There is no specific age at which a senior citizen becomes too old to drive a car. The age when a motorist should stop driving varies from person to person. There are, however, common driving-related challenges that many older motorists face. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 500 people over 65 are involved in accidents causing injuries every day in America, and nearly two dozen seniors die in fatal car crashes every day. Accidents Commonly Caused by Older Motorists
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the effects of age on a senior’s driving can result in a variety of dangerous behaviors on the road, including the following:
- Failure to see traffic signals or signs clearly
- Misjudging the distance between cars or the space available to pass a car
- Driving the wrong way on a one-way street
- Changing lanes abruptly or without checking mirrors and blind spots
- Turning left at an intersection without yielding to oncoming traffic
- Merging at slow speeds into high-speed traffic on the interstate
- Driving too slowly or changing speeds sporadically
- Being blinded by the sun or the lights of other vehicles
More than 50 times a day across the U.S., vehicles crash into residential, public, and commercial buildings, causing thousands of injuries and 500 deaths annually. Nearly half of such accidents involve senior drivers.
Holding Senior Drivers Accountable
Although it’s considered polite in American society to respect and defer to older people, the law holds them accountable for damages they cause by driving negligently, just as it does all other drivers. The expenses you incur as a result of your accident are the same, no matter who caused them. If the at-fault driver’s insurer encourages you to accept a low settlement offer because the negligent driver is elderly, you should not do so without consulting an attorney.
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