![]() Cognition: Reduced cognition can occur due to mental conditions that are associated with old age including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and dementia.Ĭognition is reduced with age and affects driving ability. These partly explain why an elderly motorist may drive more slowly. As age increases, there is a reduction in muscle mass and elasticity, bone mass, central and peripheral nerve fibers. Motor skills: Aging causes decreased physical abilities, such as gross and fine motor skills and reflexes, thereby rendering the driver physically unable to perform at a safe level.Physical abilities such as motor skills are important for driving ability: Additionally, older drivers with hearing loss demonstrate worse driving performance in the presence of distractors than those with good hearing and restricted driving mobility. Studies have shown that elderly with hearing loss are more likely to be involved in crashes and commit traffic violations. Hearing: Age-related hearing loss or presbycusis is a common condition in people over the age of 65.Glaucoma leads to peripheral vision loss and blindness in advanced disease. Other common age related vision conditions that can affect driving performance are glaucoma and macular degeneration. This increases the light scattering by the eye's optical system and is associated with causing disability glare and increased risk of being involved in a crash. Vision: With aging, the lens of the eye loses its transparency and becomes cloudy, a condition commonly known as cataracts.The following are two senses that are important for safe driving: There are a multitude of conditions that correlate with old age and have negative effects on senses, physical abilities, and driving capabilities. Senses, physical abilities, and cognition The AARP staunchly opposes testing elderly drivers on the basis of age as age discrimination, and argued the decision to retire from driving should be left to the individual. Others believe there should be increased testing to ensure older drivers are capable of safe driving. Senior citizens are seen by some as among the safest drivers on the road, as they generally do not speed or take risks, and they are more likely to wear seatbelts. This creates controversy in regulating driving in the elderly. Īs the process of aging varies from one person to the next, the age at which an elderly person's ability to safely operate a motor vehicle declines varies between persons. These restrictions may be placed either by the law or their insurance provider which vary by state. Some older adults may be permitted to drive, but with added limitations such as the amount of driving they can do, the hours in which they can drive, or the distance from home they can travel. Some states require persons above a specified age to take certain tests when renewing their licenses, up to and including a road test, or to receive a physician's certificate stating they are medically fit to operate a motor vehicle. Most state laws allow senior citizens to continue driving provided they meet the same requirements as younger adults. This can be challenging because few senior citizens are voluntarily willing to give up their own car keys. Despite these measures, often, family members of an elderly person are faced with the responsibility of trying to get them to give up driving. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, precautionary measures include driving in daylight and good weather, planning the route before departing and receiving an eye exam once a year. Although, there are some voluntary measures a person can utilize to check their driving abilities. There is currently no age cutoff preventing an older adult from driving in the United States. Physical strength, mental acuity, and motor function begin to deteriorate as a person ages, but the degree of decline varies from person to person. The most common violations include: failure to obey traffic signals, unsafe turns and passing, and failure to yield. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a senior citizen is more likely than a younger driver to be at fault in an accident in which they are involved. ![]() When frailty is accounted for and older drivers are compared to younger persons driving the same amount the over-representation disappears. Due to their physical frailty, older drivers are more likely to be injured in an accident and more likely to die of that injury. ![]() In 2019, drivers 65 years and older accounted for 8,760 motor vehicle traffic deaths, and 205,691 non-fatal accidents. Driving is said to help older adults stay mobile and independent, but as their age increases the risk of potentially injuring themselves or others significantly increases as well. In 2018, there were over 45 million licensed drivers in the United States over the age of 65-a 60% increase from 2000. The correlation between old age and driving has been a notable topic for many years. ![]()
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