Blazier 1

Retesting Elderly Drivers

http://www.prescouter.com/2012/05/smart-cars-for-elderly-drivers/

When is the last time youve seen an elderly driver drive well below the speed limit, or make fundamental driving errors? Like most, its every day or so. This problem should be looked into more, and thats why I believe that Tennessee should require a retesting of drivers once reaching age 65 and every five to 8 years after, respectively. State Senator Joey Hensley has reviewed the debate of this law in April 2013 after speaking with his aging father-in-law who began having issues and other concerns. He pushed a bill for any worried family member and doctor to send in a written documentation to Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) about an elder driver, and then TDOT will send a notice to the driver requiring a retesting (Cynthia Williams). In Illinois, at age 75, drivers must take an eye exam and road test before receiving their renewed license (Associated Press). In Massachusetts, it provided positive outcomes and a decrease by 17 percent to roadway accidents and fatalities for drivers over age 80 (Senator Moore). If it works for some states, why wouldnt Tennessee make this an enforced law by the government?

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Statistically, the elder drivers from 65 and up represent a high percent of the daily licensed drivers over any other age group. In the next 30 years, the expected amount of daily drivers over the age of 65 will increase twice and 1 in 5 Americans will be over the age of 65 (National Institute of Aging). If they account for even a smaller double-digit percent of highway accidents, it only seems fair to retest them on their skills. They need to prove to surrounding drivers, that theyre up to date on knowledge and skills of the roads. Its a well-known fact that when aging, some of your basic skills tend to decay, which is normal and according to the website, Seniors Love to Know, aging affects are more prone to car crashes, (Marcelina Hardy). Vision, hearing, and thought processing all play a huge liability in driving. Not only would this law benefit the elder driver, but also it decreases chances of fatalities and accidents. The graph below represents fatal crashes per 100 million miles driven in small age groups nationally. As you can see below, ages 16-34 account for roughly 14 fatal crashes total, while ages 65-85 make-up for over 20 fatal crashes. There is always a higher liability of crashes per 16-19 age group, do to their first year driving capabilities and inexperience of the roadways. However I do believe that a driver in the 16-34 ranges should be retested if two wrecks a year happen. Insurance companies should require a retesting to the high-risk groups to ensure theyre properly driving. Since the state requires that any person under 18 wanting to pursue a drivers license must obtain a learners permit for at least six months before being allowed to test for a restricted license. A new process similar to a learners permit or a restricted license could be a beginning step to ease into for a new law.
Press Herald News

In the same article where the chart was posted, the writer, David Hench gives some local accidents and situations that were caused by the elder: An 88-year-old man drives the wrong way on I-295 for two miles, (Hench). Hench also states that there was a 70-year-old man who crashed his car into the main entrance of a market. I for one have seen this happen before in person a few years ago. Accidents that happen like this couldve injured or killed a huge amount of innocent people, all because of a: accidentally pressing the accelerator instead of brake pedal, or putting the car in drive when trying to put the car in reverse. Its a huge issue that Tennessee isnt paying enough attention to.

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Comparing the high-risk age groups (16-24) to the seniors (65+), teenage fatalities and wrecks occur mainly from distractions and speeding, and at least 10% of teens are not wearing a seatbelt during their wrecks (Auto.com). California established a new law a few years ago requiring any driver turning 70 years old to renew their license in person rather than over online like Tennessee. The driver must take a vision test, and pass in order to keep a valid license, or completely retest if failure (DMV, staff of CSM). From 2011 to 2012, California saw a decrease in highway fatalities in all age groups with ages 65+ had 3.1 million drivers (Trip.net). The transition of this law would be ideal for Tennessee to look into initially, and could be more acceptable to the elder. Although there is a vast amount of positive outcomes for the younger to middle age drivers, there are some negatives to the older. If an elderly driver fails the retesting, they would lose their license or have it suspended, and in some cases their personal independence. With that being said, not every older driver would necessarily lose their license, they would just need to prove themselves before being able to obtain it, and in most cases, losing their license would prevent them from driving to the store, going to the doctor, etc. However, Tennessee (depending on the county) does offer a transit service dedicated only for the senior citizens. The transits are on-call, and offer rates at reasonable fees per ride. The transit service will save the elderly driver much more money a month, provide a safer experience, and will get them wherever is needed. I understand that the elderly drivers would love to keep their privileges unconditionally, and may feel that this law is discriminatory, but it will be beneficial to all. Having a license to drive is a privilege that can be taken away for any age.

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Jacob Blazier is a Sophomore majoring in Marketing. He can be reached at jacobblazier@gmail.com.

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http://www.prescouter.com/2012/05/smart-cars-for-elderly-drivers/ http://rediscovernashville.com/nashville-tennessee-newspapers/ http://www.iihs.org/media/931204d3-a368-4b9e-96ac74fd516e1606/1112677020/QAs/Older%20people/graph_Q5.png

http://www.pressherald.com/news/week-of-crashes-draws-attention-to-aged-drivers_2012-07-08.html?pageType=mobile&id=1 http://www.wsmv.com/story/21724244/state-could-order-retests-for-elderly-driversunder-new-bill http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2012/09/19/213818.htm http://www.senatormoore.com/issues/indepth/seniors/resources/Elderly%20Drivers %20Research.pdf http://www.nia.nih.gov/newsroom/2006/03/dramatic-changes-us-aging-highlighted-newcensus-nih-report http://seniors.lovetoknow.com/Elderly_Driving_Statistics http://www.autos.com/driving-and-safety/car-crash-statistics-based-on-age-and-location http://www.tripnet.org/docs/Older_Drivers_TRIP_Report_Feb_2012.pdf