Personal Injury Law

Older driver safety week spotlights risks of Chicago car accidents among seniors

By Kris Briggs

Getting older is unavoidable but when does age become a factor in our driving skills? This week is dedicated to Older Driver Safety Awareness Week throughout the country. In an effort to reduce the number of Chicago car accidents involving elderly drivers it is a good time to increase awareness of the dangers.

As family members and loved ones get older we find it difficult to discourage them from driving. In taking their driving privileges away it may seem like you are stripping them of their freedom. As a result it puts more of a burden on us personally because we feel responsible for getting them out to run errands, go to church, etc. Not allowing elders to drive may be difficult because it means admitting someone is getting older and less capable.

The National Safety Council states that the mature drivers age group crash rate is higher than any other age group except teens. The NSC estimates that by year 2028, elderly drivers will increase 70 percent and it's possible that 100,000 older drivers will be killed in traffic accidents on the nation's roads.

According to Caring.com Illinois requires that drivers 75 and older pass a vision and road test in order to renew their driver's license. Renewing through the mail is no longer an option when you turn 75. Once a driver turns 81 they are required to renew their license every two years then at age 87 it becomes an annual renewal process.

According to a 2008 report by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Illinois had a total of 1,434 fatal crashes of which 11.4% were drivers age 65 and over. In addition, there were 157 fatalities in traffic accidents for drivers 65 and over in Illinois.

Nationally, it seemed most likely that accidents involving an elderly driver were during the day (80%), Monday-Friday (72%), and more often than not involved another vehicle 69% of the time.

If you or someone you know is approaching the age where it may be difficult to drive, you may want to ask the following questions:

-How is your reaction time to unexpected events like changing traffic lights or animals crossing over the roadways?

-Is your eyesight failing and causing you inability to see road signs from a distance?

-Are you physically able to look over you shoulder, move your foot from gas pedal to break, or move your head to look both directions?

Full post as published by Illinois Injury Law Blog on December 09, 2010 (boomark / email).