Medical Screening Argumentative Essay

Many people are aware of the fact that fifteen to twenty-four year olds are involved in the most automobile accidents. The knowledge that people are lacking is that the age group of fifty-five and above is responsible for the most car accidents per mile driven. In addition, research shows that a person’s safe driving ability begins to decline at the age of fifty-five and rapidly depreciating after the age of seventy-five (Yassuda, Wilson, and Mering 526). Furthermore, a projected fifty million drivers over the age of sixty-five will be on the roads by the year of 2020 (qtd. in Yassuda, Wilson, and Mering 525). In order to compensate for these increasing risks, medical screening should be a requirement before someone renews his/her driver’s license once they reach a certain age.

Currently, any Ohio driver can renew their license as long as they can prove their identity, pass a vision test, and pay the renewal fee. However, a close relative of mine failed to complete his vision test and was still awarded with renewal.

Consequently, this particular senior, who suffers from severe dementia, was not required to stop driving until our family insisted that it was time for him to give up his keys. Situations like this cause many people to agree that renewal is far too easy for those who should not be on the road, especially some senior citizens. In fact, a study conducted by Monica Yassuda, Jennifer Wilson, and Otto von Mering, professors from the University of Florida, found that an astounding 96 percent of seniors were unhappy with licensing procedures. The seniors said that the current system “does not help them to decide whether they should remain driving or ‘retire from the road’” (533).
An additional problem, which is considerably more significant, is that of safety. Personal experience is evidence to this problem; additional relatives of mine have experienced multiple automobile accidents while in their mid-sixties and low seventies, one of which I was involved in. In their study, Yassuda, Wilson, and Mering found that 70 percent of seniors had concerns about safety, mostly related to accidents or near-accidents. In support of the finding, next to falls, collisions are the second leading cause of death for people over seventy-five. This could be due to the additional fact that senior citizens are three times more likely to pass away from serious injuries. Another area of major concern for these seniors included immediate situational dangers such as: getting a flat tire, running out of gas, having medical problems, or needing assistance (526, 532).
Senior citizens also often find themselves without other means of transportation due to abrupt loss of their driver’s license. In our modern culture, private transportation has become a necessity, especially in rural or suburban areas. Case in point, 77 percent of trips to work in Florida are by means of a private car with a single driver (qtd. in Yassuda, Wilson, and Mering 526). This can become a struggle for many ex-drivers when they cannot go to important appointments/surgeries due to their lack of transportation options. Moreover, 50 percent of ex-drivers claimed that suitable public transportation was inadequate (qtd. in Yassuda, Wilson, and Mering 528). As a result, many people, including scholars Anu Siren and Sonja Haustein, believe that, “driving cessation is associated with a decrease in activities outside the home” (qtd. 1822).
When seizing someone’s license, one must be sure that it is for the driver’s safety and best interest. The crux of the matter tends to be that too often, senior citizens with an acceptable mental state have their license and independence stripped from their grasp. This happened to be the case in a study conducted in Denmark, where the required screening procedures are believed to “trigger premature driving cessation” (qtd. in Siren and Haustein 1822). Confirming the authenticity of cessation is also important due to many seniors’ attachment to driving. In a survey of retirees, “a third of respondents who are still driving say that they intend to carry on driving until obligated to stop by circumstances which are both beyond their control and unforeseeable” (qtd in Yassuda, Wilson, and Merong 527). While gradual and cautious license termination can prove to be beneficial, it must be done at the right time, on the right terms, and for the right reasons.
As a result of a number of focus groups, researchers found that the majority of older drivers do not even consider license cessation. Some will do anything and everything in their power in order to stay behind the wheel. This proves to be true for one group member who claims, “They will pry my cold dead hands off the wheel before I stop driving.” Another member said if she were to get into an accident she would be “more careful,” and still would refuse the abandonment of her license (Yassuda, Wilson, and Mering 534). Experts believe that this attitude is due to their lack of education on the subject of cessation and the dangerous risks involved. Medication side effects, vision/hearing disabilities, and other driver impairing health factors are believed to be some of the sources of these risks. Results from multiple studies, including the one held by the University of Florida professors, indicate that seniors do in fact recognize their loss in driving abilities, but chose to publicly deny it or compensate for the loss by avoiding driving in risky conditions (Yassuda, Wilson, and Mering 535).
There have been multiple suggested solutions in order to protect the lives of the increasing population of senior citizens.

One of them includes creating an abundance of focus groups in order to help senior citizens cope with their licenses being seized. The focus groups, or study circles, would also help new non-renewers find other means of transportation, and options for them to continue to explore areas away from home. Group learning is also thought to be a major part of these study circles, helping with the emotional part of driving cessation (Yassuda, Wilson, and Mering 536). Along with these benefits, drivers close to cessation would have the opportunity to join these groups in hope of keeping them open minded, and easing the transition from driving daily to becoming somewhat mobility restricted. However, there is no guarantee that seniors will be open to participating in the focus groups and no promises of an easy

transition.
Another suggestion includes the passing of laws similar to those in Denmark. In detail, Denmark requires that once seniors reach the age of seventy, they must renew their license again at seventy-four, seventy-six, seventy-eight, and eighty. After the age of eighty, the elderly must continue to renew their driver’s license annually. As a further precaution, a person must go through medical screening that includes a shortened version of the mini-mental examination. Moreover, if the analyzing physician remains undecided after the screening, the driver undergoes another practical driving test (Siren and Haustein 1823). While this system has its flaws, it has many necessary precautions that are overlooked on this side of the world.
Combining the two theories could prove to be the ultimate solution. For instance, if a state were to pass the laws from Denmark and a senior was denied renewal, they could be placed in a social circle where they would become prepared for the transition, and receive help and support from peers with similar experiences. Potentially solving the problems of transportation and unjust license renewal, this method of cessation would prevent unjust discontinuation of driving along with improving safety on the roads. Due to the fact that research regarding driving cessation programs can be considered extremely new, this proposed method would have plenty of time for revisions in order to make it as flawless as possible (Yassuda, Wilson, and Mering 536-537). If local governments are able to perfect the flaws of driving cessation, they could henceforth cause an increase in safety of drivers at all ages.