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Needed: aging-driver policy The Christian Science Monitor September 3, 2003 TAMPA, FLA. – For an elderly couple I know who live in rural
Florida, driving represents far more than everyday independence and
freedom. It means survival. With no one else to get their food and
medicine, and no public transportation, he drives while she tells him
where to go. Both are approaching 80, the wife paralyzed from a stroke,
the husband legally blind. Since an 86-year-old motorist plowed into a farmers' market in
Santa Monica, Calif., in July - killing 10 and injuring dozens - some
commentators have suggested older drivers are an irresponsible menace with
no business on public roadways. Given the growth in the senior population,
the national debate on how - or whether - to regulate driving privileges
for the elderly is really only just beginning. Most older motorists I met during eight years of working in
hospitals were safe drivers who restricted their own travels, such as
driving only in the daytime. Indeed, when it comes to deadly road behavior
- speeding, driving while intoxicated, running red lights, using
cellphones, road rage - research by the government, the AAA, and the
insurance industry shows the majority of perpetrators are younger drivers. That said, advanced age definitely is a risk factor in driving
safety. Problems with vision, hearing, reaction time, medication use,
cognitive impairment, and physical ailments can spell roadway disaster. I
also have known elderly drivers who are in deep denial about their
diminished driving capacity. While people over 70 comprise about 10
percent of licensed drivers, federal transportation data show they are
involved in 13 percent of all fatal traffic accidents.On a per-mile-driven
basis, they have higher accident rates than all but the youngest drivers. Furthermore, it is often elder drivers themselves who don't
survive crashes. Seniors who are physically vulnerable are far more likely
than younger drivers to die of a comparable injury, according to the
American Medical Association. By age 85, their auto fatality rate is nine
times that of drivers aged 25 to 69. Something needs to be done, most people agree. But what? Most important, we must dismiss the notion of a single, simple
solution. Elder driving cannot be viewed in a vacuum - nor can the lack of
concrete action taken to address the issue. The problem is an example of America's reluctance to face its
rapidly "graying" demographics. Rather than quick fixes, we need a comprehensive national agenda: • First and foremost, invest heavily in public transportation
to reduce dependence on automobiles. It is an inhumane recipe for disaster
to insist that a senior stop driving without offering an affordable,
reliable transportation alternative. • Design roadways and cars to accommodate the reduced vision
and slower reflexes of elder drivers (safety measures that would aid
younger drivers as well). For example, add larger road signs, wider
highway lanes, and bigger car mirrors. • Publicize the warning signs of diminished road competence for
aging drivers so they and their families can better identify them and take
action before tragedies occur. • Increase physician education about medical conditions that
can impair older patients' driving skills. Though it could strain
doctor-patient trust, physicians should be required to refer seniors for
further evaluation when a clear risk to personal and public health exists. • Develop comprehensive, objective, technologically
sophisticated driver evaluations to replace simplistic vision and road
tests. Given the tremendous variation between individuals and degree of
impairment, it should not be age or diagnosis alone that determines
whether drivers can keep their licenses. • Expand driver rehabilitation programs and laws that grant
restricted licenses, allowing seniors to keep driving as long as safely
possible. • Address the adjustment problems faced by the 600,000 older
persons forced to stop driving each year - a number that will
mushroom in coming decades. Significant social isolation and depression
are common among these people, and that, in turn, can trigger major health
problems. Some will argue that these recommendations are too costly to
implement. I suggest that unless large-scale action is taken now to
accommodate our rapidly aging population, we will pay far more in years to
come, both in dollars and in lost lives. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
