Senior Safe Driving: Survive-2-95
Staying connected to your community is an important part of our well-being. For most of us, driving our own car is how we stay mobile and on the go.
Driving is how we see the people we want to see and how we do the things we want to do at our convenience. Changes in our physical, mental, and sensory abilities however can challenge our continued ability to drive safely.
Arvada and communities nationwide are confronting an increasingly complex challenge of ensuring the safety of older adult drivers and of promoting the continued mobility of individuals as they restrict or stop driving.
Number of Older Drivers to More Than Double
According to the NAAAA (National Association of Area Agencies on Aging), over the next 30 years, the number of older drivers on our nation's highways is expected to more than double. The number of drivers over the age of 85 is expected to be four to five times greater than today.
Studies have shown that a common consequence of aging can be a reduction in the skills needed to drive safely.
Driving is a critical issue for Arvada's seniors
Right now older drivers are more likely to get in multiple-vehicle accidents than younger drivers, including teenagers. The elderly are also more likely to get traffic citations for failing to yield, turning improperly, and running red lights and stop signs - an indication of decreased driving ability.
Car accidents are more dangerous for seniors than for younger people. A person 65 or older who is involved in a car accident is more likely to be seriously hurt, more likely to require hospitalization, and more likely to die than younger people involved in the same crash.
In particular, fatal crash rates rise sharply after a driver has reached the age of 70.
There are a large range of options that can assist older drivers to assess their skills, become better educated on improving their driving performance, and, if driving is no longer an option, assist them in finding mobility alternatives.
Check out the links below. You can also contact the Arvada Police's liaison for seniors, Officer Don Sikkema at 720-898-6900
