Dealing with older drivers is something of a pet peeve of mine. Living in an area that is sometimes referred to as “God’s waiting room” due to the sheer volume of seniors living hereabouts, I have to encounter a lot of golden-years drivers in my daily drives. A lot of these drivers are flat-out dangerous. I’m not saying that older drivers are all unsafe. I’m just saying that the ones who are truly beyond their optimal driving days are SCARY. And while teen drivers can be equally scary and dangerous on the road, there is at least a good chance that their skills will improve. As seniors’ senses, reactions, and flexibility continue to decline, their driving will only grow worse. This is especially concerning considering how many seniors are expected to be hitting the road in coming years.
Experts are calling it the “silver tsunami.” As baby boomers sweep into retirement and their senior years, we all should prepare for an influx of senior citizens on the highways in numbers that are unprecedented in the United States. The Automobile Association of America (AAA) is warning all drivers to be o the lookout for older drivers with diminishing skills behind the wheel. If you go by Census Bureau data, the number of drivers aged sixty-five and older will be increasing by seventy-five percent over the next twenty years. The director of AAA Traffic Safety Advocacy and Research, Jake Nelson, points out that the average person lives seven to ten years beyond their ability to drive safely. Unfortunately, many seniors refuse to yield to the safety of others on the road and continue to take the wheel despite the risks.
It’s basic math, really. As Nelson points out, one in four licensed drivers in America will be over the age of sixty-five within ten years. That means that millions of American families will be dealing with the challenge of an older driver in the family before too long. And it IS a challenge, as anyone who ever has had the difficult conversation with a loved one about giving up the keys can attest. Old people seldom give up driving willingly.
Luckily, the AAA and the American Occupational Therapy Association due have some tips for anyone who has an older driver as a friend or family member, to help keep them safer and to keep an eye in their driving ability. First of all, they suggest – conduct routine assessments of the old person’s driving skill. About two or three times a year, ask the senior to take you out for a drive so that you can get a better sense for their ability and any changing skill levels. Make sure that your older family member(s) attend regular medical check-ups and eye exams. Both these medical visits can suss out physical conditions that could negatively affect driving. If a doctor can assess a senior’s reaction time, decision-making skills, muscle strength, and joint flexibility, you could have an ally on your side if it comes down to needing to ask the senior to stop driving. Towards keeping older drivers in good shape, encourage them to exercise regularly to maintain joint health and flexibility. Doctors can give seniors a good idea of what exercises are safe and appropriate for their health and well-being with respect to their ability.
If a senior is showing signs of lessening driving skills, consider ways to soften the blow of not driving anymore. Take time to consider and introduce gradual adjustments to their routine. If a senior has only slightly impaired skills, a few minor steps – like cutting out nighttime drives or adding an extra rearview mirror can perhaps help keep the senior driving for longer. Also, help seniors identify alternate modes of transportation early on, so that they don’t feel trapped without any way to get where they need or want to go. Printing up a bus schedule, giving them the phone number for a taxi service, or helping to arrange a shuttle pickup can be a real help and show that you care.
Another thing to take into account when thinking about the number of seniors on the road? Your own level of auto insurance coverage. Tully Lehman, a spokesman for the Insurance Information Network of California, points out that you can’t control other drivers, but you CAN control how much insurance you carry, so that you protect yourself to the fullest if you are hit by one of these irresponsible and selfish drivers. The IINC and the Insurance Information Institute recommend adequate liability coverage – which, by their definition, includes bodily injury and property damage – that will protect the driver and his or her assets if there’s an accident. The official recommendation is that, at a bare minimum, drivers carry one hundred thousand dollars worth of bodily injury coverage per person and three hundred thousand dollars per accident. Adding fifty thousand dollars in property damage coverage is a bonus that is also recommended by the pros.
This isn’t just having to do with older drivers, of course. Motorists in general need to carry sufficient coverage so that they are protected in the case of being hit by an uninsured or underinsured driver. Jeanne M. Salvatore, the senior vice president and a consumer spokeswoman for the III, points out that some states already mandate uninsured motorist protection. Still, she says, you should really consider a conversation with your insurance agent so that you can determine what type(s) of and how much coverage you really need. She makes a strong point, which is that most people don’t even think about the uninsured motorist or underinsured motorist coverage portion of their policy until they’re the victim of a hit-and-run accident, or are involved in a crash with a driver who either doesn’t have auto insurance or has very minimal insurance.
If you have uninsured motorist coverage and are hit by a driver without insurance (or without enough insurance), either you, a family member, or a designated driver will be reimbursed for bodily injuries caused by the driver at fault. This kind of coverage takes effect when the driver at fault lacks enough insurance coverage to cover your losses. It also takes effect if you are a pedestrian hit by a car. To be an even safer driver, it’s recommended that you consider upping your road awareness and skills through classes designed to promote defensive driving. It’s a nice bonus that many insurance companies dangle incentives for those who take safer driving classes, Geico, for instance, advertises as much as a ten percent premium reduction to graduates of such classes.
Trackback this post & | & Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed