|
|
|
|
||
|
||
|
|
||
| SEARCH | SUBSCRIBE | ||
|
 |
Age and driving: a closer look Despite
Santa Monica tragedy, elderly drivers - and plenty are coming - aren't
necessarily worse. The Christian Science Monitor,
July
18, 2003
It's one of the
knottiest issues faced by America's families - and by senior citizens
themselves: When should the elderly give up driving? This
week's crash in Santa Monica, Calif., - when an octogenarian's car killed
nine people in a farmer's market - has refocused attention on the
appropriate time to take away the keys. Already in recent years,
legislatures, car manufacturers, and others have been developing ways to
make the roadways safer: More-sophisticated driving and vision tests,
bigger car mirrors, better planned intersections, and laws that allow
family members to quietly alert authorities about unsafe-driver concerns. But
with baby boomers aging - and with driving so tied to independence and
quality of life in America's sprawling cities and suburbs - the topic may
require even more attention. "In 10 to 20 years, the boomers will be
right where that elderly gentleman was," says Joseph Coughlin,
director of AgeLab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"Unless we start planning personally where we live, and have more
public debate" on the issue, there's a risk of seeing more of these
kinds of tragedies. In
Santa Monica, Russell Weller drove away from a post office in his red
Buick and was soon hurtling down Arizona Avenue. The street is usually
open to traffic, but on Wednesdays it's closed for the farmer's market.
Nine pedestrians were killed and up to 45 hurt in the mishap. Initial
tests on Mr. Weller found no evidence of alcohol or drugs. He does have a
valid driver's license. But police say he recently crashed into his own
garage. For now, they're treating the incident as a manslaughter case -
but have said they suspect Weller was somehow confused or disoriented.
"There may be some negligence as to his capacity to drive
safely," said Police Chief James Butts. Despite
the incident's high profile - and many people saying they know seniors who
drive dangerously - statistics show that older drivers aren't all that
unsafe. Younger motorists - ages 16 to 24 - have accident rates of almost
120 crashes for every 1,000 drivers, according to federal data.
Middle-aged drivers - 55 to 64 - have rates of less than 40 crashes per
1,000 drivers. Older drivers - 75 to 84 - experience about 30 crashes per
1,000 drivers. One
major difference: The elderly tend to drive far less. They don't commute.
They often drive only when necessary, and, usually, not at night. With
these factors taken into account, older drivers are statistically more
dangerous: Among those 85 years or older, crash rates rise to more than 80
per 1,000 drivers. The
issue will likely only become more important. In 1995, 1 of every 11
drivers on US roads was over 70. By 2020, 1 of every 5 Americans will be
over 65, and most will probably have licenses, according to the National
Institute on Aging. At
present, licensing requirements vary widely from state to state. In many,
drivers never have to set foot in a testing facility after getting their
license at 16. In Illinois and New Hampshire, drivers over 75 must take a
road test to renew their license. Yet
trying to change those laws can be politically difficult - especially when
efforts target seniors. "The politics are less about what's safe than
it is about balancing the values of freedom and independence on the one
hand, and safety and health on the other," says Mr. Coughlin.
"It goes nowhere." The
key, he says, is getting away from age as the criteria for testing. Unsafe
driving isn't an age issue, Coughlin stresses. It's about drivers of any
age who have impairments - and a transportation system that gives those
drivers few alternatives. The
Santa Monica disaster, he hopes, will mobilize people to develop better
testing for people of all ages, and transportation alternatives for those
who don't make the grade. But
even before this week's accident, many groups nationwide were starting to
focus on the elderly driving issue. The American Medical Association
approved recommendations last month to help make doctors aware of factors
that might impair the driving skills of older patients, and what
assessment and rehabilitation options are available for those patients. Even
car manufacturers are beginning to put larger mirrors on cars - or devices
that warn drives that they are too close to nearby cars. Congress, for its
part, recently set aside $1.6 million to start a National Older Drivers
Research Center to create better tests and train more driving
rehabilitation specialists - people certified to help recognize driving
weaknesses and to make the judgment call on when someone needs to get off
the road. Carol
Blackburn, at Adaptive Mobility Services Inc. in Orlando, Fla., is one of
about 300 such specialists. Often, her elderly clients have been referred
by a doctor or family member. "We
can be the bad guys," she says, noting how tough it is for anyone to
be told they can no longer drive. "It might mean they lose their home
and have to go into an assisted living facility." Sometimes,
she'll find a middle ground to help people remain as independent as
possible - restricting them to familiar routes or asking them to stop
driving at night. Extra mirrors can also help. But
sometimes there's no other option, she says, remembering one elderly woman
who was irate when told she could no longer drive - even though, during
her road test, she had made a left turn in front of an oncoming car.
"She said, 'I am not giving up my license! I am not moving in with my
daughter in Atlanta.' It's not a pleasant part of our job, but if it takes
somebody off the road who shouldn't be there, we need to do that." Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
