Some people think that seniors should be required to retake the driving test because they think that with age comes decreased vision, hearing, and reaction time. This is certainly true to a certain extent because this occurs to different people at different speeds. I think that once a person reaches about 75 they should have annual appointments for vision and hearing tests, and if they don’t do to well then they should be required to retake the driving test.
“An eighty-six year old man killed ten people and injured more than seventy when he drove his Buick into a crowded farmers market in California. In Florida, an eighty-four year old woman drove her car through a window of a Sears and into a cash register and employee” (Murphy). Sadly enough, instances like these are becoming more and more prevalent and require immediate action. It is imperative that a more comprehensive approach be taken when deciding the competence of elderly drivers. Laws must be put into action to mandate and administer testing and re-examining of the skills and eligibility of this group. Equally important, we must consider those who will no longer be able to drive, and ensure their transportation and occupational needs
We have all had the experience of being stuck behind someone that is either driving too slow, swerving, or breaking way too early; then when we drive up next to them its 9 times out of 10 an elderly driver. I believe that at the age of 75, and older, maybe even a little younger, yearly driving, medical, and vision exams need to be done to renew their licenses. This process can reduce the number of accidents involving seniors, and even help to reduce road rage situations for other drivers on the road. Now I am not trying to say that all accidents are caused by seniors, because younger drivers are responsible for, and are involved in a greater number of serious road traffic crashes than seniors. (Carvel 2002) The point I am trying to make is
Millions of people drive each day, some heading to work, some to vacation destinations, some to entertainment, and some just for fun. Within these millions, there are all types of drivers; aggressive, passive, new, experienced, and elderly to name a few. The elderly comprise of more than 40 million people
Families of drivers who were injured, or worse, by elderly drivers also have a stake in this debate. In a news article by ABC News, a mother calls for greater action on elderly drivers after her 22-year-old son, Dann, is killed by an 87-year-old driver who “[had] failed to see Dann coming and turned directly into his path.” (Atkin, 2017). The mother, named Sue Jenkins, stated “we are second-class citizens because the independence of the elderly driver is more important than our right to expect other drivers on the roads to be competent.” (Atkin, 2017). Ms. Jenkins statement summarizes the position of many families of drivers injured, or worse, by senior drivers. Again, these stakeholders agree on the fact and definition of elderly drivers,
Driving ages throughout the United States vary state by state. In South Dakota, to obtain a license you only have to be 14 years and three months old. In New Jersey, you have to be 17 years old, but throughout the United States it is pretty consistent that you have to be 16 years old to get a license. Along with
On the other hand, elderly's should be paying attention to the speed limit and try to keep up with the other cars. They shouldn’t be driving slow because their old and can drive at any speed they want. My grandpa always says “ I’m 87 year old man and I can do anything I want and no one is going to tell me different.” Old people are very stubborn and think they can do whatever they want and also that their going the speed limit but their not. And most of the time that’s true. No one is going to get an elderly upset if their doing something
Many concerns have been expressed about the potential dangers elderly drivers present when operating a vehicle. Mental and physical capabilities begin to decline as a person ages. When their health deteriorates, the well being of other individuals on the road is at stake. Many elderly drivers should not drive
All drivers need to gain as much experience behind the wheel as possible. It is more likely that young drivers would drive with their parents in the vehicle, giving the teen needed instructions. Driver’s Education classes provide the best possible assimilated driving situations. There’s nothing like the real experience to fully understand how the road rules work in reality. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), there has been reports that there was a reduction of 56% in actual crashes with younger drivers as
Like many other tasks, they become more challenging for older people to get accomplished driving is one of them. According to,,,,,,, in 2014, more than 5,700 older adults were killed and more than 236,000 were treated in emergency rooms for motor vehicle crash injuries. There many reasons why it is unsafe for older drivers to continue to drive such as decline in sensory, mental state, physical health but they are way to make this tremendous life change easier for them.
One of these is our motor skills. In line with this, driving is one major concern among health experts with seniors. Due to the unstable condition that aging can give to any person, it is very unsafe for seniors to drive without the clearance from the doctor. Wisdom Care Transportation, a medical transportation in Page Road Durham North Carolina, shares these most effective tactics for seniors to keep on driving safely.
According to the website, https://www.caring.com/calculators/state-driving-laws-in-minnesota, there are no specific rules for older drivers in Minnesota. They all follow the standard license renewal stated below: MN Standard driver's license renewal • License renewed: Every 4 years. • Renewal conditions: In person. • Vision test: Yes. • Written test: No (unless license has been expired for more than 1
Although many people believe that aging doesn’t affect driving ability, it does. Research demonstrates that there are many alternatives and solutions to keep people and the roads safe. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that, “while drivers age 60 and older are less likely that other drivers
Accidents happening on the road are becoming very common these past couple of years. Even though driving is a simple task that many people do on a daily basis. Most people are considered safe drivers, but some groups of people are incapable of driving safely. Safe is supposed to be
Older drivers reported declining confidence in driving as a change they noticed second close to physical changes (Donorfio et al. 2009). Older drivers who face high difficulty and have low confidence in driving were reported to self-regulate their driving by avoiding selected driving situations or to some extent may even choose to cease driving completely