He may walk with a shuffling gait, but at 88 years old, Mel Walton says he's perfectly capable of driving the Buick Century he bought more than a decade ago.

Now, if only people would stop telling him he's too old to do so.  

"I'm going to drive for as long as I feel I need to," he said. "My son tells me I'm getting too old, but I feel comfortable. I haven't noticed anything different with me with my reflexes."

But in case his son is right, Walton says he drives as little as possible now. Just a trip here or there to Wal-Mart or the bank and sometimes to the one-story house in Center Township that he and his wife put up for sale months ago when they moved into the Beaver Meadows assisted-living facility in Brighton Township.

"I just like to check up on it," he said.  

Altogether, Walton says, he has logged about 30,000 miles on his station wagon since he bought it in 1994, the same number an average driver may put on a vehicle in a year. On his infrequent trips outside Beaver Meadows, Walton says he never takes a passenger with him 

"I feel good, but they keep telling me I'm too old, so I don't want anyone else driving with me, just in case they're right," he said  

Walton says he's one of few residents at the center to retain his license, but he's not the only senior citizen on the road, not by far.

THE FACTS  

According to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there were an estimated 26 million people 70 and older living in the United States in 2001. Of that number, roughly 67 percent were drivers.  

Here's the sobering part: With more and more people in the nation living to a ripe old age, there are increasing numbers of older drivers out on the road involved in fatal accidents.

Statistics show that around the age of 65, drivers face an increased risk of being involved in a vehicle crash. After 75, the risk of driver fatality increases sharply.

The study highlighted by the Insurance Institute said drivers 65 and older represented 17 percent of the driving age population, 13 percent of drivers in fatal crashes and 8 percent of drivers in all crashes in 1995.

And that number is on the increase.

By 2030, the study estimated drivers 65 and older will represent 25 percent of the driving-age population, 25 percent of drivers in fatal crashes and 16 percent of drivers in all crashes.  

MORE SUSCEPTIBLE  

As people age, the body's reaction time decreases. With reflexes not what they once were, an elderly person might not see that car pulling out in front of him until it's too late.

Mike Pavlovich, state coordinator for AARP's driver safety program, said changes in driver capabilities can include loss of vision and hearing as well as slowed reaction time. Night vision in particular also is a big problem with elderly drivers.

"One of our problems as we age is that we lose the ability to gauge distance and speed," said Pavlovich, who is 66.  

It's not as if older drivers are out there manhandling the road. Terry Williams, chairwoman of the psychology department for Geneva College, says the conservative way older people often drive can lead to problems.

With fast cars and six-lane highways surrounding them, Williams says an elderly driver may become nervous about switching lanes or making a left-hand turn. Rather than take a risk, he second-guesses himself, and that can cause accidents.

"The reflexes for seniors don't change much, but they might just be afraid to be out there," she said.

SECOND YOUTH

Although it has been a few decades since these drivers graduated from high school, Pavlovich compares being a senior citizen on the road to feeling like a nervous teenage driver again.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drivers 65 and older and new teenage drivers have the highest accident rates per miles driven. Another NHTSA study found the estimated annual fatality rate for drivers 85 and older is nine times as high as the rate for drivers 25 to 69 years old.

And, like any teenager entering adulthood, Williams says older drivers want their freedom.

  Forcing elderly drivers, whether with a state law or concerned family members, to give up their license can be a crushing blow to a person's psyche, Williams says.

Having to depend on friends or family members for tasks they once easily completed might be unappealing as well, conjuring up feelings of loss of control and diminished freedom.

"Using social services might not be all that pleasing to them either," she said.

BACK TO CLASS

If we're going to become a nation of senior citizens, Williams believes technological advances in the automotive industry will adjust accordingly.

Already, Williams says, cars can be outfitted with beepers to warn others when the driver is backing up. In the future, Williams can envision cameras in the car that will help older drivers see better or perhaps make driving at night easier.

For the here and now, Pavlovich says, AARP offers classes through its driver safety program that outline safety precaution measures for elderly drivers. The classes also review traffic signal procedures, recent changes to driving laws and updates elderly drivers on the safest way to make that left hand turn or stay out of someone's blind spot.

OLDER DRIVERS

In a 1997 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study, older people made up 9 percent of the population but accounted for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities and 17 percent of all pedestrian fatalities. NHTSA's "Traffic Safety Facts 1997: Older Population" reports that:

Representing 9 percent of the population in 1997, the 70-and-older age group grew 2.1 times faster from 1987 to 1997 than the total population.

In 1986, older drivers were 7 percent of licensed drivers; in 1996, they were 19 percent of licensed drivers.

Of traffic fatalities involving older drivers, 82 percent happened in the daytime, 71 percent occurred on weekdays, and 75 percent involved a second vehicle.

Older drivers involved in fatal crashes and fatally injured older pedestrians claimed the lowest proportion of intoxication.

While only 55 percent of adult vehicle occupants (ages 18 to 69) involved in fatal crashes were using restraints at the time of the crash, 70 percent of older occupants in fatal crashes were using restraints.

GIVING IT UP

After a degenerative eye disease started to take its toll on his vision, Fred Deitrick, 86, didn't hesitate to give up his driver's license in 2003.

"My wife did all the driving, and after she passed away, I had no desire to do it," he said.

Today, Deitrick relies on his children to drive him places. A former Wampum resident who now lives at the Beaver Meadows assisted-living facility, Deitrick says he also gets along fine by riding the community bus at the center.

"If I was driving at my age, I'd be hitting everything," he said jokingly.

Deitrick also thinks those 85 and older should not have a driver's license. He also thinks that when drivers reach 70, they should have regular eye exams and have their driving abilities retested to make sure they are fit for the road. 

More than four years after giving up his license, Deitrick says he doesn't miss driving. He freely admits that even as a passenger in his daughter's car, he regularly grips the armrests out of fear.

"It's crazy out there," he said.