September 2009 Navy
by CDR Marian Cioe, NC, USN
It may dawn on you at sixty, sixty-five or even seventy years of age, but you will eventually admit that you have earned the title of senior citizen. When this does occur, you may give some serious thought to the last stance of independence – driving a vehicle. Driving plays an important part in maintaining an active, rewarding lifestyle. It means independence, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness at any age.
In 1995, there were 16.5 million licensed drivers over 70 years old. By the year 2020, the United States will hold 54 million Americans over 65 years of age and many of them will be driving. Older drivers become more crash-prone with age, even though they drive less. The crash rate per mile driven rises steadily for drivers 65 and older, and those drivers are involved in more crashes per mile driven than any other age group except teenagers. Because older drivers are more fragile, their fatality rates are 17 times higher than those of 25 to 64 year-olds.1 Some people can continue to drive safely well into old age, others can’t.
Although driving might seem easy and natural, it’s actually a complex, fast-paced activity. It involves sensing information about traffic, road conditions, signals, markings, and the car’s behavior, deciding what to do based on that information, and then acting, all in rapid-fire succession. A typical driver makes 20 decisions per mile, with less than half a second to act to avoid a collision.
We drive with our eyes more than any other sense. Vision provides as much as 85 percent of the information we need to make safe decisions behind the wheel. Our eyes begin to deteriorate after age 40 and get progressively worse. The eye’s lenses grow thicker, pupils shrink, and muscles lose elasticity with age, making older drivers much more sensitive to glare. Colors become harder to see, especially red. Peripheral vision narrows with age and depth perception declines. Depth perception affects the ability to judge how fast other cars are moving. The field of vision typically narrows with age, increasing the possibility of a side collision at an intersection. Older drivers require much more light and more time to adjust to changing light conditions. This delay affects driving at night, entering and leaving tunnels, and driving through shady lanes on sunny days. Don’t forget about glaucoma and cataract potential.
Studies show that 30 percent of people age 65 or older suffer significant hearing loss, especially to high-pitched tones, such as sirens.
Many senior drivers take more medications than their younger counterparts; many of these medications cause drowsiness, sap energy, slow reaction times, and otherwise affect driving ability. Even more dangerous are interactions with other drugs, including alcohol. As people age, tolerance for alcohol steadily declines and its effects linger longer.
But, senior drivers can perform fastpaced motor activities as well as younger drivers given more time. Ninety percent of older drivers who fail reaction tests at high speeds perform satisfactorily at speeds 10 mph slower. Slower response in a crisis may be due to weaker muscles, reduced flexibility, and limited range of motion. Arthritis makes turning, flexing, and twisting painful.
As we age, we process information and react more slowly than younger people, but experience, mature judgement, and good driving habits usually compensate for those diminished skills. In the absence of dementia or other serious illness, judgement skills do not decline with age. Most older drivers recognize and avoid situations where their limitations put them at risk. They drive less after dark, during rush hour, or in bad weather, and they may avoid difficult roads or intersections. But, some older drivers become flustered in fast-changing situations that demand immediate response. Others deny the impairments of old age; they pose a hazard to themselves and others.
There are self-assessment tests available either on-line or in booklet forms for you to check your skills2 as well as refresher courses.3 The latter may offer an additional insurance discount after successful completion of the course.
When driving assessments, refresher courses or medical exams reveal deficiencies that can’t be corrected by retraining or other measures, older drivers must consider restricting their driving. Instead of giving up driving altogether, they may voluntarily restrict themselves to driving only during daylight and good weather, on well-known routes, and at off-peak times. Some states have formalized the process of issuing “graduated licenses” that restrict driving privileges to certain hours and environments. These states usually include a written exam and a road test to assess the driver’s abilities before restricting a license. Your state’s department of motor vehicles can provide more information.
Or, it may be time to hang the keys up for good. Even with good planning and preparation, however, giving up the keys is always painful. It marks the end of a stage in life and means facing the limitations of age, finally and realistically. For most people, giving up the keys, like aging itself, is not a sudden event but a gradual process. Knowing what to expect and preparing for the inevitable can make the process less painful and avert a crisis. Many seniors fear loneliness most; they see giving up driving as the first step in losing contact with friends and family members. Just because an older driver has decided to give up the keys doesn’t mean giving up the car immediately. Often, seniors feel more secure just knowing that the car is still there. Whatever the reason, seeing the car every day in its accustomed spot often eases the transition to a non-driving lifestyle.
Explore public transportation or make transportation an important consideration in choosing a retirement home. Urban areas and close-in suburbs usually offer more convenient and reliable bus service and other public transportation. Some communities have shuttle buses running regular routes specifically for seniors, and many transit agencies offer discounts for seniors. These are but a few suggestions to replace driving when the time arrives. Many retirees neglect to plan for transportation; take the same careful approach to transportation that you would with finance.
References:
- The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, How To Help An Older Driver, AAA clubs or directly from the AAA Foundation; 1440 New York Avenue, NW; Washington, DC 20005, or http://www.aaafts.org.
- The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Drivers 55 Plus: Test Your Own Performance, AAA Foundation; 1440 New York Avenue, NW; Washington, DC 20005 or http://www.aaafts.org. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), Creating Mobility Choices, AARP 800/424-3410, or www.aarp.org.
- AARP, 55 Alive/Mature Driving, two 4-hour class sessions over two days; 888/227-7669; http://www.aarp.org/55alive/class.html. National Safety Council, Coaching the Mature Driver, one-day class, for groups of 10 or more. Contact your local or state NSC chapter. 800/845-4672, http://www.nsc.org/chaptop/htm.