Aging Drivers
I just read Maggie's post at Postcards about her upcoming driver's test and l-empress' response note and her post We took Away His License about her husband's licensectomy. I thought, how timely, as yesterday while trolling through the TV stations with the remote I was stopped by a panel discussion on C-SPAN by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), titled Safety, Mobility, and Aging.
Usually those CSPAN things are big snoozers for me but this was interesting. The Panel Chair: Deborah Bruce, PhD, NTSB Subject Areas and Participants: Trends and Limitations in Safety Data – Anne McCartt, PhD, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety; Travel Patterns – Sandra Rosenbloom, PhD, University of Arizona; The Effects of Aging – Bonnie Dobbs, PhD, University of Alberta; Fragility and Crash Involvement – Ann Dellinger, PhD, MPH, Centers for Disease Control. It's a two day affair and will be on here today as well.
Safety, Mobility, and Aging. Hope this link works, I've just discovered how use the link button. It's a 2 hour clip so be warned.
They are of course pounding away at the high rate of crashes by the elderly, which they defined as 70 or maybe 65. They haven't decided as someone mentioned that 70 is the new 60. In spite of the insurance companies desire to put us in the same pool as 16 year olds, Anne McCartt related that the accident rates for older drivers have actually dropped in the last two years. Dr. Rosenbloom stated the thinking is that older drivers are healthier, drive better, especially women who are retiring with a lifetime of driving experience unlike their mothers, or grandmothers, and have different travel patterns than earlier generations, more heavy traffic, cars with screaming kids, long distances in traffice, and are therefore more experienced. One of the better safety rates is with older commerical drivers for the same reasons. It sounds like the way to keep driving safely is to keep driving. Rack up those miles.
Dr. Rosenbloom also suggested that the problem is not aging per se but those who age with cognitive impairment, that the solution is not raising insurance rates but screening for cognitive decline, and removing those persons from the driving pool. Dr. Bonnie Dobbs (Alberta, Canada) stated that they have developed a screening tool that has been implemented in the medical community in British Columbia for screening. The onus is on the doctor to screen and report. If if goes well in BC they hope to see it implemented across Canada. Here is a link to a state by state report of licensing renewal provisions for older drivers.
Dr. Dellinger answered a question about "who the older driver is" by saying everyone over 65 as elder drivers no longer works, "it could be 70 and even 75." She thinks so much has changed particularly with baby boomers in terms of health and extensive driving experience that old thinking no longer works and that there is "no right answer." She also mentioned that the older drivers' rate of fatal wrecks isnot due so much to the severity of the wreck but to the fragility of the person involved. What would heal at 40 might kill you at 80.
Some other interesting comments for me were that there is a slight uptick in women drivers in the 80-85 range, that women tend to self-retire from driving earlier than men, and that women live about 10 years past their driving career and men about 6 years. The panel seemed to believe that the lack of public and mass transit is a big factor in older drivers continuing to drive at a late age. They mentioned that the lack of transportation is a big contributor to the isolation and decline of elders.
I will miss my vehicle if the day comes I have to stop driving. Right now where I live there is some bus and some Appointment Keeper transportation that comes to the door and delivers you to the doctor, or grocery store and will pick you up. Who knows if the public funds will be there though when we reach the time we need those services? Meanwhile, exercise those driving skills.
Usually those CSPAN things are big snoozers for me but this was interesting. The Panel Chair: Deborah Bruce, PhD, NTSB Subject Areas and Participants: Trends and Limitations in Safety Data – Anne McCartt, PhD, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety; Travel Patterns – Sandra Rosenbloom, PhD, University of Arizona; The Effects of Aging – Bonnie Dobbs, PhD, University of Alberta; Fragility and Crash Involvement – Ann Dellinger, PhD, MPH, Centers for Disease Control. It's a two day affair and will be on here today as well.
Safety, Mobility, and Aging. Hope this link works, I've just discovered how use the link button. It's a 2 hour clip so be warned.
