The U.S. Census Bureau is predicting that by the year 2030 there will be 9.6 million people in our country that are over the age of 85.  When it comes to the elderly and driving, this figure is a little daunting because according to a study done by Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, fatality rates for drivers begin to increase substantially after the age of 65.  The figures are consistent with the numbers for teenage drivers with about 3 deaths per 100 million occurring between the ages of 75 to 84 and for drivers 85 and older, the fatality rate is about four times higher than that of teenagers.

What Are States Doing to Address the Issue of Car Accidents Involving the Elderly?

These kind of figures and a looming sense of concern for the future has led states across the nation to consider how to better evaluate older drivers to see if they are still safe and competent enough to drive.  As far back as 1995, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicated that the only scientifically sound method for lowering the fatality rate among senior drivers was to make it mandatory for them to show up at their local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office and renew their driver’s license in person.

Currently, there are only two states – Illinois and New Hampshire – that actually require that older drivers pass a road test.  Most states still do not require senior drivers to renew their licenses in person.  This prevents most states from genuinely assessing an elderly person’s current physical abilities or mental prowess as they relate to driving ability. If an elderly driver’s physical or mental driving skills have diminished over time, there is no system in place to prevent a driver with age impaired driving skills from driving and putting their safety or the safety of others at risk.

There was an incident a few years back where a 90 year old woman backed out of her driveway and displayed an inability to operate her vehicle as soon as she got behind the wheel.  According to her neighbor, she backed over her lawn and the curb before hitting the gas instead of the brake and slamming into another curb behind her.  She drove off oblivious to the havoc she had caused and continued on down the street.  Tragically, she ended up running a red light down the street and ran down a 17 year old girl on her way to school.  The teenager died from her injuries a few days later.  This is an example of someone who could have been identified as someone who was no longer a safe driver with even a minimal screening system.

While there has been a huge focus on teenage driving and how to address that issue, the issue of incompetent elderly drivers in Mississippi has received much less attention.  It is a natural part of the aging process that a person’s reflexes, vision, flexibility and concentration can decline. Some elderly people also take medications that can affect their driving abilities.  It is certainly the case that many senior drivers are excellent drivers, but we risk a growing number of serious auto accidents involving elderly drivers if steps are not taken to identify those senior drivers that should no longer be driving.

Cognitive Impairment

Vision tests do not give a qualitative assessment of a person’s diminished physical capacity and cognitive awareness, but this is all that is being required of older drivers in many cases.  Cognitive impairment refers to a decline in one or all of the following areas: attention, orientation, judgement, short-term memory and visual-spatial skills.  When someone experiences more than one of these conditions, then it is usually referred to as dementia. About 4 percent of current drivers over the age of 75 years of age have dementia according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.

One solution to the problem of preventing Mississippi auto accidents caused by elderly drivers would be to have an senior driver go to an occupational therapist to obtain a comprehensive driver evaluation.  This usually entails an evaluation that would include vision tests, memory tests, cognitive function tests and a road test. The therapist could then recommend that the driver be allowed to continue driving, drive with limitations, update their driving skills or retire from driving. A physician could also conduct a medical exam to help determine whether or not a person is still fit to drive.  While there are costs and other logistical challenges in imposing mental and physical evaluations on senior drivers, there are ways that the roads could be made safer by employing these types of strategies.

Mississippi Car Accident Lawyers

The statistics are frightening and innocent people can get injured or killed by elderly drivers who are still on the road driving even after their mental and physical abilities have declined.  It is also unfair to senior drivers that do not realize their driving skills have declined because they also are placed in danger.  If you or a loved one has been injured or there has been a wrongful death resulting from a Mississippi car accident involving an elderly driver, the Mississippi car accident lawyers at Barrett Law, PLLC may be able to help you obtain compensation for your injuries or loss.  Barrett Law, PLLC represents car accident victims throughout Mississippi and has roots that reach back 75 years.  We have helped thousands of people just like you so call us today at (662) 834-2376.