Senior Citizens Behind the Wheel Essay

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 age 65 and older in the United States and of those 40 million, 34 million are licensed drivers (NHTSA). Elderly driving has become an alarming subject throughout many communities in the United States as it concerns the safety and health of themselves as well as other drivers. One article shares, as 80-year-old Daniel was driving to the grocery store one day, he ran over a curb and hit a trash can. Luckily he was not hurt and his car suffered only minor scratches. Although unscathed, Daniel was emotionally distraught having almost hit a young woman waiting at the bus stop (Older Drivers). This story as well as many others has triggered a crucial debate about the rights and well-being of senior drivers. Most people believe these older drivers should have an age restriction determining when they should and should not be able drive. However, getting older does not mean people lose all capability to drive. In opposition, driving and health tests should be required at the age of 65 to prove they are capable of safe driving rather than revoking their licenses.

Within the United States and throughout the world we have young men and women driving for the first time. Furthermore, there are some concerns with young drivers not being responsible enough to handle the operations of a vehicle without doing harm to themselves or someone else. Consequently, we need to apply stronger restrictions on new drivers from the age of 16-21, in doing this the mortality rate will begin to drop.

Driving has never been an interest of mine. Numerous movies and television shows make getting your driver’s license a monumental part of every teenager’s life. To most of my peers, it is. However, I have always preferred to enjoy my time having somebody else take care of my transportation. As I’ve grown older, I couldn’t help but notice more and more downfalls to driving. One particular experience with my uncle and two of my cousins stands out more than the rest. I will admit I should have expected something to go wrong while my uncle was driving; I had heard about his tendency to become distracted and his occasional wrecks before. However, none of that knowledge was going through my mind as I jumped in his car for a quick trip to his

At the age of sixteen driving is a coming of age- a transition from childhood to adulthood. With many things the older a child gets the more prepared they are but with driving it is not dependent to a certain age but rather experience. To many American families teen driving is undeniably a privilege. To receive a license as a developing 16 year old one needs guardian permission. If such activity is a privilege to begin with it should come with certain requirements and regulations.

why an annual mandatory driving and written test will separate those who can and can not operate a vehicle safely. These tests should be mandatory over a certain age. The driving test is important to better access relexes and other senses while the written test may seperate those who maintained psychical abilites yet lack in other ability such as memory and if raod signs and rules of the road are still familior. According to Alzheimer 's Society many indivduals with dementia may still be able to drive for some time until their dementia progresses. Part of the problem is that many older drivers feel that driving is a largely automatic activity and should be able to continue. The Alzheimer 's Society also states that many with dementia retain their learned skills even after being diagnosed, and that "driving is a complicated task that requires a split-second combination of complex thought processes and manual skills, such as “make sense of and respond to everything they see – including road signs and obstacles” ( Alzheimers Society)

Berk also uses a great amount of factual evidence to persuade the reader that driver-less cars would greatly benefit the elderly. He states, “According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the collision rate for older drivers is among the highest of any age group.” Seniors, thus, pose a threat not only to themselves, but to others as well. Therefore, it would benefit the elderly, as well as the rest of the population, to give seniors access to

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

Over the years, seniors experience a gradual decline in their physical and mental performance. While there is no getting around this fact, the rate at which this decline occurs isn't etched in stone. The following suggestions will slow this decline and extend a senior's ability to drive safely for many more years.

However, “frail” is a stereotype for the elderly and is a reoccurring term in both Yoffe’s editorial and in Arai’s research. This stereotype damages the driver’s confidence in their ability to drive and leads to more indecisiveness when driving, as explained by Mélanie Joanisse in “Overly Cautious and Dangerous: An Empirical Evidence of the Older Driver Stereotypes.” Using a simulator much like the one presented in the editorial “Hell’s Grannies,” researchers showed senior citizens clips and articles containing negative stereotypes towards elderly drivers. The researches then told the elderly subjects to drive, and the results are similar to the findings stated previously. The editorial shares scenarios of what could and has happened during the process of taking away someone’s license. One story Yoffe tells is of her fellow writer’s mom who is slowly losing her mental capability. When talking to her mother about the possibility of taking away her license, the mother said, “‘I’ve been driving since I was 16’. So the family backed off” (Slate). If she is becoming a risk to herself and others, then the family needs to take action; however, going against a loved one, especially an older one and is consider taboo in many non-western cultures. To not listen to elderly loved-ones invokes disrespect and ungratefulness to them which is

Summary: The central focus of Pollastek et al’s (2012) study was to determine why elderly drivers are more likely to be involved in vehicular accidents at intersections than younger experienced drivers. As a means of data collection Pollastek et al (2012) tested the scanning ability of elderly drivers at intersections through a series of different scenarios. Each scenario took place in a simulated environment, testing the scanning ability of elderly drivers where they were instructed to go through 1) a four-way intersection, 2) turn right at a T-intersection and 3) proceed through an intersection. Pollastek et al (2012) found that elderly drivers fail to properly scan for potential hazards while proceeding through intersections. Pollastek et al (2012) also found that by providing video feedback the participants in the training group performed similarly to younger experienced drivers.

Did you know that elderly drivers are not required to reapply for their driving licenses? Even though they suffer from diminished vision,hearing, and reaction time. As read in research one of the most common causes of car crashes is the fatigue of driver or excessive speed or slow driving of the vehicle. Perhaps the cause behind all of these car accidents are due to the most respected members of our society, the elderly. In fact maybe the press covers up the truth about certain incidents because they know they will receive a huge amount a of complaints from the crowd because their true message will be misunderstood. A message to educate our people to let them see why requiring a reapplication is so important. See they need to reapply and go

In this week's edition of Harper's Weekly Review, the topic that interested me was the one covering the story of an elderly woman crashing into 14 cars. A woman, 75 years of age, crashed in 14 cars and caused about 25,000 euros($27,888.75) worth of damage. I thought this was interesting because for quite some time I've seen that many elderly drivers are sometimes a nuisance on the road or just cause accidents such as the one the article describes. Just recently, about a month ago, a cousin of mine was working front desk at a salon and an elderly woman in her late 70's crashes into the salon with my cousin just barely avoiding critical injury. I believe that there has to be a stricter rule or law that applied to the elderly regarding driving.

In the United States, driving is often equated to freedom and independence. When a senior is faced with the prospect of losing their ability to drive, it can have dramatic emotional consequences. Since there is not a standard rate at which health deteriorates, there is no one age at which a senior's ability to safely drive is effected. What we do know, however, is that drivers over the age of 70 are more likely to be involved in fatal automobile accidents than drivers of other age groups.

“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

While my Granny’s passengers knew about her ineptitude for driving, other drivers were unaware of the danger passing them by. Individuals over 85, who drive, have a four times higher fatality rate than teenagers (Landphair). There are many news stories regarding elderly people who have caused numerous deaths by simply confusing the gas and brake pedals (Landphair). Some contribute these accidents to a decline in vision and cognitive functioning, two factors essential to safe driving. Studies have also shown that if older individuals are under pressure, they tend to make more driving errors than teens (Charles).