The license to drive is one of the most crucial aspects of any teenager or adults life. Every year, millions die while on the road for several different reasons. As most may think texting or alcohol is the reason for traffic crashes, you may be overlooking one very important factor: age. Elderly drivers, much like teenagers, can create just as much risk to the roads, if not more. Many elderly do not understand their diminishing abilities to do certain tasks. With increasing health issues that come with age, such as poor eyesight, lessening hearing, and slower reaction times, elderly people do not realize they are a problem. If people over the age of 65 received health screenings every year and were required to take a driver’s test in order to maintain a license, the world would be safer and …show more content…
According to AAA driving, “Weaker muscles, reduced flexibility and limited range of motion restrict senior drivers’ ability to grip and turn the steering wheel, press the accelerator or brake, or reach to open doors and windows” (Facts & Research). Clearly, if anyone of any age has problems driving, they should be examined. It is not safe for older people with crippling conditions to be out driving on the road with the rest of the world. Odds are if you can hardly grip your steering wheel, it’s time to give up your license. AAA says, “Fifty percent of the middle-aged population and 80 percent of people in their 70s suffer from arthritis, crippling inflammation of the joints, which makes turning, flexing and twisting painful.” (Facts and Research). Driving requires the abilities of checking over your shoulder, being completely aware of your surroundings and everyone else around you; it requires you to move your neck, hands, arms, and legs and requires full attention. It is very important for people over the age 65 get examined every year for their safety and everyone
Most if not all teens look forward to several events in their life. One of those events are getting a driver's license. This small piece of plastic is their ticket to freedom. This ticket is more than just freedom to be able to drive their friends around but also freedom from the ritual of their parents having to drive them everywhere and embarrass them in public. Also this is a freedom to the parents as well they may save more on gas from not having to drive their children around. However, some teens are not as safe as they possibly could be if they were to take a few steps to promote good driving habits. This is evident in the article “Teen Driving”, as the author gives the reader teen driving statistics, as well as explanations of programs and steps that can improve teen driving.
I am sure that at some point in their life everyone has been in a vehicle behind or near an elderly person. People call slow drivers Grandma, Grandpa, Paps, ect. when being sarcastic. In reality, not all seniors drive slow, but many do. Not all seniors drive carelessly, but many do. Not all seniors drive dangerously, but many do. Not all senior drivers need to have their driving evaluated, but many do. So why do seniors not have to take a mandatory driving test every year? Most are in denial about the risk that they pose when driving; that is the scary part. With increases in statistics of population, accidents, and fatalities, senior drivers pose a real safety threat to themselves and to the people society; luckily, there are signs to look out for when an elder needs get out of the driver's seat and places and ways to help them cope with it.
It is dangerous because the elderly drive reckless and when they drive reckless they crash. For example according to the article “Older Adult Drivers” in 2010, there were about 5,149,000 crashes accounted for. If the elderly stopped driving that number would go down by a lot. Another example explaining why the elderly should retake their test is because of the deaths. For Instance According to the article “Older adult drivers” there is an average of 15 older adult deaths by car crash a day. Another example from the article “older adult drivers” is in 2012 more than 5,560 elderly people died in a car crash. My last example for why car crashes are dangerous is the injuries. The elderly are injuring themselves by driving. For example according to the Article “Older Adult Drivers” There are more than 214,000 deaths among the elderly because of their driving, And that's not including the injuries the elderly because among other people when they hit them. In addition there are about 586 injuries among the elderly due to car crashes. So there for elderly drivers are too dangerous. On the side of the elderly, they have the most experience driving so they might crash
Accidents and fatalities are an immense concern for the population of elderly drivers in America. Statistics show that, at age 65, driving becomes much more difficult for people (Davis & DeBarros). Licensed drivers over the age of 85 have a fatality rate four times more than that of teenagers and five and a half times more than middle-aged drivers (Davis & DeBarros). Davis and DeBarros report that, “Elderly drivers are less likely to be involved in crashes involving high speeds or alcohol but are more likely to crash at intersections where they miss a stop sign or turn left into oncoming traffic” (Davis & DeBarros).
2.) Yes, I do believe that my home state should have such a law because it's not safe for people with Alzheimer's disease to be on the roads driving. It's not safe, if they do not know where they are going. Many people with Alzheimer's disease, would probably get into car accidents and maybe even die, which is not good. If that law was put into action, then people with Alzheimer's disease would be more safer and their families, would not have to be worrying about them all the time.
