Posted on 01/08/2025 7:26:28 AM PST by SeekAndFind
There are approximately 48 million licensed drivers aged 65 and older in the United States, with around 17 percent of seniors suffering from mild cognitive impairment, according to a StudyFinds.org.
This situation presents a considerable challenge in ensuring road safety while also preserving the independence of older adults.
According to an analysis conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, the healthcare system must improve its monitoring and evaluation of older adults who are still licensed to drive.
The statistics are alarming: Motor vehicle crashes involving drivers over 65 resulted in 7,480 fatalities and nearly 150,000 non-fatal injuries in 2020.
Family physicians often find themselves in a difficult position when asked to evaluate an older patient’s driving ability. Current cognitive screening tests are inadequate, and specialists also struggle with these assessments.
IMO a lot of them are in FL..
they’ve got a solution to this problem in canada
Good luck getting people off the roads you might think are too old.
This isn’t Europe or Asia where there are busses, trains and the like.
And I’m not necessarily talking about rural areas, large cities might have just a few bus routes, if that.
Given the retirement age is currently 67 something seems to be a problem here, you expect everyone to work but don’t want them to drive.
Our government is retarded.
That’s nothing compared to the staggering number of unlicensed, uninsured, drunk illegal alien drivers behind the wheel.
Also those on their phones behind the wheel.
Or with a dog in their lap.
I shouldn’t be driving. I had almost entirely given it up... Moved to the city so I wouldn’t be a burden in my old age. That all changed with the Almeda fire. I’m stuck in the boonies without medical care or food unless I drive.
No surprise here, I see this every day. Elderly people driving very slow, last minute multiple lane changes, etc.
I have said for years that seniors should have annual road tests.
So which is it? You moved to the city?
Or you are stuck in the boonies?
Confusing.
“seniors should have annual road tests”
I had two grandmothers who hit several pedestrians their last few years of driving.
If they could go a year without hitting anybody they passed their “road test”. :-)
I don’t think poor eyesight was their issue. They just had trouble paying attention to the road and had terrible response time if a pedestrian was in front of them. They both lived in a busy inner suburb with a lot of vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
I used to be afraid of the elderly drivers, now I’m more scared of the kids who drive like maniacs.
It’s not OK for an elderly person that is cognitively impaired to drive a motor vehicle. But it’s OK to be President.
“There are approximately 48 million licensed drivers aged 65 and older in the United States, with around 17 percent of seniors suffering from mild cognitive impairment,”
Meanwhile look who we have supposedly running the country as President?
Listen to yourself Martha :)
It’s not confusing if you read. I moved to the city and it was burned down.
Exactly what I said!
I don’t need nonsense critique. Try to keep up. I’m the senile one!
As I said:
I shouldn’t be driving. I had almost entirely given it up... Moved to the city so I wouldn’t be a burden in my old age. That all changed with the Almeda fire. I’m stuck in the boonies without medical care or food unless I drive.
When people move to FL they drive like they did in the states they came from. The worst drivers are from the North East. They like to camp out in the left lane regardless of speed. They force people to pass on the right.
for the past 40 years of driving 300+ miles every weekday on the highways, byways and congested big cities of Florida, old folks capitol of the U.S., my personal experience is old folks drive slower but the younger folks drive “Stupider”. your experience may vary.
My wife’s 84-year-old mother probably shouldn’t be driving (vision issues) but she’s one of the few among her circle who can still drive at all. We worry about it, but we can’t really do much from 2,000 miles away.
On the other hand, my grandmother was the oldest licensed driver in her state at 99. Still mentally sharp and no vision problems. A heart attack got her about 6 weeks before her 100th birthday, when she was shoveling snow.
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