They are of course pounding away at the high rate of crashes by the elderly, which they defined as 70 or maybe 65. They haven't decided as someone mentioned that 70 is the new 60. In spite of the insurance companies desire to put us in the same pool as 16 year olds, Anne McCartt related that the accident rates for older drivers have actually dropped in the last two years. Dr. Rosenbloom stated the thinking is that older drivers are healthier, drive better, especially women who are retiring with a lifetime of driving experience unlike their mothers, or grandmothers, and have different travel patterns than earlier generations, more heavy traffic, cars with screaming kids, long distances in traffice, and are therefore more experienced. One of the better safety rates is with older commerical drivers for the same reasons. It sounds like the way to keep driving safely is to keep driving. Rack up those miles.
Dr. Rosenbloom also suggested that the problem is not aging per se but those who age with cognitive impairment, that the solution is not raising insurance rates but screening for cognitive decline, and removing those persons from the driving pool. Dr. Bonnie Dobbs (Alberta, Canada) stated that they have developed a screening tool that has been implemented in the medical community in British Columbia for screening. The onus is on the doctor to screen and report. If if goes well in BC they hope to see it implemented across Canada. Here is a link to a state by state report of licensing renewal provisions for older drivers.
Dr. Dellinger answered a question about "who the older driver is" by saying everyone over 65 as elder drivers no longer works, "it could be 70 and even 75." She thinks so much has changed particularly with baby boomers in terms of health and extensive driving experience that old thinking no longer works and that there is "no right answer." She also mentioned that the older drivers' rate of fatal wrecks isnot due so much to the severity of the wreck but to the fragility of the person involved. What would heal at 40 might kill you at 80.
Some other interesting comments for me were that there is a slight uptick in women drivers in the 80-85 range, that women tend to self-retire from driving earlier than men, and that women live about 10 years past their driving career and men about 6 years. The panel seemed to believe that the lack of public and mass transit is a big factor in older drivers continuing to drive at a late age. They mentioned that the lack of transportation is a big contributor to the isolation and decline of elders.
I will miss my vehicle if the day comes I have to stop driving. Right now where I live there is some bus and some Appointment Keeper transportation that comes to the door and delivers you to the doctor, or grocery store and will pick you up. Who knows if the public funds will be there though when we reach the time we need those services? Meanwhile, exercise those driving skills.
Labels: experience counts, older drivers
posted by Celia | November 10, 2010
7 Comments:
God, I get the twitches just thinking about the day when someone removes my fingers from my steering wheel.
I will be one crabby ol crone when they take away my wheels.
My dad's 87 and still drives very well, but the day will come when he has to hang up his keys. It is difficult for those who live in the back of beyond and don't have access to public transportation.
I understand the concern, but teens are a far worse, usually more deadly weapon behind the wheel. I think the larger concern should be in better and longer drivers' ed in public schools.
Tricky question to manuever, no doubt.
Pattie, I agree about the teens being riskier, and one of my concerns were the number of people at this confab representing insurance interests. Good to hear Anne McCartt's remarks on how the crash rate for older drivers has actually been dropping the last two years. I'm concerned they are attempting to build a case for calling all aging drivers high risk which is not the case.
I still like the idea that some states have, that all drivers over a certain age have to redo their driving test when renewing - and retest their vision also. It's tough for a family member to tell a declining relative that they can't drive, and having a third party judge whether or not they can still drive is handy. There are some elderly that can drive better than I, but (at least according to my Florida relatives) there are MANY that cannot.
I did miss my life which was truly cut by my lack of a drivers license. I so hope that I pass the test Thursday....oh yes, oh yes....so selfish. Yet here, so many older driver's do so very well. Tomorrow I am driving for the first time with my satellite hookup. Watch out world.
My mother should have taken away her father's license at least ten years earlier than she did. She should have stopped driving about five years earlier, but she just drove drunk while her father killed a little boy.
Yikes! I have already cut down on night driving because my night vision is not that wonderful. If it is not rainy, snowy or foggy, I still drive short distances in town. I wish I had a chauffeur--that would be fun, and the day may come when others are driving me places. Not yet, though. Rather than harming oneself or others, it's good to be honest about driving abilities.
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