Elderly Drivers on American Roads: Potential Benefits and Dangers

Elderly Drivers: Benefit of Experience or Danger to Others?

One of the most pertinent facts of society today is that, in general, populations are aging. This is particularly true of developed nations, where medical science has created a platform to allow the average person to live far longer than the case has been just 50 years ago. The result is a gradually aging population, where the number of elderly is increasing. In addition to concerns like funding for medical care, this phenomenon as also created concerns for road safety. Indeed, according to some statistics, the number of elderly drivers (drivers aged 70 and over) is likely to rise to triple its current level within 20 years (Smartmotorist.com, 2011). This rapid rise in elderly drivers has raised concerns about the safety of roads not only for other drivers, but for the elderly drivers themselves. Statistics appear to be as divided on the issue as public opinion, with some indicating a large index of danger, while others show that the danger is not as dire as believed. Either way, there is no denying that driving ability declines with age. Inherently, the danger associated with more elderly drivers on the road is that only some of them would recognize reduced driving ability in themselves, while others would not. To determine ways to mitigate the situation, it is essential to investigate the extent of the danger nation wide as well as within states, cities, and counties.

Research shows that drivers who reach the age of 65 are increasingly at risk of being involved in vehicle accidents. Drivers reaching the age of 75 are at an increased risk of fatal accidents (Smartmotorist.com, 2011). This is associated with three particular factors: poor judgment when making a left-hand turn, drifting in the traffic lane, and decreased ability to make sound judgments and respond to rapidly changing conditions on the road. To quantify the risk, statistics indicate that the elderly account for 5% of all injuries related to traffic crashes, 13% of all fatal injuries related to traffic crashes, 13% of all fatalities among vehicle occupants, and 18% of fatalities suffered by pedestrians. Hence, elderly people on the road pose not only a danger to others, but are also themselves at greater risk of injury or death (Smartmotorist.com, 2011).

When investigating the demographics of the crashes themselves, it was found that a vehicle driven by an older person is 3.1 times as likely to be struck as one by a younger person, and that 27% of such accidents occurred when the older person was making left turn. Furthermore, the elderly tend to be involved in negligence cases, including failing to yield to pedestrians, not stopping at a flashing red light, and backing up without taking safety precautions.

In terms of addressing the problem, states vary widely in terms of their requirements for elderly drivers. Only some states require drivers over 70 to retake their license test, while others only require retesting in cases where drivers are involved in more than two accidents per year (Smartmotorist.com, 2011).

Shishkin (2009) reiterates that no singular, nationwide measure has been implemented to determine competency for drivers over 65 years old, despite the fact that these drivers will reach nearly 57 million by 2030, which will account for a quarter of everyone on the road. Concomitantly, there has been a wide variety of rules that vary from state to state. Massachusetts, for example, has no special licensing requirements for its population. Another factor of debate is the exact extent to which older people are in fact more dangerous than their younger counterparts on the road. The Rand Corporation (2007), for example, argue that, according to a thorough investigation of statistics from 1975 to 2005, older people have proven only 16% more likely to cause accidents than adults on the road, while the youngest people pose a 188% likelihood for the same danger. Corporation therefore concludes that younger drivers are far more dangerous on the roads than those who are older.

Par of the reason for this is that many older adults recognize their own reduced driving ability and avoid certain conditions when driving, as well as reduce their time on the road. Some older people remove themselves entirely from the driving pool. Hence, in terms of number, the Rand Corporation's claim is that those older adults who do remain on the road are among the more competent.

Nevertheless, the danger for states that do not regulate their older drivers cannot be denied. According to Shishkin (2009), for example, 2009 saw an increase of accidents involving older people, including an 89-year-old woman who struck a four-year-old child in a pedestrian crosswalk, after which the child died. In the same year in the state, an 93-year-old driver crashed into a Wal-Mart and caused several injuries. Reports of similar accidents involving an apparent lack of competence continue to this day.