The current NC law for license
renewal states that people between the ages of 18-53 must get their license
renewed every 8 years. If the person is
older than 54, they are required to get it renewed every 5 years. (See http://www.dmv.org/nc-north-carolina/renew-license.php) Based on this law, North Carolina has determined that 54
is the age in which changes start to happen that will affect driving.
According to our textbook,
Occupational Therapy with Elders Third Edition, on p. 202 there are numerous
changes that an older adult can experience that will negatively affect their
ability to drive. Visually these changes
include “decreased visual acuity, color discrimination, depth perception,
figure ground, peripheral vision, and increased sensitivity to glare.” Physically these changes include “changes in
sensation, range of motion, decrease in reaction time, and decrease in decision-making
abilities.” These changes are varied
from person to person, and the text doesn’t identify one particular skill as
being the most important.
However, in a University of
Nebraska-Lincoln article, the writers lay the blame on one skill: depth
perception. (See http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1099&context=libraryscience&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Ddepth%2520perception%2520as%2520a%2520function%2520of%2520age%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D1%26ved%3D0CFAQFjAA%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fdigitalcommons.unl.edu%252Fcgi%252Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D1099%2526context%253Dlibraryscience%26ei%3Dd8T5T9PaLJCe8QSfs-HmBg%26usg%3DAFQjCNFTiz8JEHxnuLtpHb5PsI_EHb_FDw#search=%22depth%20perception%20as%20function%20age%22) )
Also,
remember what we learned about Primary and Secondary aging. Primary aging results in the gray hair and
wrinkles that everyone gets as they age.
Secondary aging results from our lifestyle choices and affects things
such as impairment, dysfunction, and disease – all of which could negatively
affect driving. Thus, a 70 year old who
has chosen a healthy lifestyle could, theoretically, expect less dysfunction
than a 60 year old that had made unwise choices.
Would it be fair to make all
60 year olds submit to visual and cognitive assessments prior to driver’s
license renewal based on the bad choices made by a small percentage of
people? I, personally, don’t think so.
One bit
of popular news reporting discusses the lethality of older drivers. (For example see http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-05-02-older-drivers-usat1a_N.htm which came from Carnegie Mellon University and AAA.) |
“From ages 75 to 84, the rate of about three deaths per 100
million miles driven is equal to the death rate of teenage drivers. For drivers
85 and older, the fatality rate skyrockets to nearly four times higher than
that for teens. Safety and health
specialists are especially concerned about drivers 85 and older, who, federal
crash statistics show, are involved in three fatal accidents a day.”
If one cursorily
reads this report, it implies older adults are “killing machines.” My knee-jerk reaction when reading
this article is to take away the driver’s license of every older adult. But a
National Highway Safety Administration article offers another explanation for the increase in deaths, i.e., the frailty
of health of older adults. (See http://www.nhtsa.gov/search?q=Rory+Austin+and+Barbara+Faigin&x=17&y=7.)
To prevent you from having to read the entire article I’ve included the main
idea here: “One factor contributing to older adult
fatalities in passenger vehicle crashes may be an increased fragility. Using
the Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS), the General Estimates System (GES),
and the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS) Li et al. (2003)
examined the roles of fragility and crash involvement in fatality risk for
older drivers relative to their younger counterparts. Fragility begins to
increase at 60 to 64 years old and continues to increase steadily with
advancing age. In turn, the increase in older driver deaths grows sharply, and
for 80 and older the fatality rate is over four times that of drivers between
30 and 59 (Eberhard et al., 2003). Unless significant countermeasures are
employed, traffic fatalities for older adults are projected to increase
substantially; projections indicate that fatal crashes for drivers over 65 may
double or even triple during the next 20 years (Eberhard et al., 2003). Adults
over 85 are of particular interest because these individuals experience
dramatic rises in frailty levels and increased risk for injuries, and they
comprise the fastest growing demographic group in the United States (Older
Americans, 2004).”
