Aging Baby Boomers Mean More Seniors On The Road
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"They don't like old ladies driving," she said.
Kositchek said she is a competent driver, and has had just one traffic ticket in her life.
"A lot of my friends are afraid to go on the freeway, but I'm not," she said. "I'm a freeway jockey."
Kositchek is among about 70,000 drivers in
In 2011, the first of the baby boomers, those born from 1946 to 1964, will turn 65, so the number of seniors behind the wheel will increase. With that increase comes the debate over who should be allowed behind he wheel and how old is too old to drive.
Statistics suggest that drivers do become more unsafe as they age, but others argue that ability, not age, should determine whether a person can get behind the wheel.
"Age is not a contraindication for anything," said Dr.
However, there are some realities to aging, according to
A 40-year-old needs 20 times more light to see at night than a 20-year-old, he said. Older drivers generally are less able to judge speed and distances, their reflexes are slower, they may be more easily confused and they're less flexible, which affects their ability to turn so they can look to the side or behind them, he added.
People do age differently, Love agreed, but sometimes it's hard for seniors to gauge when it's time to give up the keys.
"Most of us will outlive our driving ability seven to 10 years," Love said.
This stretch of time creates a "mobility gap," according to Coughlin.
"For many, our homes will not be just a place to age, it will also be house arrest," he said.
Statistics from the
For a 16-year-old driver, there are about 80 claims per 1,000 insured properties and vehicles. At age 65, there are 29 claims per 1,000; at age 70, the number rises to 32 and by age 80, there are 46 claims per 1,000. For drivers 85 and older, that number jumps to 56.
Because of the aging boomer population, there are more senior drivers on the road. Older drivers are keeping their licenses longer, driving more miles and making up a bigger portion of the population.
According to the
As a result, agencies such as
In July, the
"We want you all to know your limitations and be successful drivers," Sheriff's Patrol Services Cmdr.
"I'm here because I can see my driving skills getting slack," said
DeCesari and Deputy Traffic Investigator
"Avoid distractions. Be sober, and this means prescription medications," Bastiaans told the group. "Know and obey traffic laws and know your limitations."
"Remember, when you're in a vehicle, you're in a one-ton bullet," DeCesari said.
DeCesari detailed some of the consequences that can occur if an older driver becomes unsafe on the road. He showed the class a Star photo of a
"There was a kid sitting right there," he said, indicating an area close to where the car hit the building.
There are other driving classes for seniors, including the AARP Driver Safety Program, which is offered all across the state.
"Some drivers take it because they get an insurance discount," said
Lambing said aging can erode vision, reflexes, and other physical abilities, so it's important to pay attention to those things. Seniors are more likely to be taking medication, so it's also crucial that they honestly assess whether they're feeling focused when they drive.
"An aging person may need more light to see stop signs," she said. "They may have more difficulty seeing in the dark or adapting to glare or with their peripheral vision."
Giving up the car keys can feel like a tremendous loss for many seniors, particularly in U.S. culture.
"All of society encourages independence. In the '40s, we said, move out of the cities. We will build your freeways," Love said. "It's about losing independence. It's about being dependent on somebody else."
"Some young guys say 'When you're 75, you shouldn't drive anymore," said licensed driver
"Two or three years ago, she pulled into a parking lot and bumped into the back of another car," Leisten said. "That's when I said, 'You're not going to drive anymore.' She was not happy."
The sisters had seen her balance worsen and her motor skills diminish, but she'd acted lucidly enough during her checkup to convince her doctor all was well.
Mendoza's job provided her ready access to people who told her how to deal with the situation, and she learned about a confidential form that will prompt the DMV to retest a driver, the Request for Driver Re-examination form DS 699, online at http://www.dmv.ca.gov/forms/ds/ds699.pdf.
When the letter from the DMV arrived informing her mother that she would have to come in for a driving test, Mendoza called.
"She immediately hung up on me. I called her again. She hung up again," Mendoza said.
At the DMV on the day of the test, Mendoza's mother told the man at the counter she was just being discriminated against because she was 83. But when she got behind the wheel she didn't even make it out of the parking lot before flunking because she couldn't tell the man where the windshield wipers or defroster was. They revoked her license. She was angry for several months until her dementia progressed to the point where she couldn't remember any of it.
"It was not a pleasant experience," Mendoza said. "My mother has never in her life quit speaking to me."
