangers elderly drivers impose on others and themselves, and it needs to be taken quickly.