Alzheimer's disease plays another large role by the driver not being able to recognize
Alzheimer's disease plays another large role by the driver not being able to recognize
Driving is a very dangerous and often hazardous thing to do. This is especially true for people ages fifteen to nineteen. There are so many crashes each year for teen drivers that it’s a miracle anyone makes it past twenty years old unharmed. In 2009 alone three hundred and fifty teens were treated for a car related accident.…
Often times if one asks another what age group they think is the most dangerous drivers one would say teenagers. Lately there have been many reports claiming that these thoughts are no longer true and that elderly drivers are considered the most dangerous age group on the road. The Washington Post said that in the age group sixty- five and over have accounted for “sixteen percent of all traffic deaths and eight percent of the injured, but they accounted for thirteen percent of the population.” With statistics so high why is there no questions being asked about the ability the elderly have to drive. Research shows that the older one gets the worse their vision and hearing can get these are two key senses you need when driving. The loss of these two senses can be the difference between life and death on the road. Death rates for drivers begin to climb after age sixty-five, according to a recent study by Carnegie Mellon University. The elderly should have to prove to the Registry of Motor Vehicles that they are capable of driving by retesting, completing and passing a drivers education course, or putting an age limit on how old one can be until one they are considered no longer able to drive.…
Distractions affect drivers of all ages, and are one of the leading causes of accidents. I did not think that this was as serious as it sounded until I started driving myself. I noticed that when I talked to my mother while driving I sometimes got enthused, excited or agitated and often swerved or swayed into the next lane or onto the shoulder. I had to learn to talk but keep my focus on the road. Another distraction for me is eating while driving, I tend to follow my food with my eyes and drive with one hand. I can just imagine what I would do if I dropped something on my lap like hot chocolate.…
Safety is a huge concern with all ages across the life span but elderly are at a higher risk for safety issues. Falls, automobile accidents, and injures related to burns or fires are a big risk for the older adult. Prescribed medications can even alter their balance or affect…
Currently there is an extremely important issue that the public should understand more about due to its enormous impact on many citizens. This issue pertains to the safety concern surrounding the elderly while operating a motor vehicle past the age of 70 years old. This debate whether old people should be allowed to drive is often brought up by younger drivers, the reality is that all able bodied people who are physically and mentally healthy should be able to drive but as we grow older it is inevitable that our health will decrease. There are many different arguments on this subject and seems to be a widely spoken debate amongst road users regarding each of their opinions on the possible changes to be made addressing this concern. We can examine the argument by first generally summarizing each side of the argument and their position with supporting evidence of each sides common claims.…
People 65 years and older represent 13 percent of the population in America and 17 percent of all motor vehicle deaths. The age of senior citizen drivers is a serious national concern. I believe that everyone would agree that drivers need additional skills and knowledge to compensate for decreased abilities that are due to aging. The aging progression can potentially reduce a driver's capability to deal with traffic incidents both physically and mentally, and can also increase the seriousness of injuries that occur when in a motor vehicle…
Elderly drivers are not only endangering others but also themselves by driving. The fatality rate for older people is nine times higher than that of younger individuals (Older Drivers). This fact alone should prevent the elderly from driving. Their frail bodies wont withstand as much as a younger person’s would. In 1995 seniors accounted for overall 13% of all traffic fatalities. Also contributing to 18% of all pedestrian fatalities in that year. The elderly themselves were 5% of all traffic accident fatalities in that year as well. Either being the ones who caused the accident or the ones caught in the accident (Older Drivers). Facts show that a good number of accidents involving seniors were actually caused by them. In a study conducted by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) it was shown that around 30% of accidents caused by turning left and being struck by an oncoming car (Older Drivers). Older drivers are a danger to themselves and others at the wheel.…
