Driving Safety

A few years ago 86-year-old George Weller drove through a crowd in Santa Monica killing ten people and injuring dozens more. It started a national debate on older drivers. This is an update of material I used in a presentation at the LA County Law Enforcement -Mental Health conference given in 2005. The information came from the AAA and AARP websites.One worrisome fact from the Institute on Highway Safety is that driver’s ages 65 and older have higher crash death rates per mile driven than all but teen drivers. But then a study of crashes involving older drivers in Wisconsin found that drivers ages 65 to 74 did not pose a greater risk of serious injury or death for others than did younger drivers. The danger from older drivers is only to the driver- not to others on the road. Frailty would seem to put an older person at greater risk in an accident than someone younger and heartier.Although older adults represent 14 percent of all licensed drivers, they are involved in only 8 percent of police-reported crashes and 11 percent of fatal crashes. This can be compared to drivers age 16 to 24, who are involved in 26 percent of police-reported crashes and 26 percent of fatal crashes, but represent only 14 percent of licensed drivers. So older drivers are kind of under represented in the more dangerous outcomes.Research shows that individuals who must stop driving experience "lower life satisfaction, poorer adjustment, loneliness, and lower activity levels...." so in looking at the issue of protecting the older driver- stopping him does more harm than good to the driver, and he isn’t that dangerous to the public.In California- At age 70, mail renewal is prohibited. This is one of the few age discrimination laws that we allow to stand. Formerly only a doctor could report to the DMV and his report would almost automatically cause the driver to lose his privileges. Now anyone can send in a form that will trigger the DMV to consider examining the driver for ability to drive. It isn’t automatic. It’s a mark of independence in Southern California to have a car, and drive it yourself. It may not be the highest good our culture promotes. In many other areas most adults use public transportation most of the time. It’s good for traffic, good for the environment and getting relatively cheaper as gas prices skyrocket. Dial-a-ride, Goldline, ride a bike! If you stop driving- buck the trend get out, get busy, have fun. If you are a younger adult, find out who the older folks are in your neighborhood and take them to events, ballgames, plays, and ceremonies. The oldest of the old should be included in every event in your community because that is the most basic gesture of respect we can give them