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Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Wheelin' Around Town: Raul Caceres, 84, lives in Los Gatos and still drives his own car. He said he is a former consul general for Honduras.
Old age isn't always the end of the road
By Rita Baum
Older drivers who frequently find themselves saying, "Whew, that was close!" or, "Where did that car come from?" might be wise to take stock of their driving skills. The transportation research board says 13.3 million people, aged 70 or older, were licensed to drive in 1990, and the number is expected to grow to more than 30 million by 2015, the year the first baby boomers turn 70.
The stereotypical perception of older drivers as poor safety risks is kept alive by cartoonists and comedians, who consider older motorists fair game for a few laughs. "What is it about older drivers," asks Jerry Seinfeld in his Live on Broadway stand-up routine. "Do they just reach a point where they decide they're not going to look anymore when they back up?" Seinfeld assumes the posture of a driver hunched forward over the steering wheel, head buried in his shoulders, shouting, "Look out, here I come!"
But the subject is no joking matter, especially to competent older drivers who are tired of being the butt of gibes. Eighty-four-year-old Los Gatan Raul Caceres has been driving 67 years without an accident, and he still drives almost daily, following the same safe practices he has adhered to all his life. There are plenty of good older drivers similar to Caceres, seniors complain, yet an older driver who hits a pedestrian will probably get more media attention than a 25-year-old drunk driver who does the same.
The transportation research board says that older drivers are the least likely to run over a pedestrian. Statistics show that the 50 to 69 age group has a low accident rate, but not as low as the 35 to 49 age group. Changes begin to show up after age 70, with the largest increase in the number of accidents occurring among drivers over age 80.
The fatality rate for drivers in the 85-plus group is nine times higher than the rate of drivers age 25 to 65, and motor vehicle injury accidents are the second leading cause of accidental deaths (after falls) for this older group. Accidents most frequently occur when making left turns, changing lanes, pulling out from the curb and failing to observe the right-of-way.
Transportation Resources: A listing of local agencies which provide rides to seniors.
Negative statistics about older drivers center on age-related physical and mental changes. Also, many drivers establish careless habits early in their driving careers that can no longer be compensated for by quick reflexes in later years.
The statistics on age-related accidents have fueled a controversy over age-based testing, used by three states that are seeking to identify and remove high-risk elders from the road, without discriminating against qualified older drivers. Those who oppose age-based testing say that elders recognize their own declining skills and self-restrict their driving--driving less at night, and avoiding highways, unfamiliar roads and hazardous driving conditions.
There are just as many unsafe younger drivers as older ones, the opponents claim. Age-based testing is expensive, they say, and the money would be better spent on improving roads and highways in areas where lighting is poor and lane striping is too faded to be easily seen.
Those who support age-based testing point to the statistical evidence that shows that older people, especially age 85 and above, are responsible for accidents at a much higher rate than their younger cohorts and are more likely to be involved in a second crash.
There is no denying that age-related deficits are common in older people, but it is important to keep in mind that no two people age alike. There is variation in degree, time of onset and pattern. The day a 65-year old gets his or her first social security check does not mark the beginning of a sudden and dramatic decline in all areas.
Nevertheless, there are several factors that could contribute to a reduction in driving skills. Ninety percent of learning and observation occurs through vision and hearing; therefore, the ability to assess the environment and take appropriate action depends greatly on the ability to see clearly.
Vision changes are common in many older adults. Focusing ability decreases, and the pupils let in half as much light as in younger days. Passing another car can be riskier when depth perception weakens, making it harder to judge the distance and speed of oncoming traffic.
Add to these a potential for greater sensitivity to glare, reduced vision at night, and a decrease in side vision, and it's not hard to recognize a formula for reduced efficiency in the key driving skills. Serious medical conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataracts also take their toll. And some elders wait too long before having surgery to remove cataracts.
Wise and attentive older motorists are conscious of their limitations and find ways to compensate for them. Other factors, such as commonly used medications--both prescription and over-the-counter drugs for arthritis, rheumatism, depression, heart conditions, seizures and other conditions--can affect driving, causing drowsiness, confusion and reduced reaction time.
Even common medications for colds, allergy and weight control can have dangerous side effects for drivers of all ages. And with or without the deleterious side effects of certain medications, it takes longer for some older people to take in, process and assess information--longer to make a decision regarding what action to take, and longer to put the action into effect.
Older people say that, second to losing a spouse, losing the ability to drive is the most difficult of life changes and adjustments. The ability to drive is linked with the ability to remain active, productive, independent and young. The National Institute on Aging, Transportation and Safety Board, AARP and other groups are determined to make it possible for older Americans to remain on the road safer and longer.
In the next Seniors column there will be information about programs available locally to help improve driving skills, as well as several pilot projects under investigation that are intended to help elders maintain, upgrade and strengthen their driving skills. New methods are being developed that will use both computer technology and nonthreatening, behind-the-wheel testing to help determine which drivers should be licensed for restricted driving and which drivers should have their licenses revoked due to high risk for accidents.
The good news is that healthy older persons, who have been good drivers all their lives, will probably keep their skills in old age and be wise enough to compensate for age-related changes and declines.
Los Gatan Rita Baum has a master's degree in gerontology and has been working more than 20 years in the field of aging.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