Driving is a simple task that many of us do on a daily basis. Most people are safe drivers, while a few are incapable of driving safely. Safe and capable are how most senior citizens can be viewed; however, there are some drawbacks that can make a senior citizen dangerous behind the wheel. Some of the problems with the elderly today are that their reflexes react slower, or a physical health change can be a big problem. Research has shown everyone ages differently and growing old does not necessarily mean a person becomes a safety hazard on the road. Much depends on the person's physical and mental health as the years pass. Because people age differently there should be certain test given to the elderly after the age of 65. It is most often thought that teenager drivers are the worse on the road however it seems that the elderly are proofing much more dangerous in recent times, as part of the baby boom generation it’s going to be many more elderly on the road. My name is Jin and I would like to talk to you about should greater restrictions be placed on elderly drivers. How this issue is important is assume that there will be more elderly on the road, last and most importantly I would like to discuss how we can solve these potential issues, and how it might be able to save accidentally death. My point of view? Is definitely yes, elderly should have more restrictions. If harsher driving restrictions were put on the elderly, it would avoid accidents, therefore it will not bring the emergency response teams to as many crash sites, saving on…
White, M. (2006). Senior Driving. Retrieved November 07, 2010 from Non-profit organization, Helpguide.org: http://www.helpguide.org/ elder/ senior_citizen_driving.htm.…
One of the must common hazards of the roads is letting you get distracted by small things that you probably do nearly every time you sit behind the wheel of a car. In some cases, even more so with teenagers than any other group of people, other passengers in the car can distract you, you can get in a heated debate and begin to stop paying attention to the road and only to a passenger, fiddling with the radio is also another big one, I remember reading a story of a guy who reached in his backseat to change his tape and got in an accident and got killed because of it. Another big one is people see an accident and watch it instead of the road, sometimes almost causing them to become another accident. My mom once got in an accident by turning around for only just a second or so to see what my brother complaining about, the light was green when she looked back but quickly turned yellow, the car in front of her stopped and boomed, she hit it. It can only take a second or two of looking away to cause a dangerous situation that can be easily avoided. It can wait until the next red light or better yet when your…
I think a huge part of speeding by teenagers is the fact that many do…
One of the biggest perks of being a teenager is being able to drive. When a teenager begins to drive, they are happy and feel like they have more freedom. However, the dangers of teenage driving are higher than ever. According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, “Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15-20 year-olds” (“California”). Teenage drivers create many dangerous distractions when behind the wheel of a vehicle. These distractions usually occur in three different areas: visual, cognitive, and manual.…
There is support for some restrictions on elderly drivers based on evidence that older drivers are more involved in traffic accidents than any age group except for teenagers. According to the article, “Elderly Driver Restrictions,” “The push to add restrictions gained momentum following the November 1998 death of 15-year-old Brandi Mitock. While crossing an intersection, Mitock was struck and killed by a 96-year-old driver who claimed not to have seen her. The driver had not taken a road test since he first got his license in 1918.” With so much support already, and research backing up these claims, many states should consider greater restriction for elderly drivers when they renew their license.…
According to Esurances’ website (2013), “there are three main categories of distracted driving; cognitive, manual, and visual” (para. 1). Anything that prevents these three skills from occurring is a distraction. It does not matter whether the driver is young or old, they can still be an offender. Numerous people are common offenders of one of the three categories every time they get into the car and drive somewhere. According to the Department of Transportation (2012), “18% of injury crashes in 2010 were reported as distraction-affected crashes” (para. 2). One in five car accidents are caused because the drivers let themselves become distracted in one of the three ways.…
In Middletown, NY, there is an intersection, which Jessica passes by every other day when visiting a friend. This intersection seems to have a lot more accidents happening more than others. It is very sad to hear on the news that someone was killed due to an elderly driver not looking before turning or pulling out in front of someone else. This has happened to Jessica once when she and her friend was driving down this road. Thank goodness everyone in the accident didn’t suffer any injuries. Elderly drivers should be retested for numerous of reasons. One reason is when people get older their vision starts to deteriorate. Another reason as to why elderly drivers should get retested behind the wheel is because as they get older their respond time is not as swift as a younger person. The last reason is that the goal shouldn’t be to take away their freedom but help them drive more safely so they don’t accidently kill themselves or anyone else on the road.…