Blog 2: Elder Drivers

The question for this week is:

Should Florida adopt mandatory testing of drivers over the age of 65?

It is my personal opinion that there should be some kind of testing for drivers 65 and older. There are laws that prevent teenagers at an early age from driving. This not only benefits all the drivers, but also the teen who might not be able to drive correctly. I think that it will only benefit the drivers and the elderly themselves to test them. I know that at some elderly do get tested for their vision. Just as the book explained; it isn't just the sight that fails when a person reaches a certain age. There are many factors that contribute to their overall function during driving. An elderly person usually takes many different medications. Each of these medications have many side effects. Some of these side effects include an alert, which states that the patient should NOT operate any machinery. The influence of prescribed drugs on the eldery contribute to their lack of safe driving. 

I do think that Florida should adopt mandatory testing of drivers over the age of 65. This would help the whole state of Florida reduce their accident rates. On the other hand, who will drive the elders around? Some elders do not live with any family members. And some are just to stubborn to ask for help. I can say this because thats my grandfather for you. He would rather live by himself than have anyone offer to hire a nurse to help him. I think this hurts their ego quite a bit by making them feel as if though they cannot take care of themselves. Many elders just like my grandfather have to make daily trips to the doctors and the pharmacy and supermarkets so, this can also cause a bit of an issue. If Florida does adopt these laws, the state must also be prepared to make any arrangements for transporting the elders daily to their appointments.

While reading an article, I found an interesting fact lets say quote with valuable information that reinforces my opinion.

"On the basis of estimated annual travel, the fatality rate for drivers 85 and over is nine times as high as the rate for drivers 25 through 69 years old."  http://www.drdriving.org/elderly/