Restricting Elderly Drivers

Driving has become a necessity of life that needs to be made as safe as possible, to secure
the livelihood of individuals on the road. With the amount of elderly drivers over 65 projected to
double by 2030, a change needs to be made, to keep people safe.

The percent of accidents caused by elderly drivers is quite alarming. According to an

article posted on smartmotorist.com (Older Drivers, Elderly Driving, Seniors at the Wheel), in
the late 90s, elderly
drivers were
involved in 5% of
traffic accidents
with injuries, 13%
of traffic fatalities,
13% of vehicle
occupant fatalities,
and 18% of
pedestrian fatalities.
With the amount of
elderly drivers
accounting for
approximately 20%
in comparison to
the rest, those
numbers are very
scary.

The trend for elderly drivers is to slowly decrease their driving

habits. For example, many will eliminate driving at night, choose their
routes better, and only drive in certain conditions, at certain times of the
day. While the idea that the elderly drivers can in ways regulate
themselves, thats still not enough to reassure people that the elderly
should be able to drive until they decide otherwise. Problems that occur
when elderly drivers are in accidents have been linked to problems
coordinating the brake pedal from the gas pedal, or the fact that vision
gets impaired the older you get, and the deterioration of the brain that can
cause slow reaction speed, and poor decision making abilities.

Arguments have been made that restrictions need to be in place, for drivers past a certain
age. While not all elderly drivers are bad, the risks still
seem high, with not changing the current setup, in a way
that can weed out the individuals that are just not healthy
enough, physically, and mentally, to drive. Driving has
become a necessity of life that needs to be made as safe as
possible, to secure the livelihood of individuals on the road.

More often than not, the actions that

prove someone to be a bad and
dangerous driver, are performed by
elderly individuals, that are past a
healthy ability to drive. With elderly
people arguing that theyve been
driving longer, its easy to rebuttal
that traffic has gotten busier, and the
automobiles today are a lot more
powerful than the buggies that use to be
driven.
With the risks of elderly drivers on the road, without any double checks on whether
theyre capable of operating a motor vehicle,
something needs to be done. The statistics are scary to
swallow, and the idea that its going to get worse is very
frightening.

Citations
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Concerned Elderly Driver. N.d. Google Images, n.p.
Drive Thru Cat Scan. N.d. Flickr, n.p.
Elderly Car Accident Statistics. 2014. Google Images, n.p.
Helping Parents Age Well. 2011. Google Images, n.p.
Gresset, Jacques. "Risk of Automobile Accidents Among Elderly Drivers with
Impairments or Chronic Diseases." Canadian Journal of Public Health / Revue
Canadienne De Sante'e Publique 85.4 (1994): 282-85. JSTOR. Web. 04 Mar.
2015.
"Older Drivers, Elderly Driving, Seniors at the Wheel." Older Drivers, Elderly Driving,
Seniors at the Wheel. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.smartmotorist.com/traffic-and-safety-guideline/older-driverselderly-driving-seniors-at-the-wheel.html>.
Shishkin14, Philip. "Crashes Fuel Debate on Rules For Older Drivers." WSJ. N.p., 14
July 2009. Web. 04 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203577304574276442336
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