Category: Older Driver Safety In The News

Crash Restarts Conversation On Aging Drivers

March 9, 2014 – Justin Runquist 

Gage W. Musgrave, 84, sat dazed and trapped in his wrecked Toyota Avalon on Interstate 5 for more than 30 minutes before emergency responders could pry him free.

It was the afternoon of Feb. 28, and Musgrave, a Vancouver resident, had just driven at least a mile in the wrong direction of the northbound lanes before crashing into a gray sedan.

The crash killed a 6-year-old La Center boy. Musgrave emerged with a head injury and showed signs of confusion, said Trooper Will Finn with the Washington State Patrol.

Was Musgrave’s confusion a consequence of the head trauma or a sign of his mental state leading up to the crash? Detectives aren’t yet sure.

“At the time of the collision, obviously we were dealing with a very traumatic situation, along with someone who is 84 years old,” Finn said.

Investigators do say drugs and alcohol weren’t a factor in the collision. But they’re considering whether declining driving skills associated with the aging process could be at the root of the crash.

If age is determined to be a factor, Musgrave wouldn’t be alone, according to a number of national studies of collisions.

A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows a dramatic spike in fatal collision rates for drivers 70 and older, with rates peaking for drivers in their mid-80s or older. A 2012 report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reveals that most fatal wrong-way crashes involve drivers between the ages of 20 and 50 who were under the influence of alcohol, though it also confirms the higher deadly crash rates for older drivers.

The NTSB report — based on an analysis of six years of fatal-collision data — also shows a growing number of older drivers throughout the country as advancements in medicine and automobile safety enable them to drive later into life than ever before.

“In 2009, about 84 percent of the population over the age of 70 had a driver’s license,” the report states.

“This compares to 74 percent of those age 70 and older who had licenses in 2000, and 66 percent in 1990.”

Quitting driving

The trends have sounded an alarm about the future of road safety for those who study and work with older drivers. But regardless of whether aging played a role in Musgrave’s crash, stories like his offer a chance for concerned family members and friends of older drivers to approach their loved ones about putting down the keys, said Jodi Olshevski, the executive director of The Hartford’s Center for Mature Market Excellence, a research group funded by The Hartford insurance company.

“You might have to have several conversations with that person,” Olshevski said. “And we suggest that you’re really thoughtful before you have that conversation in order to create an environment that is supportive for the older person.”

Olshevski and a team of gerontologists at The Hartford have spent the past 15 years studying trends among older drivers. In their observations, age alone doesn’t appear to be a reliable indicator of declining driving ability, she said.

“Oftentimes if a person is older and having difficulty driving, it’s often because of an underlying health condition,” Olshevski said.

If a family member is concerned about an older relative’s driving, it’s important to get in the passenger seat and take note of potentially dangerous habits over time, Olshevski said.

Mike Reardon, a community services manager at the Southwest Washington Agency on Aging and Disabilities, went through that experience several years ago. His mother began to show signs of dementia in her early 70s. A neurologist suggested she stop driving after she ran two red lights on separate occasions. First, she crashed into a building; in the second accident she got clipped on the back bumper by another car.

In some ways, older drivers represent a much safer group on the road, Reardon said. They tend to drive slower and avoid nighttime driving, and they have far more experience and fewer distractions than younger drivers, he said.

Reardon cautions people to watch for clues of declining physical and cognitive health in their older friends and relatives. The signs vary from person to person, but they generally include a loss of strength and flexibility and a noticeably slower ability to process information.

The agency offers a number of resources to help people work with older drivers. Of course, giving up driving is never easy, he said.

“Driving is something we looked forward to since we were teenagers and is our primary source of independence,” Reardon said. “Being able to get in the car and go where you want, when you want, is something we do for the majority of our life.”

Source: The Columbian

Spike In Senior Traffic Deaths Fuels New Safety Initiative

Source: Digital Journal

State Trooper Hailed As Hero After Elderly Man Drives Wrong Way On Thruway

January 7, 2014

See video here

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – Deirdre O’Neil gets weepy when she thinks about how close she came to dying Monday.

As CBS 2′s Lou Young reports, O’Neil was traveling southbound around 3 p.m. on the New York State Thruway, where a disoriented elderly man was driving for eight miles in the wrong direction, police said.

“It was scary,” said O’Neil, of New City. “It seemed like he was just casually driving on the highway … about 70 miles an hour.”

Joseph Dorcely, 86, of Spring Valley, was lost in his own hometown — the onset of dementia taking a sudden unexpected toll on his memory, said his daughter, Evelyn Michel.

“He dropped my mom off to church, and he couldn’t find his way back home,” Michel said. “So he’s been driving since 6 o’clock in the morning.”

