Again, it makes the headlines; an older driver causes a dangerous automobile crash. As the amount of elderly driving has increased in the past decade, the risk for others to be out on the road has increased. In 2012, there were 36 million licensed older drivers in the United States. (Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation (US)) As a 34% increase from 1999, it has been noted that seniors are driving past their ability by an average of 10 years. (Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation (US)). Elderly continue to drive despite the prominent physiological changes that worsen as they age. The amount of automobile collisions suggests that prevention must occur in order to make the roads safer. By examining older drivers’ medical complications, older drivers must be retested to be able to drive a vehicle. …show more content…
Although it is a controversial topic, many individuals believe that the driving skills of senior citizens have declined and need to be addressed. According to The Telegraph, “more than a quarter (respondents) admitted to feeling unsafe when driven by someone over the age of 65” (The Telegraph). This topic dominates many family discussions, news stories, and headlines due to the risk that these driving skills have on others on the road. The Secretary of State Office in Michigan “receives 400 driver re-examination requests every month for drivers suspected to be unsafe, and the largest number, behind law enforcement, comes from family members” (USA Today). Although it is a hard discussion to introduce, families have a responsibility to address their concerns with their loved ones. Acknowledged as a popular and controversial topic, addressing the problem will ultimately prevent accidents and save
The average individual initially acquires his license as a young adult after successfully passing the required driver’s license test. This leads to more individuals continuing to be licensed throughout their lifetimes, which leads to many elderly drivers still having their licenses based on test results from at least 50 years before. Research shows that in 2009, 33 million licensed drivers were over 65, a 20 percent increase since 1999. It is estimated that by the year 2030, 70 million Americans in the United States will be over the age of 65 with 85 to 90 percent being eligible to drive with the same license they obtained 50 years earlier. Regardless of their original test results, elderly individuals should be required to retake the driver’s license test for the safety and benefit of the surrounding drivers.
Statistics show 16- to 17-year-old driver death rates increase with each additional passenger, which is due to distracted driving. Taking your eyes off the road for 2 (two) seconds, at 60 mph, means you have driven blindly for half the length of a football field. The risk of fatality is 3.6 times higher, when they are driving with passengers than when alone. For many years, the correlation between driving behavior and age has interested highway safety researchers and administrators. It is general knowledge that the greatest risk of motor vehicle crash...
It’s normal that as we age, our driving abilities tend to change. Adjusting to life changes such as retirement, different schedules, and new activities also affect where and when they drive. Most older adults drive safely because they have a lot of experience behind the wheel. They are often hurt more seriously than younger drivers when they are involved in crashes (Older Drivers , 2012). There are many factors that affect older adults when driving such as arthritis, memory loss, and spine problems, which make drivers lose height and become shorter behind the wheel, diminishing visual range (Older Drivers , 2012). Driving skills can be affected by age-related declines in vision, hearing, cognitive functioning, ability to reason and remember, and other abilities, as well as certain health conditions and medications. It’s important to note , adults tend to take more medications as they age, and even if they’re not developing dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, the medications can cause cognitive changes and confusion, which in turn can affect they’re driving abilities (Older Drivers , 2012).
Driving is something people do everyday. Although many people do it well, some do not, that being said the legal age to drive should be raised to twenty one years of age. The driving age should be raised because teens at the ages of fourteen through twenty should not be behind the wheel for the simple fact that they are just too young and too inexperienced to drive, also someone of that age can get more distracted than a person who is twenty-one or older and has had some time to mature and become responsible enough to operate a motor vehicle. “In the United States, 16–19-year-olds have the highest incidence of motor vehicle deaths among licensed drivers and motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 15–20-year-olds.” (Haggerty
I. Introduction A. Should 16 year old teenagers be able to drive? B. “Those who favor raising the driving age say that statistics show teenagers are more likely to get into accidents than adults. What they don't say is that statistics also show that men of all ages are 77 percent more likely to kill someone while driving than women.
Statistically, senior citizen drivers are the biggest danger to themselves. Taking a first look at it, they are the safer driving group. That being directly related to the fact that they wear their seatbelts, they don’t go over the speed limits, and they don’t make some crazy fast moves, usually, that could force other drivers into other directions. Meaning, with senior citizens on the road, it’s easier to detect what they are going to do (CDC
The biggest problem with drunk driving by young adults is the high rate of traffic accidents. Although young drivers ages 16 through 25 makeup only 15% of U.S. licensed drivers, they constitute 30 percent of all alcohol-related driving fatalities. This is double the amount of licensed drivers in that age group. Inexperience with both drinking and driving may contribute to this disproportionate rate. Nationwide in 1996, people ages 15 to 24 died in fatal motor vehicle crashes and 45 percent of those deaths were a result of alcohol (NHTSA 4). So it comes to no surprise that traffic crashes are the leading cause of death in the United States for people younger than 25 (NCHS 98).
