As time rages on, within your body certain skills begin to deteriorate. Some of these skills can greatly influence how your everyday functions work, like walking, talking, and picking things up. Some of these skills can also influence your reaction time, like hitting the brakes or speeding up in a car.
The older you get, the more your motor skills could deteriorate, which could impact how you drive. If you have bad reaction times, and you drive a car, you could easily accidentally crash and kill people.
“Aging brings multifaceted changes that can profoundly impact quality of life, especially in motor control,” Science Direct said. “The decline in motor functions, marked by diminished posture and gait control, decelerated fine motor responses, and increased difficulty in daily activities, not only threatens independence but also raises the risk of injury due to falls and slower reaction times “
Another problem is arthritis, which also can occur when you age, is that it hurts to move. This can easily hurt older people if they try to drive a car, or even get into a car. Visiting Angels said that “Any form of arthritis is painful and makes it difficult for any senior to complete everyday tasks, such as grooming or chores.”
Elderly people can and usually are, in the end, unfit to drive a car. It can be incredibly dangerous for them to drive. However, elderly doesn’t mean 50-65’s. It means 70’s and older. This is when the motor skills and arthritis REALLY cause issues, and can even result in memory loss from aging.
A new policy has been implemented in Illinois, where if you are 75+, then you must take a driving test to renew your license. This can easily help the amount of elderly related crashes, by simply removing their ability to drive if they are unfit, and find help for them.
If elderly people can’t drive, how will they get to places they need to go? A public transportation system could be implemented, which can drastically help all the seniors get places they need to go.
In the end, elderly people can be unreliable drivers, and systems should be implemented to help keep them, and everyone else on the road safe.
