The Santa Monica car accident injury lawyers at Steinberg & Spencer understand that it can be tough to have a conversation with a parent or grandparent about giving up the car keys.
But according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the fatality rate for drivers 85 and over is nine times higher than the rate for drivers aged 25 to 69.
Poor eyesight: As the body ages, eyesight deteriorates, and even with prescription eyeglasses, it can be hard for older drivers to see traffic signs and signals. This failure to recognize important traffic signs can cause elderly drivers to run red lights, drive too fast or too slow, or fail to spot children in school zones.
Slow reaction time: Their inability to react in the same way as they did in their younger years means that elderly drivers cannot handle other drivers unexpectedly pulling out in front of them or children darting into the road.
Arthritis: This painful condition that is common for most elderly people can make it hard to grip the steering wheel.
Aging mind: It is not uncommon for elderly people to have bouts of confusion, which can lead to uncertainty and poor decision making while behind the wheel.
Joint pain: Stiff ankles and knees can make it hard for an elderly driver to push the gas or the brake, and mistakes doing either can cause a serious accident.
If you feel that your elderly loved one is a hazard on the road, then sit down and have a heart to heart. Remind your loved one that giving up driving is not meant to take away his or her freedom, but rather that it is for his or her safety and the safety of others.
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