Our society is always changing, and in the next 20 years the number of drivers aged 70 and older is predicted to triple in the United States. Currently, the state of Kentucky does not have any regulations for testing elderly drivers. With rising statistics of elderly drivers becoming involved in multi-vehicular crashes, it’s time for Kentucky to initiate an elderly driver road test.
It is proven that reaction time becomes slower with age, and driving a vehicle safely requires a person to drive defensively. Driving defensively requires quick reaction time and complete attention; otherwise accidents will ensue.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration publication reported, “In 1997, older people made up 9 percent of the resident population but accounted for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities and 17 percent of all pedestrian fatalities. Of traffic fatalities involving older drivers, 82 percent happened in the daytime, 71 percent occurred on weekdays, and 75 percent involved a second vehicle.”
Not only are some elderly drivers a hazard for other drivers, more importantly they are putting their own lives at risk. While only 55 percent of adult vehicle drivers (ages 18 to 69) involved in fatal crashes were using restraints at the time of the crash, 70 percent of older occupants involved in a fatal crash were using restraints. The NHTSA states that “on the basis of estimated annual travel, the fatality rate for drivers 85 and over is nine times as high as the rate for drivers 25 through 69 years old.”
Not all elderly drivers are dangerous behind the wheel because some elderly drivers are excellent drivers, but a road test would help assist in spotting at-risk drivers. For some families, driving your elderly family member to meet their daily needs can be taxing on family’s schedule. However, by keeping an incapable elderly driver off the road, you may be saving their life or another driver’s life.