Imagine this, a person is driving down a snowy road. Suddenly a driver pulls into his or
her lane and they have to immediately put on their brakes and go into another lane just so that
they don’t get hit by the elderly driver. Then as that person is going around the driver so that they
can get away from him they find out that its an elderly person who apparently didn’t have the
time to clean off his windows. Old people cause many accidents and problems on the road which
would be reduced with more rules and regulations for elderly drivers.
There are many factors that affect the elderly and their driving. Robert Davis and
Anthony DeBarros have found out that as people get older “Reflexes, flexibility, visual accuracy,
memory and the ability to focus all decline with age.” They also say that “Medicine that treat
various ailments also make it more difficult to focus and make snap decisions” Making it harder
for elderly people to drive (Davis, DeBarros). TAC an online resource states that some other
things that get affected by age is peoples eyes for an example people cant focus, have visual
problems, difficult to see colors, hard to detect distances, and it is also hard to see in the dark.
Other problems could also be the heart or hearing issues (Older Drivers, TAC). Older drivers
could also have other problems that affect driving like their reaction time and how medicines
can cause shaking, dizziness and can cause a driver to become drowsy. These issues are very
serious when it comes to driving, drivers would not want to be in front of a person who is has a
problem that makes it hard for them to stop the car.
In some ways you could also be hurting the elderly. Think about this by taking away
driving for elderly people its like taking away their freedom. They cant go any where; they cant
go out and do things or get things they need and its also the though because if people take away
the elderlys’ driving then it is like taking away their privileges and they (the elderly) feel as
though they are forgotten (Lipman 64).
In some states there are laws to better protect the other drivers from the elderly. For
instance in California
been in at least 2 car crashes in one year. Another case where the state has help with this problem
would be in Pennsylvania
show that they are safe to drive (Car Insurance Rates).
It’s not every day you hear about the elderly crashing into people or things but here are
some occasions where they have …
-Reese Whitherspoon was hit by a 84 year old woman.
-At the age of 86 George Russell Weller hurt abut 70 and killed 10 when he drove his car into a
farmers market in Santa Monica CA
In time in some way or another either now or later every driver will at some point in time
be effected by an elderly driver. Or maybe by the time you start driving if haven’t started yet
there will be stricter rules for them driving.
Works Cited
Davis, Robert. DeBarros, Anthony. “Older Dangerous Drivers a Growing Problem.” USA
5/2/07. USA
“Elderly Driver Licensing Laws.” Car Insurance Rates. 2012. 2/13/12
“Elderly Driving, Seniors at the Wheel.” Motorist News+ Driving Guideline. Smart
Motorist. 2/13/12
Lipman, Larry. How Should Society Address the Needs of the Elderly? 27500 Drake Rd
“Older Drivers.” TAC Saftey.
www.tacsaftey.com.au/isp/content/NavigationController.do?areaID=2#top
