Older drivers are likely to be at higher risks for car accidents in Fort Lauderdale and elsewhere. We’re not saying they’re bad drivers, we’re just saying that age can take hold of us and can have a negative effect on our abilities behind the wheel.
Luckily, there are ways that we can help to make sure that we drive safely as we age. We need to keep an extra close eye on our mental, physical and visual abilities. When these senses start to deteriorate, it’s important for us to know when it’s time to hang up our car keys and find another way to get around — a safer way. Being able to recognize these changes will not only help to keep us safer, but help to keep other motorists safe as well.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) is here to help through its Florida GrandDriver website, helping elderly residents to ‘Get Around Safe and Sound.’
Goals of the Florida GrandDriver program:
-Help to promote continued driving safety, regardless of age.
-Help to enhance residents’ ability to get around the area safely and efficiently.
Elderly drivers follow pretty much the same rules and regulations, when it comes to having a driver’s license, as younger drivers do. The only differences is that drivers who are older than 79-years-old, are required to complete a vision test. Drivers who are under the age of 79 will only be issued an eight-year license, while drivers 80 and older only get a six-year license.
Elderly drivers are urged to visit a Florida Senior Safety Resource Center (FSSRC) to get useful assessments on their cognitive, physical and visual skills, on-road driving evaluations, mobility counseling, community education as well as professional training regarding senior driving issues.
Just how at-risk are our elderly motorists?
-They account for nearly 10 percent of all people who are injured in car accidents.
-They make up nearly 15 percent of all traffic fatalities.
-They account for another 15 percent of all vehicle occupants fatalities.
-Nearly 20 percent of all pedestrian fatalities are of elderly residents.
These numbers are only expected to increase in coming years, too. Within the next 20 years, the number of elderly drivers, or those who are 70-years-old and older, is expected to at least triple in the U.S. With more elderly drivers on our roadways it’s more important than ever to not only take a look at our own aging driving skills, but to look at the driving skills of our elderly loved ones. It’s important to know when driving is no longer the safest form of transportation and to speak up and take action when we or an elderly loved one reaches this point.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a car accident in Fort Lauderdale, Coconut Creek, Port St. Lucie or in any of the surrounding areas, call the Broward personal injury attorneys at Freeman & Mallard to schedule a free and confidential consultation to review your case. Call 1-800-561-7777.
More Blog Entries:
Rental Car Flips into Canal, Two Men Lucky to Escape, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog July 17, 2012
Interstate 95 Car Accident in Fort Lauderdale Sends 9 to Hospital, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, July 8, 2012