TOO OLD TO DRIVE

This article examines the risk posed by older drivers with deteriorating mental and physical skills and discusses legislative attempts to identify impaired older drivers. Adults aged 85 and over have more serious accidents/mile driven than do teenage drivers. Visual and hearing problems, slower motor skills, age-related diseases, and prescription drugs commonly taken by elders can impair their driving skills. Only 3 states (Illinois, Indiana, and New Hampshire) require a road test for older drivers beginning at age 75; only 11 states require doctors to report serious disabilities to the department of motor vehicles. Advocates for the elderly protest that screening only older drivers is age discrimination; many legislators fear reprisals if they support screening laws. In addition to the development of credible age-based screening tests, one solution is to create more senior-friendly transportation alternatives. Sidebars in the article describe the number of older drivers involved in automobile accidents and provide tips on confronting an unsafe older driver.

• Corporate Authors:

  Good Housekeeping

  Consumer and Reader Services, 959 Eighth Avenue
  New York, NY  United States  10019
• Authors:
  • Blyskal, J
• Publication Date: 1996-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 4 p.
• Serial:
  • Good Housekeeping
  • Volume: 222
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: Good Housekeeping

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aged; Aged drivers; Automobile driving; Cognitive impairment; Crash causes; Crash risk forecasting; Discrimination; Diseases and medical conditions; High risk drivers; Motor skills; Political factors; State laws; State motor vehicle departments; Traffic safety
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00792533
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 3 2000 12:00AM