Nine hours later, state Trooper John Devoe spotted Dorcely on the thruway heading north into Orange County on the southbound lane. Devoe then drove past the wrong-way car, found an emergency turnaround and ran out onto the highway to warn southbound drivers of the approaching danger.

“He pulled into the break on the highway and jumped out of his car and jumped in the middle of the thruway waving his hands in the air for people to stop driving or to slow down,” O’Neil said. “And he was risking his own life to try and save all these people, who were coming at him.”

“I knew what I had to do: I had to shut down the lanes and hopefully somehow get him to slow down or stop,” Devoe said. ” … Luckily, everything worked out for the best.

O’Neil had a message for Devoe: “Thank you for saving my life and the life of everyone on that road.”

“I appreciate it, but I’m just out there doing my job,” Devoe told Young. “Any other trooper out here would’ve done the same thing.”

Dorcely also stopped when he saw Devoe out of his car. He was treated at a hospital and released.

State police said no charges have been filed, but they notified the Department of Motor Vehicles about the incident, and it suggested that Dorcely’s license be revoked.

Regardless, Michel said her father’s driving days are over.

“He’s done,” she said. “We’re not going to let him drive again. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Source: CBS New York

Las Vegas Food 4 Less Elderly Crash

By Ebony Waller – March 2, 2014

Las Vegas will continue reconstruction of a local Food 4 Less, after an 88-year-old woman crashed her pick-up truck through the entry way.  The woman drove through the store some 80 yards before stopping in the frozen food section.  A total of 26 individuals sustained injuries related to the crash.  17 people were treated on the scene and 9 others were taken to the hospital.  No fatalities have been reported at this time, but one person is listed in critical condition.

The Food 4 Less is located at the corner of Sahara and Eastern.  Witness accounts place the 88-year-old clipping a car in the parking lot before careening into the building.  It is unclear if the driver was negligent or if there was a malfunction with the vehicle.  The driver was given a sobriety test and was not transported for medical care.  The question of the elderly’s ability to operate a vehicle will dominate this situation.

Vegas is a well-known relaxation haven for the elderly to relocate.  The year around warm weather and occasional gambling make for a peaceful retirement.  How do cities that have these high amounts of retirees measure up on driving records?  With the gift of father time comes some other unwanted gifts.  The continuing decline of hearing and sight are two key factors essential for driving.  The Las Vegas elderly woman crashing into food 4 less will signify several assumptions.  It is the immediate assumption that this elderly woman has either surpassed her driving age or is under massive amounts of medication.  The shocking information to report would be that her senses were fine and she was not under the influence of anything.

Las Vegas in one city that has not had the harsh DUI penalties until recent years.  There have been points in time when the legal limit for blood alcohol content was .10.  The free-flowing liquor accompanied with poor judgement has led to many changes.  There are many younger offenders that violate driving under the influence laws.  When dealing with the elderly how many are able to slither out of cases because of age? Just as many elderly individuals frequent casinos as their younger counter parts.  Inside such establishments alcoholic beverages are served in abundance.  Once these individuals vacate the establishments who is more likely to have law enforcement intervene?  The elderly do not seem to set off as many alarms cruising city streets alone.  This misleading conduct is overlooked when measured against younger individuals.  The mere fact that a younger person has more than one person in a vehicle creates a target.  The younger person is presumed to be distracted and have less experience behind the wheel.  Compounded with the fact that multiple young people in a car presumably screams mischief.

The effort to combat youthful Driving Under the Influence offenders may be green lighting older offenders to run a muck.  Elderly drivers have not enlisted bait and switch tactics, but they are definitely reaping the benefits.  An individual driving under the influence slowly is just as dangerous as an influenced driver speeding.  Although, a speeding car will catch the eye more quickly than slower moving vehicles.  The Food 4 Less crash will most likely forecast stricter driving laws for the elderly in Las Vegas.

Source: Liberty Voice

Driving A Difficult Decision For Seniors

By Debbie Behrends – March 1, 2014

In this Jan . 24, 2014 photo, Dorothy Bierman, 86, makes a right turn while driving in DeKalb, Ill. Discussions about giving up one’s driver’s license are difficult for senior citizens. Bierman, who has been driving for 70 years, has a supportive son who has taught driver’s education to high school students.

DEKALB, Ill. | Nikki Crooke of DeKalb plans to keep driving until they tell her she can’t any more.

Crooke, 79, of DeKalb, said she would feel a terrible loss of independence without her driver’s license.

“I worked as a visiting nurse for hospice up until just three years ago,” Crooke said. “I put about 800 miles a month on my car.”

Discussions about giving up one’s driver’s license — and with it a measure of independence — are difficult for senior citizens.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 5,401 people age 65 and older were killed and 185,000 were injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes. These older individuals made up 17 percent of all traffic fatalities and 8 percent of all people injured in traffic crashes that year.

