Argumentative Essay On Elderly Drivers

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.

Thousands of concerned family members and drivers insist that older motorists must be retested for their licenses.

Although it is a controversial topic, many individuals believe that the driving skills of senior citizens have declined and need to be addressed. According to The Telegraph, “more than a quarter (respondents) admitted to feeling unsafe when driven by someone over the age of 65” (The Telegraph). This topic dominates many family discussions, news stories, and headlines due to the risk that these driving skills have on others on the road. The Secretary of State Office in Michigan “receives 400 driver re-examination requests every month for drivers suspected to be unsafe, and the largest number, behind law enforcement, comes from family members” (USA Today). Although it is a hard discussion to introduce, families have a responsibility to address their concerns with their loved ones. Acknowledged as a popular and controversial topic, addressing the problem will ultimately prevent accidents and save

lives.
Through analyzation of accident reports, it is proven that older drivers are actually less risky when driving in comparison to other age groups. Research at the University of Granada in Spain “found that elderly drivers are more cautious than younger drivers, perhaps because they are aware of their decreased driving ability” (McKinney). Geriatrics tend to avoid unsafe behavior such as “speeding, passing dangerously, driving while intoxicated” (McKinney). However, this is not plausible. This analysis does not take senior citizen’s lifestyles into consideration. Older motorists purposely avoid certain interstates, roads, or even towns that make them feel uncomfortable. Congested cities, rush hour traffic, and certain times of the day intimidate a majority of older drivers and make them drive less. Although University of Granada seems logical, these major factors are disregarding in their analysis of unsafe driving.
It is true that senior citizens have less accidents than inexperienced drivers aging from 16 to 25 years of age (National Highway Traffic Administration). Nevertheless, geriatrics tend to have more serious accidents when they are involved in a car accident. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, “motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury in adults between ages 65 and 75” (U.S. CDC). It is also proven that older motorists have more accidents than middle-aged drivers (National Highway Traffic Administration). Every year, hundreds of Americans die in automobile accidents due to older motorist’s declining driving abilities (National Highway Traffic Administration). On average, about 15 older motorists are killed and 586 are injured in automobile accidents daily (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). Geriatrics have more medical ailments than other populations, therefore their bodies are more fragile. Thus, when involved in a high impact car accident, older motorists “fatality rates are 17 times higher than those of 25 to 64 year olds (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), Consequently, although senior citizens are involved in less accidents, the ones they are involved in are of high severity.
There are various causes of impaired driving skills in older motorists. Multiple medical ailments are prevalent in this population starting at the age of about 65. Medical conditions vary in severity from individual to individual, however, many drivers are affected. According to American Automobile Association, “per mile traveled, fatal crash rates increase noticeable starting at ages 70-74, and are highest among drivers age 85 and older” (AAA). Thus, it is notable that as one ages, one’s driving abilities decline. Deficiencies in eyesight, reflexes, cognition, and overall health contribute to impaired driving ability.
Geriatrics’ eyesight worsens with age and affects their ability to drive. The Vision Council has declared that “nearly half of today’s seniors have never had a dilated eye exam” (American Foundation for the Blind). Without a proper evaluation of one’s vision, an individual can be blind to the fact that their vision is not up-to-par. According to American Foundation for the Blind, 27.4% of senior citizens have reported having vision loss (AFB). Although this percentage may seem inconsequential, these are individuals who have lost partial or complete vision. Senior citizens who are partially blind can and will cause accidents due to their minimal field of vision. Countless eye diseases and conditions affect eyesight as well. Age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma and more dramatically decrease one’s driving capabilities (American Optometric Association). These eye conditions compromise one’s ability to drive even before they present obvious symptoms of vision loss (American Optometric Association). As one ages, perception and acuity dramatically decreases due to these age-related vision changes (American Optometric Association). Analyzation of crash reports indicate that most accidents older motorists are involved in are at intersections. According to U.S. Department of Transportation, “About one-third of the fatalities of older drivers occur at intersections, and this figure jumps to more than half for drivers over the age of 80.” (U.S. Department of Transportation). At intersections, older drivers are prone to run red lights, run stop signs, and turn improperly. This unsafe driving behavior is the result of deficient visual perception and acuity. Glared headlights, blurry road signs, changes in color perception, and diminished motion perception are only some of the vision challenges older drivers are subjected to daily. For instance, a car of friends is waiting patiently for their light to turn green. As they drive across the highway, a car fails to stop at their red light and plows into the right side of their car at 50 mph. The impact of the car accident has either killed or severely injured the passengers and drivers in both cars. An older motorist resides in the car that failed to stop at the intersection. It is most probable that the geriatric did not see the light switch colors due to impaired color perception. Acuity and depth perception trouble senior citizens and alter their driving capabilities as well. (Encyclopedia of Vision and Perception). Whether it is a blurry sign or turning too soon or late, senior citizens cause severe accidents. For example, an older driver is aware they are approaching a left hand turn. However, due to their lack of depth perception and acuity, they are unable to read the street sign. They jut out in front of cars, turn into wrong lanes, and cause a severe accident. Motion perception is necessary to have when driving to be able to judge how fast a car or object is moving. As one ages, the ability to judge motion perceptions becomes limited. This explains why many older driver’s have a limited ability to merge, change lanes, and turn at an intersection. Ultimately, geriatrics overestimate the speed of their vehicle while underestimating the speed of high speed vehicles (Encyclopedia of Vision and Depth Perception). Specifically, this is what makes older drivers hesitant when merging onto a highway of fast paced vehicles. In summation, various vision deficiencies limit older motorist’s driving abilities.