New Jersey lawmakers need to start talking about when elderly drivers need to be tested before renewing their license.
"Dad, we need to talk about your driving."
Is there a more emotion-laden conversation between parent and offspring than the older person's ability to safely operate a car?
But painful as the issue is, it's one many families eventually confront. It's also a conversation state policy-makers in Trenton need to have.
The Centers for Disease Control reports there were almost 36 million licensed drivers age 65 and older in our country in 2012. The number is expected to rise as our population continues to age.
Many of these drivers - not all, but a significant number - grapple with serious health issues, including diminished vision and hearing. Many of them - again, not all - experience memory lapses or cognitive impairments compromising their ability to reason or to respond to multiple stimuli.
How does N.J. take away an elderly person's license?
Thirty-three states and Washington, D.C. have enacted laws either mandating that elderly drivers have more frequent vision tests; requiring them to renew their driver's licenses in person more often; or requiring them to take a road test after a certain age.
New Jersey is not among them.
What we have instead is a medical review process, applied case-by-case based on referrals from doctors, police, courts, social workers and family members.
According to the CDC, the risk of being injured or killed in a motor vehicle crash increases with age. Every day, the federal agency says, an average of 586 older adults are injured on the highway.
Per mile traveled, fatal crash rates increase dramatically starting at age 70-74, and are highest among those drivers who have passed their 85th birthday.
But here's a twist: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety notes that in terms of fatalities, older drivers are a danger mostly to themselves and their passengers, who also are typically older and more vulnerable to injuries.
An institute study found that per licensed driver, fewer pedestrians, cyclists and occupants of other vehicles die in crashes involving drivers 60 and older than in those involving drivers between 30 and 59.
The good news about older drivers, according to crash records, is that they're less likely to drink and drive than their younger counterparts. With years of driving behind them, they're also more familiar with hazards they might encounter behind the wheel.
Any discussion about automatically testing seniors for license renewal must be nuanced and thorough. Some tough questions will be on the table.
If studies show the roads are indeed safer under such a policy, how do we best serve a population of newly disenfranchised citizens who are dependent on a public transportation system that is already overtaxed and inadequate?
At what age does the testing kick in? When you're 65? 70?
And, ultimately, should all license applicants be tested periodically to ensure they're still fit to be behind the wheel?
Let the conversation begin.
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