Seniors, and those who care for them, need to have discussions about driving, advised Diana King, senior service director for Family Service Agency. But it’s not always an easy one.

“Always be respectful and sensitive when having that conversation,” King said. “Understand that it’s difficult to lose that independence.”

Factors that contribute to safety issues for seniors include slower reaction time, depth perception changes, vision or hearing problems, decreased ability to focus, feelings of nervousness or anxiety and general medical issues.

King said some refuse to give up their keys, and that’s when it gets difficult.

“It’s really hard, but sometimes you have to go to extreme measures like taking away keys,” King said. “You have to think of their safety.”

Dorothy Bierman, 86, of DeKalb, still drives and has a supportive son who has taught driver’s education to high school students.

“My son said if I ever failed my driving test,” Bierman said, “he would take me out and help me pass it again.”

Source: siouxcityjournal.com

Elderly Man Hits Nitro Store With Vehicle

February 27, 2014

NITRO, W.Va. (Jeff Morris) — An elderly man escaped injury after his vehicle struck an store in Nitro

Firefighters and a witness at the scene said the man apparently was backing out of a space when he lost control of his vehicle and struck the Once Upon at Time store on 21st Street about 3:30 p.m. Thursday. 

The vehicle took out a fire hydrant and window in the business and a couple of bricks under it. 

Once Upon a Time is an antique boutique and photography shop

Source: wchstv.com

Silverberg: Road safety and older drivers

Kathy Silverberg – February 28, 2014

Too Old To Drive: The Difficult Decision Mainers Face on Hanging up the Keys

Feb 6, 2014

BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — As many people in the state’s population continue to grow older, one by one they each have to face the same challenging question: when is it time to stop driving?

Finding the unique answers that vary from person to person isn’t just important for the drivers themselves but also the public at large. According to a national study from the research group TRIP, there were 161 fatalities in Maine from car crashes on the state’s many roads and highways. Out of that total, 36 of those fatalities were in crashes involving drivers over the age of 65.

Last fall in Old Town the issue also came back into major focus after yet another elderly driver was stopped by police for going the wrong way on I-95. That incident, which ended without a crash, was one where the driver went against interstate traffic for 10 miles prompting dozens of phone calls to 9-1-1.

“The reason why senior driving is so difficult to grapple with.. is it’s very subjective,” said Maine secretary of state Matt Dunlap, “you can’t come up with a blanket policy that affects everybody. No two senior drivers are exactly alike..they don’t have the same issues or even if they have the same issues..they have them to different degrees.”

According to the secretary, re-testing procedures for elderly drivers in Maine has not changed much over the years. Under current state law, all drivers have to have an eye exam with every license renewal beginning after age 62. When they reach 65, the renewal period for a license then drops from every six years to every four years.

“So that’s often what we’re limited to at this juncture,” he said, “people often ask about proposals for mandatory road tests at a certain age and the reality is that we’re not equipped to do that. We {the state bureau of motor vehicles} do tens of thousands of road tests now for new drivers..and there’s commercial, Class C…bus licenses. We have all we can manage right now on the traffic for road tests.”

While screening procedures haven’t changed, neither has extra protocol for catching aging drivers who may be impaired. Erratic drivers of any age can become the subject of reports made by police or by medical doctors. Officials with the Maine State Police say in most cases when those adverse reports get filed, a driver either has to be re-tested for their license or risk losing it.

“Doing an adverse report is a very difficult step to take,” said Lt. Colonel Raymond Bassette, “but if someone has been giving indications that they’re struggling with their driving…an adverse report does give a tool.”

“We all have to retire from driving on average about 6 to 10 years before we kick the bucket,” said Dr. David Onion, who specializes in geriatrics and has evaluated hundreds of older drivers over the years, “We have to plan ways to get around and socialize when that time period first comes.”

Dr. Onion currently sits on the medical advisory committee for the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles, which is currently working on ways to revise procedures for evaluating aging drivers. He say he is also looking at coordinating volunteer efforts to create more community ride programs for those Mainers who decide to park their cars for good.

“And they’re struggling,” Onion said, “The more rural they are..the more difficulties they have getting to everything they care about. Maine’s a very rural state…one of the most rural states east of the Mississippi and a lot of people live there…and you got to have a car to get around or you got to have family who will drive you and that’s increasingly difficult.”

Source: WCSH6.com

LETTERS: A word to the Older Driver

February 06,2014

One day in the pleasant Dorset town in which I live there drove an old man into my local supermarket car park via its exit lane. His car was already covered in dents and scratches.

Although elderly myself, from past professional reflex I gently chided him over his continuing to drive.

I received the magisterial and (to him) unanswerable reply: “I’ve been driving since 1950, you young ****!” Yes, and it showed.

