Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Elderly drivers and the risks they take pdf essay
Elderly drivers and the risks they take pdf essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Elderly drivers and the risks they take pdf essay
Do you think people over the age of 75 should be driving! With them on the road it can be a dangerous driving hazard to all drivers especially new drivers. So every year or two years we should have the man or woman retake the basic driving test and take a hearing and vision test just to see if their scenes are up to date. Just to make sure that everyone on the road driving is safe and the elderly driver themselves.Drivers over the age of 75 should retake the driver's test once every two years because more than teenagers they are involved in more fatal accidents they could not be able to turn probably because of their muscles of the road and they might need vision testing.
With getting older come some drawbacks such like loss of vision. Which will make it even harder to see road signs. And glare from cars can be a serious problem, and also the time of day the sun might be blinding to one’s eyes. They could have diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and cataracts that can cause vision problems. And if they can’t see in the dark don't drive at dark and when the sun set’s because the sun can be right in their line of vision which could cause them to lose sight of the road. And if they need glasses or contact lenses to see they should make they are up to date glasses or contacts.
…show more content…
And in some cases they can have Arthritis which is common among the elderly, which could impact their ability to drive Arthritis is joint inflammation that causes joint stiffness and pain. These conditions can make it hard for the driver make turn use the brake pedal, and look behind themselves. If they can’t do any of these things they should get a car with or should be driving a car with automatic transmission, bigger windows, power steering, power brakes. And so they will be able to turn the wheel and push the gas pedal the should do some exercising to give them more
It is dangerous because the elderly drive reckless and when they drive reckless they crash. For example according to the article “Older Adult Drivers” in 2010, there were about 5,149,000 crashes accounted for. If the elderly stopped driving that number would go down by a lot. Another example explaining why the elderly should retake their test is because of the deaths. For Instance According to the article “Older adult drivers” there is an average of 15 older adult deaths by car crash a day. Another example from the article “older adult drivers” is in 2012 more than 5,560 elderly people died in a car crash. My last example for why car crashes are dangerous is the injuries. The elderly are injuring themselves by driving. For example according to the Article “Older Adult Drivers” There are more than 214,000 deaths among the elderly because of their driving, And that's not including the injuries the elderly because among other people when they hit them. In addition there are about 586 injuries among the elderly due to car crashes. So there for elderly drivers are too dangerous. On the side of the elderly, they have the most experience driving so they might crash
Accidents and fatalities are an immense concern for the population of elderly drivers in America. Statistics show that, at age 65, driving becomes much more difficult for people (Davis & DeBarros). Licensed drivers over the age of 85 have a fatality rate four times more than that of teenagers and five and a half times more than middle-aged drivers (Davis & DeBarros). Davis and DeBarros report that, “Elderly drivers are less likely to be involved in crashes involving high speeds or alcohol but are more likely to crash at intersections where they miss a stop sign or turn left into oncoming traffic” (Davis & DeBarros).
The car accidents you see on the roads are most likely caused by an elderly person as they are unaware of their surroundings and what is actually happening on the road. Elderly drivers are not aware of the dangers they put themselves and others into every time they drive. Most elderly take medications that are known to impair driving. Most elderly have trouble turning and have a hard time seeing things correctly, therefore this causes ultimate risks to them and their surroundings. If you have an elderly loved one that is above the age of 80, don’t wait until it’s too late to save your parents and other’s
One of the reasons why the elders get in accidents because as they age, their vision starts to slowly fade away. Before seniors even realize that they are struggling more, they are crashing into other cars or places. In addition, “An older person may test well in the eye doctor's office but could still struggle to focus on the road at night” (Source G). This source explains that even though elderlies might pass their eye test, they could struggle with seeing the lights on the roads as well as other vehicles because an eye test only tests if one can read, not if they can see bright lights. Although, some individuals may say that despite the fact that most elderlies cannot see, some actually care about their health and can see fairly well. The aging adults, who take care of themselves properly, ultimately will have very exceptional eyesight. “The earlier these problems are detected and treated, the more likely you can retain good vision” (Source H). This source clarifies that the sooner seniors fix their eye issues, the better chance they will have to see as they age. However, not all old citizens fix their vision problems or notice anything wrong with their eyes, so as they grow older, their eyesight gets more
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).
...ows older their eyesight does diminish, and other drivers would also have the opportunity to know if they needed any glasses or contacts. Once an individual receives a license, they are certified to drive for life until they get caught drinking and driving.
To put it plainly, death is inevitable. However, fatalities among car crashes is among the most preventable situations we encounter today. Contrary to what many believe, texting and driving is not the only hazard among the road. Believe it or not, the elderly have posed as a serious threat among fellow drivers. To keep dangerously incapable folks off the road, the Texas Department of Public Safety, should lower the age from 79 to 65 to require people to personally visit the facility for a vision test and also mandate a driving test triennially under all circumstances for people over the age of 65. By doing so, there would be a decrease in automobile casualties, and decrease of dangerous drivers on the roads. ¬
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
Teenagers have the highest average of annual traffic violations than any other age group in the U.S. (Teen Drivers:Get The Facts). This may be one reason why over 100 countries, including most of Europe, have a minimum driving age set at 18. Although the debate over raising the driving age to 18, in the U.S, has been an ongoing argument for many years, researchers have found that raising the driving age would drastically impact the U.S in a positive way. (McBride). Parents say that this would be a benefit because teens would be held responsible for their own actions, since they would be an adult, and parent involvement would no longer be necessary. They also say they want to keep their teen’s safe but not sure if raising the age by 2 years would actually help. Scientist has concluded that even though it is only by 2 years the brain is more developed and teens are more mature.(Crowe). Meaning they would be more focused on the road instead of other distractions. Raising the driving age to 18 would be the best decision for the U.S.
That is a great idea.However, we are talking about the aging community it would pertain to people that are 75 or older. I had a family member of a patient who could not remember her left from her right could barely remember her husband’s name and talking to her she seemed very senile, and she was the driver. I think that the sign would be more for their protection than anything. When 16-year-old starts driving we use decals to inform others that they are new to the road. Why not when there is an elderly person driving they are already doing 20 mph to 30 mph already and when passing the driver you look over what do most drivers yell.
At the age of 18 teenagers will already be traveling to colleges and moving to dorms and they will have other things on their mind than their very important driving
In most cases old age is a time of “review, retirement, and adjustment to new social roles involving decreasing strength and health (Berk, L. (2007) PAGE??.” However in some rare cases elderly people are still in great condition. In a situation such as this, I believe it would be acceptable for an elderly person to be able to drive. This is why the agility test should be given, to separate those who are still in good health and have the ability to drive from those who have bad health and are unable to drive.
To begin, anyone can be a distracted driver, regardless of age. Additionally, there are many things that take driver’s attention off the road, including:
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.
Loss of motor skills is common among people when they get older, which increases dramatically after age 65. Motor skills are functions that involve the precise movement of muscles in order to perform a certain task. In a psychology study where 24 young adults were tested against 24 senior citizens, the evidence suggested that in addition to general slowing, the elderly have troubles with motor skills because they execute movement sequences as a series of individual movements and not as a combined pattern. When people execute individual movements, it makes it harder to multi-task which is a necessity while driving on the road. Having to control brakes, gas, steering, lane changes, turning, head checks, and many other assortment of tasks while driving, takes a toll on elderly people with diminishing motor skills. Another major contributing factor to deterioration of motor skills is change in cognitive function. One basic cognitive function that is severely...