The Drive: Senior drivers get a bad rap
Originally Published in Star Tribune Local: "The Drive: Senior Drivers Get A Bad Rap", December, 7, 2014
Senior drivers, defined as those 65 and older, often get a bad rap. In fact, they may be some of the most safety-conscious motorists on the roads.
Seniors driving may conjure up images of white-haired old fogies crawling along in the left lane at a tortoise’s pace.
Or it may bring to mind such high-profile horrors as the one in July 2003 when an 86-year-old man accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake and plowed into people at a farmers market in Santa Monica, Calif.
The incident, which left 10 people dead and more than 60 injured, sparked a national debate over whether elderly drivers pose a safety threat.
Senior drivers, defined as those 65 and older, often get a bad rap. In fact, they may be some of the most safety-conscious motorists on the roads.
According to the Older American Drivers and Traffic Safety Culture report out last week from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, they overwhelmingly support laws that would require them to renew their licenses in person, meaning passing the requisite vision test. More than 70 percent of seniors support requiring drivers 75 and older to pass a medical screening to maintain licensure.
Senior drivers are in favor of tougher DWI laws and cameras to catch speeders and motorists who run red lights. They disapprove of and are unlikely to engage in aggressive driving, or texting and talking on the phone while behind the wheel, the behaviors of other drivers that they say are the most threatening to their safety.
“Even though public perception tends to unfairly characterize seniors as a menace on the road, these findings indicate that older Americans tend to support policies to keep them safer behind the wheel,” said Peter Kissinger, president and CEO of the AAA Foundation of Traffic Safety.
One in six drivers is 65 or older
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 35 percent of traffic violations for drivers age 55 and older are for a failure to yield the proper right of way. One in four traffic violations involves making an improper left turn; 15 percent involved an improper lane change; and 10 percent were the result of ignoring a stop sign or traffic light. The remaining 15 percent involved miscellaneous violations. Seniors accounted for only 7 percent of fatalities in alcohol-related crashes, the agency said.
More than 10,000 people turn 65 every day in the United States, according to a report from the U.S. Census Bureau. With the first baby boomers hitting that magical age three years ago, the nation’s 65-and-older population is projected to reach 83.7 million by 2050. That’s double the 43.1 million in 2012, the Census Bureau said.
With one in six drivers on the roads 65 or older, we need discussions about how to keep senior drivers — and the rest of us — safe. Some have started. The American Occupational Therapy Association declared last week Older Driver Safety Awareness Week to address physical and cognitive challenges senior drivers have, and ways to keep them behind the wheel.
In October, law enforcement, traffic planners, health and licensing representatives attended a senior driving summit put on by AAA Minnesota-Iowa and Mobility for Minnesota’s Aging Population.
Older drivers, at times, may be indecisive and hobbled by declining reflexes and vision, but “senior drivers are not causing all the problems,” State Trooper Joseph Dellwo said during the summit. “There are unsafe drivers at all ages.”
