Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Car Accident Attorney: Risks and Safety Concerns for Senior Drivers (Part A)
No one wants to have to confront his or her elderly parent with the following question: “Are you a safe senior driver?”
It is understandable that an adult person would not want to question their parent’s abilities or threaten their independence, but without honest dialogue and evaluation of an elderly driver’s skills and capabilities, everyone’s safety on the road is at risk.
A person doesn’t become a dangerous driver simply because they are elderly. However, statistics demonstrate that the likelihood of a senior driver auto accident increases with driver age.
Statistics on Senior Drivers
The American Geriatrics Society says “the number of accidents per mile driven goes up around age 60, and gets much higher after 75.” Drivers older than 65 years have some of the highest accident rates, second only to teen drivers.
That information is particularly troubling when stacked with the statistics for population growth in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that in the next 20 years, the population of those older than 75 years will grow from 18 million to 31 million.
The National Safety Council estimates that with the significant increase in elderly drivers, there could be up to 100,000 older driver deaths between 2008 and 2028.
Declining Health Problems
There are many health concerns that contribute to diminished driving capacity for older drivers. These factors can greatly increase the chance for a elderly driving car accident.
Among those health concerns, here are a few of the most common:
- Problems with vision, including glaucoma, macular degeneration and cataracts.
- Age-related dementia.
- Alzheimer’s disease, which is among one of the fastest growing diseases in the United States.
- Stroke, arthritis and diabetes that can impact flexibility, mobility and reaction time.
- Parkinson’s disease.
- Medications for many other health conditions, which can affect a driver’s ability to safely operate a vehicle.
- Hearing loss that makes it difficult for drivers to recognize approaching emergency vehicles, car horns, train signals and other audible warnings.
- Many older adults have trouble sleeping through the night, leading to daytime drowsiness.
As difficult and uncomfortable as the task might be, it is vital that elderly drivers who are no longer safe drivers are kept from the roadways. Not only are they a danger to others, but also, the chances of an older driver surviving a serious car accident greatly diminish as they age.
Continue to Car Accident Attorney: Risks and Safety Concerns for Senior Drivers (Part B) >>
