In case you were ever in doubt about my status as the Sandwich Generation Poster Child, please note that I’m in the middle of teaching a 15 year old how to drive, while keeping note of my 78 year old father’s and 84 year old mother-in-law’s driving statuses.
I’ve written here before about the issues involved when it’s time for a senior to stop driving, but I ran across some additional evidence supporting the need to be aware of seniors’ driving abilities.
Researchers at Kansas State looked at crash involvement per mile driven, and found that car accidents involving older drivers occur during the daytime and are more severe than those for younger populations:
The crash analysis showed that the severity of crashes for older drivers also is very high compared to the rest of the population. When looking at the categories of crash severity, older drivers have the highest incidents in fatal crashes, as well as incapacitating and non-incapacitating crashes. Older drivers also had a higher percentage of crashes occurring at intersections and accidents happening during daylight.
When senior drivers were surveyed for the study and asked questions regarding factors of driving that have become more difficult as they have gotten older, one of the things they reported was difficulty identifying the speed and distance of oncoming traffic such as when making a left turn.
The study offers that safety may be improved by such efforts as having more green arrows at intersections, and increasing the size and font of traffic signs.
Though I’d rather see time, money and energy put into changes that would increase the safety of all drivers, the study also mentions looking at the driver’s license renewal process and frequency as methods to improve safety.
If done correctly, I think that type of evaluation could take some of the pressure off the family when trying to decide if it’s time for a senior to put away the car keys. However, I fear that might lead to efforts to establish a maximum driving age, something I don’t support.
-Elizabeth Thielke
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Kaye Swain says,
Aiii Yiiii Yiiii! I was blessed to have my kids done learning before I stepped into that situation with my parents!
Excellent points and article, Elizabeth! Thank you so much for sharing it with the Boomers and Seniors: News You Can Use blog carnival at SandwichINK. It’s definitely important info for the Baby Boomers Generation caring for elderly parents!
on 20 July 2010 / 12:12 PM