It is a well known fact that when you get older, you are more likely to experience certain health problems. With age comes many different diseases and illnesses that range from Alzheimer’s to Parkinson’s. So why do people not bat an eye when they see elderly people behind the wheel? Has society come to terms with the fact that if you can pass your drivers license test at any age, you can continue to drive efficiently and safely the rest of your life? While there still are many elderly people who can drive effectively at their old age, the risk of allowing all senior citizens to drive is far too great. In order to ensure the safety of everyone on the streets, anyone over the age of 65 should be required to take a drivers license test based on their mental and physical capabilities.
Teens only make up seventeen percent of the population today, but almost twenty percent of fatal crashes are due to teenagers behind the wheel. Growing numbers suggest changing the driving age to eighteen and some even believe that changing it to twenty-one may save even more lives. With a sixteen year old behind the wheel, accidents are even more likely to occur when compared to a seventeen year old (Boulard). With so much new technology in today’s society there are more distractions on the road than ever before; therefore the legal driving age should be raised to save more lives. If we do not act quickly, then more lives will be lost.
Richard Petty once said “You’ll got home safe, so drive safe, and stay safe.” Being a racing legend, he is an advocate for safe driving to minimise the cases of road crushes that have been on the rise. He double up as the chairman of the Veterans’ Safe Driving Initiative, the initiative is aimed at guiding the veterans returning from deployment on safe driving tips. It is necessarily important since the infrastructure has changed over time. Another initiative is being run in Minnesota where the teens are guided on the important safe driving tips. Study shows that more crushes are likely to occur in teen driving than veteran driving. It is also evident that young drivers are more likely to cause a crush within six months of passing the driving test and young male are worse than the females in the field.
[6] Teenagers always want privileges. [3] Unfortunately, they do not always count the costs or responsibilities that come with these admirable and honored privileges. [5] As they grow up, teens desire to drive at the earliest possible time – when their friends begin to do so. [2] Despite the driving age laws put in place for their safety, many individuals would boldly argue that the driving age should either be raised or lowered. [4] Seeking more freedom, teens support and lobby for the lowering of the driving age.
ving. The dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex in the brain is not developed by age 16 in most teenagers. Just like physical growth, brain development could be slower or quicker for different people. In most 16 year olds though, this part of the brain is undeveloped. The dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that controls impulses and decision-making. This can explain part of the reason for reckless driving in teenagers, but hormone growth adds to this as well. Hormones tell teenagers to take more risks; and since the part of their brain that controls this is not fully developed, they take the risk (Davis). This can be a huge problem when driving. If a 16 year old sees a red light, hormones may tell them to run it. Because the
In the 21st century, our nation is facing a major issue, causing teenagers to lose their lives at the hand of the wheel due to inexperienced driving. “Teen drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to be involved in an automobile crash,” and statistics show. Automobile accidents are the number one cause of teen deaths. Driving regulations are in high need to be changed in order for teenagers to gain more experience with driving before taking the driving test, which could help save countless adolescence’s lives.
Today in the world you see how driving becomes an everyday thing, everybody uses a car to get to the destination they need whether it’s their job or just to go out. Many out there have their driver’s license, while others are just starting to learn how to drive to obtain their driver’s license. Everybody has always had an issue with what the right age should be to allow people to obtain their driver’s license and drive. While some people don’t argue with the age that teenagers should be allowed to drive, others don’t agree on letting teenagers get their driver’s license at such young age. People had always had various good reasons on why the driving age should be adjusted or why it should be left as it is. In my opinion and what I think is
“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional deaths for teens (16-17),” reported The New York State Department of Health. The most exciting thing about being sixteen in the United States is driving. Teenagers can not wait to be sixteen to drive, however, they do not understand the dangers that come with driving at such a young age. Sixteen is the age between child life and adulthood. It is a time when they are not stable and undergoing change, which makes them unsuitable to drive. Many teenagers would say that they need to get to places. In response to that claim, there are public transportation systems and bikes as available alternatives for young drivers. The financial stability and matureness of eighteen year olds proves