Yesterday as I was driving along the highway, there was a car in front of me going about 45 miles per hour. The car started to swerve in his lane and almost side swiped a car in the other lane. No the driver is not drunk or talking in the cell phone, but the driver is old, too old to be driving.
Drivers that are 65 years old and older are accident prone. On July 16 2003 an 87 year old man mistakenly hit the gas pedal instead of the breaks. The car exceeded 60 miles per hour and plowed through a crowded farmers market. The 2 ton car drove two in a half blocks, killing 10 people and injuring over 70 people.
This incident is noting new. Drivers who are 75 to 84 years old 3 drivers are killed for every 100 million miles driven, which is equal to the death rate of teen drivers. Drivers that are 85 years old and older are nearly 4 times more likely to get into a car accident than teens are(National Center of Statistics and Analysis).
As you age your body starts to fail. When your body fails, so does your ability to drive. It takes a longer period of time for an elder to react to danger. Their ability to see signs, people crossing the street, and seeing at night becomes more difficult. Some elders are starting to become confuse or showing early signs of Alzheimer’s . Also their ability to hear sirens or other things starts to go.
But not all old drivers fit the description. There are some elders who are still capable of driving. It will be unfair to take away their license simply because of their age. To find out who is capable of driving and who are not capable of driving, there should be a yearly drivers test. The drivers test can distinguish who is fit to drive and who are not. Also there should be an annual medical test. They should be tested on their ability to hear, see, and their state of mind. This plan will help save lives and will take people who are not capable of driving from being behind the wheel.
Drivers that are 65 years old and older are accident prone. On July 16 2003 an 87 year old man mistakenly hit the gas pedal instead of the breaks. The car exceeded 60 miles per hour and plowed through a crowded farmers market. The 2 ton car drove two in a half blocks, killing 10 people and injuring over 70 people.
This incident is noting new. Drivers who are 75 to 84 years old 3 drivers are killed for every 100 million miles driven, which is equal to the death rate of teen drivers. Drivers that are 85 years old and older are nearly 4 times more likely to get into a car accident than teens are(National Center of Statistics and Analysis).
As you age your body starts to fail. When your body fails, so does your ability to drive. It takes a longer period of time for an elder to react to danger. Their ability to see signs, people crossing the street, and seeing at night becomes more difficult. Some elders are starting to become confuse or showing early signs of Alzheimer’s . Also their ability to hear sirens or other things starts to go.
But not all old drivers fit the description. There are some elders who are still capable of driving. It will be unfair to take away their license simply because of their age. To find out who is capable of driving and who are not capable of driving, there should be a yearly drivers test. The drivers test can distinguish who is fit to drive and who are not. Also there should be an annual medical test. They should be tested on their ability to hear, see, and their state of mind. This plan will help save lives and will take people who are not capable of driving from being behind the wheel.
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