NCJ Number
111022
Date Published
1987
Length
116 pages
Annotation
This paper presents a future study of issues related to the increasing numbers of elderly drivers.
Abstract
The aging process is described together with its implications for driver competency. A review of accident statistics suggests that the majority of accidents involving elderly drivers result from poor vision, lack of coordination, and/or mental confusion. Although as a group, the elderly tend to drive fewer miles, they are involved in more accidents per mile traveled than any other group over age 25. Drivers over 75 have a higher traffic accident rate per miles driven than teenagers. Thus, while they are involved in fewer accidents overall than other age groups, this a product of less rather than safer driving. These findings are discussed in relation to the rights of citizens to mobility and concern for traffic safety. Automobile design is discussed as a contributing and mitigating factor in traffic accidents involving the elderly. A discussion is included of proposed Florida legislation that would require persons over 70 to complete a road test with a licensed examiner every 24 months, and license reexamination policies in other jurisdictions are reviewed. Future trends and issues then are analyzed and used to create alternative scenarios focusing on technology, senior activism, and legislative responses. A plan for introducing reasonable licensing and license renewal regulations for the elderly is proposed. Figures, appendix, and 37 footnotes.