The main points identified by the article are that older drivers make more mistakes as they age, as they cannot maintain the same reflexes they had in their youth. Not having quick reflexes is a significant handicap in driving where a split second decision can determine the outcome of an incident. Older drivers are affected by the loss of vision and as such misjudge distances.
Loss of clear vision manifests when they drive at night and lights dazzle them. To ensure drivers’ efficiency, they need to be subjected to regular tests to assess their alertness and the tests should increase in frequency as they age. Current laws allow for seniors’ driver retest after every five years but, there is a strong opinion that the period needs to be reduced.
My reflection on that based on the story and past experiences is that driving is an involving activity that demands total attention as any lapse of concentration can be detrimental. As human beings age, their cognition, sight, and ability to analyze situations decline. The driving skills change since muscles and vision degenerate that in turn herald the dawn of slower reaction reflexes (Prebble 128).
Elderly drivers are at times the better drivers as they have enough experience and are more unlikely involved in accidents but when they do, they come out the worse for it. After falls, motor related accidents are the cause of most fatalities in persons aged over sixty-five years old (Powell 63). The demographics show that as the years pass, the problem will continue growing higher as one in every five drivers will be above the retirement age. Such a scenario is a stark contrast to one in every eleven drivers past the age of 65 in American roads.
Previous studies on elderly drivers have shown that there is an enormous portion of the group that succumbs to memory losses (dementia) more making them error-prone and highly susceptible to accidents. Having dementia incapacitates drivers resulting in very many narrow escapes as their rates of processing what they see lags.
A study by Alexander Pollatsek revealed one interesting bit about elderly drivers; they scanned the horizons as keenly as young drivers did, but they rarely shifted their gaze from straight ahead (Cervelli 198). The straight gaze ahead would probably explain why the bulk of their mistakes occurred at intersections where the traffic comes from different directions.
Wholesome condemnation based on age would be a wrong approach. Teenagers are as prone to accidents as the elderly are yet there has not been any concerted effort to raise the age of driving (Finley 4). Very many excellent drivers are over the retirement period. Their experiences come in handy when making their judgment call (Gerdes 47-49).
What is needed is a closer medical scrutiny to establish those whose health is failing and need to delegate driving roles and those who can still soldier on. Aging drivers have difficulty driving at night, merging into traffic, are impaired when changing lanes and are affected to a significant degree by prescription drugs (Boehme 153). They should be allowed to drive themselves for as long as there is an accompanying caregiver who can notice when their driving becomes an issue and alert the authorities for possible license revocation.
Senior drivers who can visibly attest to the fact that their driving skills have deteriorated can redeem themselves by ensuring that they do not get tired at the wheel. Additionally they should not drive in bad weather and should avoid complex interchanges that would involve alertness from all directions. By doing so, they can continue to have the privilege of being their independent drivers.
Works Cited
Boehme, Michael L. Roads, and Drivers. Hauppauge: Nova Science Publishers, 2010. Print.
Cervelli, Ezio C. Older Drivers: The Age Factor in Traffic Safety. Washington, D.C.: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 2009. Print.
Finley, Melisa D. Sign and Pavement Marking Visibility from the Perspective of Commercial Vehicle Drivers. College Station, Tex.: Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A & M U System. 2002. Print.
Gerdes, Louise I. Transportation. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Print.
Powell, Michael. The Guide for Guys: An Extremely Useful Manual for Old Boys and Young Men. New York: Sterling, 2008. Print.
Prebble, Stuart. Grumpy Old Drivers: The Official Handbook. London: Orion, 2008. Print.