Before I retired I worked as a specialist community psychiatric nurse for the elderly. In close co-operation with other authorities, including GPs, I was often instrumental in terminating an old person’s driving – a hateful task to have to do.

It could mean the loss of freedom; social stimulation and the means fully to care for a completely dependent partner. It can cause real bereavement. It’s a kind of moral amputation.

But no matter how relatively safe other older drivers still appear to be, there is the growing national problem of “incidents” – causing anything from mild infuriation to all-out road rage, to actual collisions.

Sensitive older drivers make every effort to avoid problems. They drive on local roads with which they are familiar and drastically cut down on their mileage.

This is the only reason older drivers appear safer on statistics. Ask any insurance company.

The crux is this; all we older people are affected increasingly with age by mild to moderate Cognitive Deficit. That just means slower reaction times and is often more than compensated for by increased life experience and (sometimes) wisdom.

It doesn’t necessarily lead into real dementia in the majority of cases.

But when driving it’s all somewhat analagous to the effects of one and a half to two units of alcohol. Braking reflexes are slower, inhibitions less restrained and overall concentration blunted and intermittent rather than continuous. And even at an impact speed after braking of “only” 25mph, half a ton of motor car can cause a lot of harm to other human beings. Ouch!

Now here, any older driver will say to themselves, “Yes, of course he’s right, but it doesn’t apply in my own particular case. One day it will, but not yet.” Sounds a bit like St Augustine.

The psychological process here is called Denial. Even decent, honest human beings can in all sincerity deceive themselves and others if what they see as their vital interests are threatened.

Take the compulsory renewal of a driving licence on one’s 70th birthday. There is a long list on the form of medical issues which require only a simple “yes” or “no” replay. Any problematic answer to the DVLC and renewal will be delayed for months following investigation, or even refused.

So guess what? Mysteriously, millions of older drivers confirm there is no medical problem whatever which could preclude that precious green document being renewed. And seriously, who will judge or blame those who can be simply (I hate to use the word) lying? Who will cast the first stone? We are all of us flawed.

What can be done, then? Obviously the ideal solution would be an annual or even three-yearly driving test. But the government who imposed such legislation on such a powerful voting base would commit political suicide. So it will never come about.

The answer then? We older drivers must monitor ourselves much more ruthlessly for our own sake or the sake of our nearest and dearest, or other people’s nearest and dearest. Have the bravery to do the unthinkable. Or do what I’m going to do. Set yourself a date for surrendering that licence.

give up driving on that date and return your licence. But in my case it’s going to be so hard, believe me. I’m already having anticipatory bereavement just thinking about it.

No, it’s not altruism, it’s self-interest. I’ve tested providence hugely over decades and hundreds of thousands of miles. So far so good.

We older drivers have got to be so grateful we’ve reached this point if we’ve had no major driving calamity.

Call in your chipos whilde you’re still ahead.

Hopefully I can still walk down to the pub.

Source: Blackmore Vale Magazine

Bill to Require Seniors to Renew Driver’s Licenses More Often Moves to Senate

Feb 07, 2014

A House bill that require seniors to renew their driver’s licenses earlier and more often moves forward in the General Assembly.

A Virginia father who lost his son in horrible crash helped to shape this legislation.

This bill would require anyone age 75 to appear in person at DMV to renew their driver’s license. Right now the age is 80.

Also driver’s licenses are typically issued for eight years. This measure would require anyone 75 or older to renew their license every five years.

Supporters say the measure is not about targeting seniors but making our roads safer for everyone.

This week, an elderly woman in Florida accidentally backs into a crowd leaving church and kills three. In May, a chesterfield senior hits the gas instead of the brakes and plows into a building. And last year an elderly driver makes a wrong turn plunging into the James River. All tragic accidents that could have possibly been prevented.

Dave Morrell’s 32-year-old son Darren, a newlywed full of hopes and dreams, was tragically hit and killed by a senior driver in Oakton in 2011.

“It occurred when an 85 year old individual pulled out of a small commercial area making a left-hand turn without looking.”

The 85-year-old never even knew he hit Darren.

“In fact pedestrians alongside the road had to stop him.  So it begged the question how was he still driving.”

Wanting to prevent something like this from happening to another family, Morrell pressed for House Bill 771, the Mature Driving Bill, which requires seniors renew their licenses earlier, in person and more often.

While critics argues it’s taking a seniors’ impendence away it has wide support from AARP, Drivesmart Virginia and the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police.

“The bill we think is very reasonable,” says Dana Schrad, Executive Director VA Association of Police Chiefs. “It just requires you to go a little bit more frequently and get your eyes checked and that is something that should be a public safety concern for all of us.”

The bill has passed the House. It heads to the Senate on February 12.

To read the full bill, click here.

Source: Wric.com