A lot of us have had to have a talk with our grandparents or parents about how they are on the road. There comes a time when caring for yourself can become difficult, as an older person, especially when driving. What can you do to ensure the older person in your life is being safe behind the wheel? Here are a few ideas about how and why driving can be dangerous for older drivers, and what you can do to help.
A special population
Older drivers, those in their 70s and 80s, are at special risk when they go out on the road. Because of their age, they have higher risks to consider in the event of a crash. In a study, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), found that drivers aged 75 and up were approximately “4 times as likely to die as middle-aged drivers when they’re involved in a side-impact crash and about 3 times as likely to die in a frontal crash.”
The good news
There is, however, some good news to be had in all this. Apparently, drivers in their 70s and 80s, while they are at risk, are facing less risks nowadays. These older drivers have had fewer crashes and fewer police-reported crashes than those who are middle-aged. This is attributed partly to advances in health and medicine keeping people more cognizant, expansion of infrastructure, and new licensing laws.
The downside
The real reason that older people are vulnerable to accidents is a combination of their older cars and older senses and bodies. Older drivers are less likely to have a state of the art car. This means that their cars could be missing key safety features such as rearview cameras, working airbags, or emergency braking capabilities. Older people are also likely to fall for scams and disreputable business owners. This can lead to incomplete or shoddy mechanic work on these already older cars. Another factor is their bone density and something called “crash fragility,” which means they just do not stand up to impact as well as younger drivers. The issue of hearing, reacting, and seeing well on the road comes up as well.
What can you do?
Keep constant communication with your parents or relatives. Make sure they have a good person caring for their car, one who you both can trust. Take them for regular checkups for cognition, hearing, and vision; and make sure you find the results and discuss them with a doctor.
As you can see, there are a lot of reasons to watch out for the oldest members of your family when they get behind the wheel. The best thing to do is to be in touch as much as possible. It is also important to send someone to check in on your relative if you are not close enough to do so regularly. Changes can be hard, but also necessary. So let’s start 2022 doing what’s right for the people we love, and check in on an older friend or family member today.
blogs
Pedestrian Safety
For obvious reasons, there’s much more discussion out there about safe driving, or even safe bicycle riding, than there is about being a safe pedestrian. After all, it seems like we should just be able to walk safely down a street, and especially where pedestrians have right of way, walking seems like the safest option. […]
Purchase or Replace a Lemon Car? Californian Lemon laws Relating to the Decisions
If your vehicle meets the Californian lemon law requirements, you have the right to ask for a car replacement or monetary compensation from the manufacturer. For financial compensation, the manufacturer is required to restore the buyer to their original position. However, if you prefer a car replacement, the manufacturer compensates you with a similar vehicle. […]
Statute of Limitations and Personal Injury
For many of us, when a personal injury occurs there can be a lot of mixed feelings. Some people may feel guilty that they got injured, even when the blame lies with someone else. The first concerns you will obviously have will be about your health and safety. You may not even be considering what […]
Tips for Avoiding Car Accidents
Whether you’re driving in a place where the environment is a little more driver-friendly, or if you’re somewhere where the weather poses a driving hazard, you can’t go wrong having a working knowledge of how best to avoid accidents. In 2020 alone, there were nearly 36,000 fatal motor vehicle accidents in the United States. Those […]
Types of Damages in a Motorcycle Accident
Motorcycles are an easy, exhilarating way to get around. No getting stuck in traffic and you can hit the gas pedal to the max. Exciting, right? Well, here’s the catch; although exciting, motorcycles are incredibly dangerous. A report by the Insurance Information Institute shows motorcyclists are usually 27 times more likely to lose their lives […]
Slip and Falls in Private Homes
Slips and falls are serious anywhere, but if you concentrate just on occurrences in private homes, an arresting statistic jumps out right away- falls are responsible for 50% of all accidental deaths in the home. Let’s take a look at two of the top causes of a slip and fall in a private home. We […]
Cell Phones and Accidents on the Road
We have all done it. Even with the headsets, the hands-free devices, and the ability to connect your phone to your car, all of us have reached for the phone while driving. Whether it’s checking a quick text at a stoplight or messing around with your maps app while driving in a new place, the […]
Top 5 Causes of Pedestrian Accidents
A vehicle hitting a pedestrian can be termed one of the most traumatic accidents one could ever experience. Yet, it happens so regularly. According to the CDC, over 5,000 pedestrians die in car accidents annually, while an estimated 137,000 others visit the ER for non-fatal accidents. This makes one wonder, what spurs pedestrian accidents? Read […]
Causes of Motorcycle Accidents in the United States
Whether due to size, or footprint of the motorcycle, or sheer stability, or a combination of these factors, motorcycles are much more likely to be involved in an accident than other automobiles. Certainly, in some cases, this is a visibility issue as well, with many drivers of other automobiles not looking in their blind spots […]
Mold and LA Renters — Know Your Rights
You may have heard of “mold growth” in passing. Depending on the situation, the story you heard may have been about a simple annoyance, a house deal that fell through, or a sneezing fit. However, there are a lot worse stories than that out there; mold can cause severe allergies, incapacitation, and even worse health […]
contact form
