Elderly driving

It's happened to all of us. You're cruising down the street when all of the sudden a gigantic Buick, piloted by a little gray haired head barely peaking over the steering wheel, pulls out in front of you, causing you to slam on your brakes, honk your horn, and say a few choice words. This is a close call I'm sure we all can relate to. It is needless to explain how often this happens to us. The truth is, elderly drivers are out there presenting hazards to people on the road. Something must be done in order to prevent these people from endangering the lives of others. My point today is to inform you on some facts and statistics and how we can ethically put some restrictions on elderly drivers.

According to Christopher Chin, an editorial writer for FreshAngles.com, last November, a 96 year-old man struck a little girl as she crossed the street at a crosswalk.

Tibet: An elderly Tibetan women holding a prayer w...

English: Habiba Adan Salat, a Somali woman in Dolo...

Old Age - Support!!!

After the accident, the driver told that he hadn't taken a driving test since he got his license in 1918. Today, roughly 35 million, 13% of the nation's drivers are 65 or older. Of this 35 million, 6 million over 65 and 1.6 million over 80 still drive on a regular basis according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Within this group, traffic fatalities are dramatically increasing. As a matter of fact, National highway officials expect accidents caused by people over 65 to compete with alcohol related accidents in the near future. Alcohol related accidents are much more unavoidable and uncontrollable than accidents caused by the elderly. Something can actually be done about this problem. The same study found that drivers over 65 now account for one in six accident fatalities. As the elderly population grows, that number is expected to...