In 2007,
"On Saturday morning he was riding his bicycle, and (Seigel) who had a history of cataracts, struck and killed him," Hiepler said.
The family was awarded
"Obviously, the worse tragedy (was) for the Garvins, but this was a tragedy for her, too," Hiepler said.
Currently, state law requires people 70 or older to renew their licenses in person, then take a written test and eye exam, but no road test is required unless requested by a doctor, family member, or law enforcement.
"You can be 116 years old and the last time you will have taken a behind-the-wheel driving test would be 100 years ago," he said.
In 2007, a story appeared in The Star about Hiepler's proposal that a person take one driving test at the steering wheel every 10 years, beginning at age 65.
"I had never gotten more hate mail from elderly people saying, 'How dare you take that away?'" Hiepler said.
Hiepler said he talked to legislators who told him they did not want to back such a bill because the best citizens and voters tend to be those 70 and older, and they didn't want to risk alienating that population.
The best way to prevent tragedy or to avoid family members from intervening is to plan for your own driving retirement the same way you would plan for retirement from a job, Love said.
She recommended keeping physically fit, and taking advantage of numerous programs out there to help senior drivers remain safe on the road for as long as possible. And when that's no longer possible, to be aware of the transportation alternatives available.
"What we don't want is for people to stop driving and become socially isolated," Love said. "You don't have to drive to be a viable, active member of your community."
YOUR LEGAL RISK IF A DANGEROUS OLDER DRIVER REMAINS BEHIND THE WHEEL
When elderly parents dig in their heels and refuse to stop driving or insist they can live without assistance, lawyers say it's imperative that their children act for several reasons:
--Elder's liability: Assets become vulnerable when the
"It's prudent for the family to take action when they have knowledge of this, and sometimes they absolutely don't have knowledge of it because the elder's not sharing that with them," Shea said. "The problems are that the elder may be uninsurable since they have no license, and if they continue to drive the elder has the liability, and the assets of the elder may be exposed to such liability."
--Family members' liability: Should someone get hurt by an elderly driver, personal injury lawyers won't hesitate to sue family members who knew their parent shouldn't be driving, said
"From a plaintiff's perspective I would be looking at all avenues to collect for my client," he said. "That would include family members who knew the potential for mom or dad to go out and do harm to the public and did not take the reasonable steps to ensure the public was safe."
Once liability is proven, Ring would go after "everything from real property to personal property to safe deposit boxes, family trust and off-shore accounts."
HOW TO TAKE CONTROL
If a parent refuses to stop driving, Shea recommended a direct conversation.
"The best approach is open communication with the elder," Shea said.
"If you're going to have one of the children do it, make sure it's somebody the person actually likes," Love said. "Talk with an older family member with sensitivity."
When you have your talk, present a list of alternative transportation solutions so that elders don't feel like their rug of independence is suddenly being ripped from beneath them. Shea said in many circumstances, it's necessary to take the keys or the car.
"I've had situations where we've pulled the spark plug wires off the car," he said. "But it's very infuriating and the elder can distance themselves from the relative. Sometimes the children don't take the car keys away because they don't want their relationship scarred during these years with the elder, so it's a heck of a predicament."
Love said the family doctor can be a great help in ticklish situations like this.
Before any conversations have to take place, start by having the DMV retest the elder by filling out the confidential Request for Driver Re-examination form DS 699, online at http://www.dmv.ca.gov/forms/ds/ds699.pdf.
Anyone, from a neighbor to a family member, can anonymously fill out the form.
--By
TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS FOR SENIORS
--Agoura Hills Dial-A-Ride: 818-707-2005
--Thousand Oaks Transit: 375-5473
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--Simi Valley Transit: 583-6456
--Simi Valley Dial-A-Ride: 583-6464
--Moorpark Dial-A-Ride: 529-0099
--Camarillo Health Care District Care-A-Van: 388-2529 (Door-to-door assistance. Drivers are permitted to come inside and assist senior as he or she gets in and out of the vehicle)
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--Gold Coast Transit Access (serving
--Ojai Trolley Service: 653-2230
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--Santa Paula VISTA Dial-A-Ride: 933-2267
--Help of
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--Ambassador Medical & Wheelchair Transportation: 648-7104
--A to
--Select Home Care: 642-2655
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Copyright (c) 2010, Ventura County Star, Calif.
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