As a
result of this article, I’d say that older adults are not killing younger
drivers, but instead they are killing themselves as a result of the impairment
in their driving skills. Regardless of
whom is to blame, if the fatality rate of 85 year olds is four times that of
teenagers, we can’t ignore that. What is
the answer? Let’s look at how other
states deal with age-related driving changes?
In Illinois a driver’s license is good for 4 years for
people aged 21 through 80, for 2 years for people 81 through 86, and only 1
year for people 87 years and older. (See http://illinoisdriverslicense.org/renew.html) “If the driver is seventy-five years of age
or older, they must renew their Illinois driver’s license in person” and they
must take a driving exam. (See http://illinoisdriverslicense.org/renew.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=CPC&utm_term=renew%2Bdrivers%2Blicense%2Bin%2B+illinois&utm_content=Renew&utm_campaign=Illinois%2B-%2BKeyword-targeted)
According
to the USA Today article sited above “New Hampshire requires older
adults to pass road tests,” too.
Texas requires that people under 85 years old renew their
license every 6 years and every 5 years for those older than 85. (See http://www.dmv.org/tx-texas/renew-license.php)
Texas allows a person to renew their license online if they are 79 and under. No road test or driving exam is needed. However
those older than 79 have to take a vision exam.
Florida deals with the issue in
a slightly different way. (See http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-10-21/business/fl-driving-license-revocations-20111021_1_older-drivers-drivers-licenses-fran-carlin-rogers). People can anonymously report anyone who is
suspected of having a physical or mental condition that would affect their
driving. (Reports must be in writing and
include the reporter’s name. If the
erratic behavior is currently happening, the viewer should contact the police
immediately.) The police are the primary
ones who report problem driving in the elderly.
The most common cognitive reasons an older adult would get reported is
due to dementia, stroke, and seizures
It
should be noted that most older adults do not lose their license due to
physical or cognitive deficiencies. Most
lost their license because they submit the medical paperwork that was required
by the state.
Perhaps
due to the high number of elderly, Florida has a Strategic Safety Plan
for the aging. See http://www.safeandmobileseniors.org/FloridaCoalition.htm#Strategic_Plan To allow aging in
place “TRIP, a
national transportation research group and AASHTO,
the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials have
released a report "Keeping Baby Boomers
Mobile: Preserving the Mobility and Safety of Older Americans." (See http://www.tripnet.org/docs/Older_Drivers_TRIP_Report_Feb_2012.pdf)
Other resources:
In addition to individual state regulations, other agencies offer support for the older driver.
AAA offers the
following programs for older adults.
AAA Roadwise Review is a
computer-based self-screening tool designed to assess a driver’s functional
abilities important to safe driving.
- CarFit and AAA’s Smart Features for Mature Drivers help to enhance seniors’ comfort and safety while driving.
- Safe Driving for Mature Operators classroom and online courses provide driver training to help address the changes caused by aging and how a driver may compensate.
- In March, AAA will launch an improved senior driving website, www.aaa.com/seniordriving, offering research-based resources and tools designed to help keep seniors behind the wheel for as long as safely possible.
“The AARP Driver Safety course, an eight-hour class for drivers
50 and older that deals with the effects of aging on driving, is available in classroom and online settings.
You may be eligible to receive an
insurance discount upon completing the course, so consult your agent for
details. You might also be eligible to receive a discount on roadside
assistance plans.
By taking a driver safety course
you'll learn the current rules of the road, defensive driving techniques, and
how to operate your vehicle more safely in today's increasingly challenging
driving environment. You'll learn how you can manage and accommodate common age-related
changes in vision, hearing and reaction time. In addition, you'll learn:
- How to minimize the effects of dangerous blind spots
- How to maintain the proper following distance behind another car
- The safest ways to change lanes and make turns at busy intersections
- Proper use of safety belts, air bags, anti-lock brakes, and new technologies used in cars
- Ways to monitor your own and others' driving skills and capabilities
- The effects of medications on driving
- The importance of eliminating distractions, such as eating, smoking, and cell-phone use”
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