Elderly
drivers, Florida
at crossroads over safety
PALM
COAST -- An 81-year-old driver strikes a woman at the busy Flagler Beach
farmers market, leaving her comatose for two weeks. A 74-year-old driver
crashes into the baggage claim of the Tampa International Airport,
shattering glass doors and injuring another 74-year-old man.
Many people voice concern about elderly drivers when they hear about
accidents like these in late May and mid-June.
Elderly drivers are involved in fewer crashes than people younger than
25. But as Florida's elderly population grows, along with the number of
people older than 60 who have a driver's license, the state is
scrambling to address what it calls a critical situation.
A recent Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles report
recommended three steps:
· Educating older drivers to compensate for waning abilities and
recognize when it's time to give up the keys.
· Assessing drivers for debilitating declines in vision, hearing,
thinking and physical skills so that dangerous drivers can be taken off
the road.
· Providing alternative transportation for people who can no longer
drive.
However, whether voluntarily or involuntary, and regardless of whether
there's another way to get around, older people and their advocates say
surrendering the independence a driver's license brings can be a deep
emotional blow.
"I would be totally lost if I wasn't able to drive," said
75-year-old Dee Werdermann of Palm Coast, who got a taste of what it's
like to rely on other people when she needed surgery last year. She
spent a couple of months in physical therapy and couldn't drive.
Werdermann said she considers herself a safe driver. Robert Bourne, 80,
of Palm Coast, though, said he will stop driving when it's time for him
to renew his license next May. He already limits himself to daytime
driving, and with his waning vision he wants to turn in his keys before
it's too late, he said.
"I have decided it would be a boon to other drivers to get off of
the road at that time," Bourne said.
Many people drive who probably shouldn't, said Joanne Hinkel, Flagler
County Senior Services' program coordinator.
"Having to give that up is a very emotional and upsetting
event," Hinkel said.
The National Institute on Aging predicted that in 2020, one in five
Americans will be older than 65, and most will be licensed to drive. The
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reported that
almost 250,000 people in the state are older than 85, and at least 20
percent are drivers with dementia.
The report also said that crash rates for drivers with cognitive
dementia are 7.6 times higher than other drivers. But drivers with
dementia may not be aware of their condition, which makes it important
to identify people with failing abilities, according to the department.
A state law took effect this year requiring vision tests for drivers
older than 79 when they renew their licenses. The law also directed the
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to study the
effects of aging on the ability to drive.
The department reported that age isn't the only factor that determines
someone's ability to drive, but elderly people can develop debilitating
conditions that put them at risk.
The recommendations for driver education, assessment and alternative
transportation were included in that report. Pilot programs for testing
drivers' vision, cognitive abilities and functional skills are under
way, said Robert Sanchez, spokesman for the department.
Today law enforcement officers, doctors and family members often refer
seniors to the department for assessment, he said. Then the department
sends a letter to drivers asking for an interview, and their physician
may have to fill out a form assessing their ability to drive.
"It triggers a process designed to be fair to the person who is
referred to us," Sanchez said.
Seniors who no longer drive are faced with a lack of alternative
transportation. Taxis are costly for people on a fixed income, and
elderly people turn to friends, family or public transportation.
Though Flagler County has no regularly scheduled bus service, it does
offer government-run bus service that picks up elderly and disabled
people. Flagler County Transportation Director Gary Willoughby said
social workers often make referrals for people who need rides.
"A lot of the times they've been prescreened before they come to
us," Willoughby said.
The transportation program receives funds from federal, state and local
sources, and it's averaging 1,560 trips and 12,000 miles a week,
Willoughby said. The program isn't turning people away, but one day the
county will probably need a more regular bus service, he said.
The county took over public transportation March 1.
Volusia County's Votran Gold is a similar service for the elderly and
disabled. But the situation in Volusia County is different because it's
not as rural as Flagler, said Gail Camputaro, executive director of the
Council on Aging of Volusia County. Regular public transportation is
more extensive, and many elderly people live near a main road, she said.
She also recommended a driver safety course offered by the AARP and
advised seniors to prepare for the day when they won't be able to drive.
"We all have a personal responsibility to be planning for out
future as we go through the aging process," Camputaro said.
Hinkel said Flagler County tries to encourage seniors to use the county
bus service, but many will continue to drive if they don't have
alternatives.
"About all we can do now is help as many as we can as we know they
need it," Hinkel said.
Age and Accidents:
The number of drivers older than 60 is increasing rapidly in Florida.
Through March, the state says there were more than 3.3 million compared
to just less than 3 million in 2000. In Volusia County, the number
jumped from 106,763 to 117,967 in the same period while Flagler County's
total climbed from 15,685 to 20,301. An analysis of statewide crash
statistics from 2002 (the most recent available) reveals that
19-year-old drivers are involved in the most crashes. Seniors' rates of
crashes are lower, but once drivers turn 78, risk increases greatly and
grow higher after turning 85.
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