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LIFE OR INDEPENDENCE
By Paul Gonzalez
Living in south Florida, it’s not uncommon to see a car driving down the road that appears to have no one behind the wheel. Of course there really is someone behind the wheel, but it’s often times an elderly driver. We usually will laugh at the classic sight of a little old man or woman who can barely see above the steering wheel. But what we are laughing at is a total danger to everyone who shares the road with them.
Elderly drivers continue to drive their cars as it represents the last straw of maintaining their independence. They insist that their abilities to drive are not affected by their age, and they will debate with anyone who says otherwise. The fact of the matter is that as we age, our sight, hearing and overall reflexes diminish. Reaction times are much slower for an elderly driver than that of a twenty-one year old driver. Basic skills of operating a vehicle are just that… basic. Will an elderly driver forget that it takes a key to start the car? Or forget that turning the wheel directs the car’s motion? Likely not. But operating a vehicle requires all of our senses to be keen to do so in a safe manner.
Driver’s licenses have become far too easy to retain once the initial one has been granted. All you have to do in the state of Florida is show up with a proof of identification and twenty dollars. The jaw-dropping fact is that unless the driver is eighty years of age or older, they do not have to take an eye exam. Are you kidding me? And what’s even more baffling than that is elderly drivers do not have to take a driving test to renew their license. If an elderly driver has enough computer skills, they can even renew their license online. How convenient for them.
How many times have you seen an elderly driver going fifty miles per hour in the HOV lane of I-95? Or how many times has a twenty-five foot ’72 Cadillac drifted into your lane of traffic while you lay on your horn, only to see that same little elderly person who is totally oblivious to his/her erroneous driving. And why? Because they cannot see the lines dividing the lanes or hear your horn.
On a more serious note, the question to be asked is how many elderly drivers have caused senseless auto accidents that have claimed and changed many, many lives? I say senseless because in the event of most fatalities involving elderly drivers, the senior driver had absolutely no business on the road in the first place. Boston.com posted these three incidents: Two weeks ago, an elderly Reading woman died after her 92-year-old husband slammed into her while backing out of a parking spot at West Dennis Yacht Club. A week before, an 84-year-old woman from Malden died when her 83-year-old husband crashed into another car in Woburn. And two weeks earlier than that, an 89-year-old Canton woman allegedly hit and killed a 4-year-old girl in a Stoughton crosswalk.
The average age of these three drivers is 88 years. And furthermore, there is absolutely no earthly reason that a 92-year-old has any business behind the wheel of a vehicle. One might argue that taking away their right to drive might mean taking away their independence. I’m sure that the family of the little 4-year-old girl is deeply concerned about the 89-year-old driver’s independence. Think about it for just a second. This woman lived a very long and likely fruitful life spanning eighty nine years. This innocent little girl didn’t live to see her fifth birthday… her fifth birthday!!
There needs to be some legislature addressed that will give elderly drivers their much desired independence in driving. However, it is a privilege that they will earn. It needs to be determined that once elderly drivers attain a certain age, they must pass a battery of tests on their sight, their hearing and their reaction times. It is only then, upon passing each test that they will earn their right to drive. They must also be properly insured and carry full coverage.
There will always be controversy regarding the elderly and their right to drive, thus keeping their independence. However, if the sacrifice for that independence is life, then there should be absolutely no controversy at all.
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