Drunk driving, sleeping at the wheel, and loss of control of a vehicle could be a thing of the past when it comes to new innovations being made towards self-driving cars. When one thinks of a “self-driving” car, it means not having to pay attention to the actual driving and going about putting make-up on or playing on your phone while the car takes you where you want to go, sounds completely sci-fi, but it is likely to happen in the near future. With advances in technology, the car is able to use satellites, cameras, and sensors to take the driver where he or she needs to go. Many companies are researching, manufacturing, and testing different
Statistics show 16- to 17-year-old driver death rates increase with each additional passenger, which is due to distracted driving. Taking your eyes off the road for 2 (two) seconds, at 60 mph, means you have driven blindly for half the length of a football field. The risk of fatality is 3.6 times higher, when they are driving with passengers than when alone. For many years, the correlation between driving behavior and age has interested highway safety researchers and administrators. It is general knowledge that the greatest risk of motor vehicle crash...
People should not be allowed to be on the roads after the age of 80. The reasoning behind our opinion is for the beneficial safety of others on the road. You cannot compare the 5 senses that an adult or young adult (teenager) would naturally contain, compared to an elderly person. As you age, you are prone to lose things such as reaction timing and alertness whilst increasing in other things such as medical conditions. Medical conditions such as high blood pressure, poor eye sight and even hearing problems; all things that ultimately affect ones driving ability. With all this being said, a person over the age of 80 should not be permitted on the road because of medical conditions, their fragile physical movement capabilities and to simply not be able to endanger the lives of others on the road.
One must think quickly to figure the best solution when trying to avoid a car accident. A political scientist from the University of Hawaii named Lawrence Nitz, ”conducted a three-year study of Hawaiian traffic records and found that drivers over 75 were far more likely than other motorists to be cited for certain offenses, including failing to yield to pedestrians, backing up unsafely and failing to stop at a flashing red light.” (Source B). The source expounds the fact that senior citizens struggle with driving safely. Elderlies should be more cautious around their surroundings, particularly when it comes to driving to avoid horrendous car accidents. Although, several individuals may declare that teens drivers are disastrous at stopping at a red light and driving at a dangerous speeds. However, seniors develop bad habits over time without even realizing it. “Incorrect hand position and too much input means you lose track of where your car is headed; hands at 9 and 3 (most new cars now position their indents here) give you the best control without having to let go of the wheel” (Source I). A vast majority of elderlies lose control over their hands which is one of the bad habits elderlies seem to have nowadays. When driving, one shall have control of their vehicle to abstain crashing into another
"On the Road—Older Adult Drivers." Growing Old in America. Barbara Wexler. 2008 ed. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Information plus Reference Series. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 4 April 2014.
It’s normal that as we age, our driving abilities tend to change. Adjusting to life changes such as retirement, different schedules, and new activities also affect where and when they drive. Most older adults drive safely because they have a lot of experience behind the wheel. They are often hurt more seriously than younger drivers when they are involved in crashes (Older Drivers , 2012). There are many factors that affect older adults when driving such as arthritis, memory loss, and spine problems, which make drivers lose height and become shorter behind the wheel, diminishing visual range (Older Drivers , 2012). Driving skills can be affected by age-related declines in vision, hearing, cognitive functioning, ability to reason and remember, and other abilities, as well as certain health conditions and medications. It’s important to note , adults tend to take more medications as they age, and even if they’re not developing dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, the medications can cause cognitive changes and confusion, which in turn can affect they’re driving abilities (Older Drivers , 2012).
Whether it is a text massage from love one or a bite of a sandwich, it is not so important than a human life. Distracted driving is an epidemic, so more tough laws should be implemented. The law for distracted driving should be tough just like a driving under influence. Distracting driving is a killer on the road, it should be banned because, it is the number one killer of the U.S. teenager in the road, not only the teenager in the road, but also cause a collision which is often fatal, and some incident were driver or one who involve on an accident became disable. Distraction is an involvement of driver where his or hers eye or mind are engage and performing on other things rather than driving, such as while talking on
Again, it makes the headlines; an older driver causes a dangerous automobile crash. As the amount of elderly driving has increased in the past decade, the risk for others to be out on the road has increased. In 2012, there were 36 million licensed older drivers in the United States. (Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation (US)) As a 34% increase from 1999, it has been noted that seniors are driving past their ability by an average of 10 years. (Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation (US)). Elderly continue to drive despite the prominent physiological changes that worsen as they age. The amount of automobile collisions suggests that prevention must occur in order to make the roads safer. By examining older drivers’ medical complications, older drivers must be retested to be able to drive a vehicle.
Statistically, senior citizen drivers are the biggest danger to themselves. Taking a first look at it, they are the safer driving group. That being directly related to the fact that they wear their seatbelts, they don’t go over the speed limits, and they don’t make some crazy fast moves, usually, that could force other drivers into other directions. Meaning, with senior citizens on the road, it’s easier to detect what they are going to do (CDC
“The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers.” - Dave Berry