Move out of the way Grandma!

692 Words2 Pages

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.
Every year we collect a plethora of statistics about almost everything, including elderly motorist, and when it comes to these, the findings are horrifying. It is predicted that the percent of elderly motorist will nearly double by the year 2030. Today, the percent of motorist aged 65 and up is 16; in 2030, it is suspected to be 25 percent (Kluger 1). Nobody wants to think about Grandma getting in an accident, but it happens. The chance of a wreck heightens at 65 and the years following (Neighmond 1). Seniors are more likely to expire due to wrecks than any other age group (Olson 3). Senior motorist are not only a risk to themselves, but they are a risk to the people around them.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drivers age 70 years and older account for approximately 9 percent of the United States population. However, these older drivers, who drive fa...

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...nd the general public safe.

Works Cited

Brown, Lauren Hinson. "Senior Drivers: Risk, intervention, and safety." the nurse practitioner 31.3 (March 2006):39-49. Ebscohost. PDF File.
Kluger, Jeffrey. "Too Old TO Drive?." Time 162.4 (2003): 73. Ebscohost. Web. 20 April 2014.
"Senior Driver Safety." Florida Department of Motor Vehicles. Florida Department of Motor Vehicles, 16 April 2014. Web. 16 April 2014.
Olson, Robin K. "Senior Driver Issues: Upcoming Challenges and Solutions." Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter ejournal (February 2005): 1-18. Ebsochost. PDF File.
Neighmond, Patti. "When Should Senior Drivers Hang Up The Car Keys?." Shots: Health News from National Public Radio. National Public Radio, 8 October 2012. Web. 20 April 2014.
"How to Understand and Influence Older Drivers." National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: 1-13. iseek. PDF File.

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