Elderly drivers

[Melody]

Draka,

Can we get the driver's license age raised to 21 (from 16) as part of the same legislation? Since younger drivers account for a high percentage of accidents, this should reduce the outrageous insurance costs in the US, the surplus money could be used for public transportation so that the elderly could ride the bus or train to the Dr.

Sabio

I'd be against this. An 18 year old can sign a contract, move out on his own and is recognized as a legal adult. It's bad enough they're considered old enough to die for their country but not responsible enough to give the right to decide whether or not they want to drink. Now we're going to make it so they can't have a car to get a job?

Keep in mind that public transportation is minimal to nonexistent in the majority of the U.S. so there is no alternative to being able to drive.

 

[Melody]

Sadly, most states will not do anything until there's a high profile accident that dominates the local news.

You mean like the 73 year old lady who drove her car through the front window of a Wendy's fast food place and sent 20 people to the hospital with fairly serious injuries.....30 years ago? It hit the front page one day and two weeks later it was forgotten.

 

[kreeden]

Ok , the main problem that I personally have with all of this is that I do not like ANY law that has age , race , gender , religion , or anyother group tied to it . I figure that if a law is new for one person , then it is good for all people ....

And yes , I do realize that the real world isn't like that . But I can't help but to keep hoping ...

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

I think we need more accurate statistics here, to be able to say who are the more dangerous drivers.
Insurance companies certainly dont charge higher rates here for older drivers.and they watch statistics like hawks, if they get it wrong it costs them money.
It is like saying women are worse drivers than men, which again is not so acording to insurance companies.
It would be wrong to say that any one is a worse driver or more dangerous driver bevause he drives slower to be comfortable with their reaction time. This is true of older drivers and young disabled drivers.s well as heavy wide loads being driven slowly
They dont cause accidents by being slower. it is the impatient drivers behind that dont drive to the conditions and take chances that cause the accident.

Terry
____________________________________
Amen! Truly I say to you: Gather in my name. I am with you.

 

[Unedited]

Draka,

Can we get the driver's license age raised to 21 (from 16) as part of the same legislation? Since younger drivers account for a high percentage of accidents, this should reduce the outrageous insurance costs in the US, the surplus money could be used for public transportation so that the elderly could ride the bus or train to the Dr.

Sabio

I don't think this would work well. The reason why younger drivers account for high percentage of accidents, is because they are just learning to drive. I don't know the statistics, but let's say that the range is 16 - 21. Then, changing the age one has to be to get a liscense to 21 wouldn't get rid of the problem, it'd just change the range to 21 - 26.

 

[Unedited]

Elderly drivers drive many fewer miles and at lighter traffic hours in the day and days in the week, or else they would be the cause of more accidents.

Where is this coming from? I see elderly people driving at all times. The idea that they only drive at certain times seems rather stereotypical and outdated to me. None of the elderly people I know drive at times any differently than others. Are there numbers somewhere that say this?

It seems that at least a couple of times a month, we hear about an elderly driver who causes an accident that makes the local news. A few years ago, an 80 year old man ran down a bunch of people on a crowded sidewalk in LA, and the story made the national news.

The main reason these stories show up, is because they are elderly. There are rarely stories about car crashes caused by others, even though they happen more frequently. It's like how everytime a plane crashes, it's all over the news, but you a much more likely to die in a car crash. You are also much more likely to die from a young, drunk driver than the elderly.

 

[Unedited]

I think we need more accurate statistics here, to be able to say who are the more dangerous drivers.
Insurance companies certainly dont charge higher rates here for older drivers.and they watch statistics like hawks, if they get it wrong it costs them money.
It is like saying women are worse drivers than men, which again is not so acording to insurance companies.
It would be wrong to say that any one is a worse driver or more dangerous driver bevause he drives slower to be comfortable with their reaction time. This is true of older drivers and young disabled drivers.s well as heavy wide loads being driven slowly
They dont cause accidents by being slower. it is the impatient drivers behind that dont drive to the conditions and take chances that cause the accident.

I agree that we need some statistics. I tried looking for some, but all I could find was that elderly people were more likely to die in a car crash than any other group of people. This says little that elderly people are more likely to cause car accidents, and, in my opinion, points more to the impatient drivers.

 

[Draka]

Descriptive studies report an excess of motor vehicle accidents among persons with known concomitant medical conditions. For example, elderly persons with impaired vision or hearing, decreased flexibility and dexterity, or slowing of information processing capabilities have abnormally high accident rates.

from : http://www.ctfphc.org/Abstracts_printable/Ch44abs.htm

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3225/is_n7_v50/ai_15970966

http://ntl.bts.gov/DOCS/rd96-035/rd96-035.htm

http://www.luhs.org/depts/injprev/Transprt/tran3.htm

And most enlightening: http://www.news-medical.net/?id=2501

 

[Draka]

Does no one have anything to say to these links I provided? I know that information has been requested and I have tried to supply that. Sorry if it was not good enough or whatever though.

 

[michel]

Does no one have anything to say to these links I provided? I know that information has been requested and I have tried to supply that. Sorry if it was not good enough or whatever though.

The four links you gave had valid oint - the third, I found a bit wishy-washy; but the salient facts, I think, from each link are:-

There is good evidence to implement legislation mandating the use of seatbelts and child restraints in automobiles [A, II-1] and safety helmets when riding on motorcycles or all-terrain vehicles [B, II-2], and to implement "do not drink and drive" legislation [A, II-2].
There is fair evidence to include (in the PHE) physician counselling regarding the use of seatbelts and child restraints [B, II-3].
There is insufficient evidence to include or exclude physician counselling of patients regarding the use of safety helmets [C, III] and regarding drinking and driving [C, no studies].
There is insufficient evidence to include or exclude physician monitoring of patients for medical impairment

Risk of injury was 2.6 times higher in older patients with diabetes, especially those treated with insulin (odds ratio: 5.8) or oral hypoglycemic agents (odds ratio: 3.1), and those who had been diagnosed with diabetes more than five years previously (odds ratio: 3.9) or who had both diabetes and coronary heart disease (odds radio: 8.0). A history of falls, alcohol abuse and certain neurologic conditions, such as dementia or transient ischemic attacks, had odds ratios between 1.5 and 4.0, but the risk ratios were not statistically significant because of the small sample size.


States with in-person license renewal policies had a 17 percent lower fatality rate among drivers 85 years and older than states without, according to a study in the June 16 issue of the......... (sorry cut and badly pasted.)

The most salient was, I think, in the graph included on one link:-

One point I wish to know, Draka, is how you searched for this issue (I mean if you searched for stats on age-related accidents, just accidents.....)?