Book
Review
The Safety of Elderly Drivers by J. Peter Rothe
J. Peter Rothe wrote, The safety of Elderly Drivers and other books attempting to educate his audience on the topic of “the elderly behind the wheel”. Rothe writes about actions the elderly take to compensate for their shortcomings due to aging. He interviews a small group of elderly that was involved in accidents. All of Rothe’s data is from the view point of the group, which is a great asset in understand their perspectives but at the same time, his results cannot represent the entire population of elderly drivers. Some of the topics that you can find in the book, The Safety of Elderly Drivers are how this small group of elderly feel about certain driving conditions, younger drivers, the cause of accidents, and many more topics that the elderly feel effect their conditions behind the wheel. I agree with J. Peter Rothe’s approach to gathering data and reporting new idea’s to make our roadways safer.
The elderly population is growing because the “baby boomers” coming of age. This means that there will be more elderly drivers on the road and in return will effect the standards or environment of the roads. Young drivers need to realize that there are driving styles different from their own and the elderly will show the difference. The majority of elderly drivers feel that they drive more couscous and have more patience while driving compared to the younger drivers. The younger drivers will take more risks that a elderly wound not, for example, a yellow light might tempt a young driver to go thru were as an elderly driver might stop to be on the safe side. The topics that Rothe discusses in this book is relevant to today’s population because there are more cars on the road and that car might be driven by an elderly driver. Also, as the car population increases, the rules of the road and the conditions of the road changes. One problem might be that some elderly drivers might be less educated about the new advances on the road compared to a younger driver. For many elderly drivers, they have not been tested on their road skills since they got their drivers license that could be between 40 to 60 years ago. That thought is a bit scary if you ask me. There has been a case reported in the United States where an elderly man hit and killed a young girl and he states that he is 90 years old and has not been tested since the 1920’s. Now think of all the changes that have occurred on the roads since the 1920’s and he has not even taken a class to refresh his driving skills! The message from this book is important for all drivers. Accident rates in the United States need to decrease and the only way that is possible is by educating drivers on how to handle different situations. I have learned through reading Rothe’s book that the elderly are taking precautions while driving, some of them may include: not driving during peek times, bad weather conditions, and decreasing the distractions within the car while driving. These are techniques that should be acquired by all drivers.
Some of the problems with elderly drivers are that their reflexes react slower, visual acuity changes, physical health changes and increased episodes of confusion. All of which can have a detrimental effect on them, if they do not react quickly enough this may be a result of a serious accident involving them and/or other drivers and passengers. There are many physical changes that take place in the elderly beside reaction time; some elderly drivers may have vision problems. In the state of Hawaii a driver must have 20/40 vision or better in one eye to legally drive. The elderly are not tested periodically so more often than not visual changes occur and go undetected. Another problem that I mentioned earlier is that many elderly drivers have not been road tested since they received their license many years ago. The problem with this situation is that many changes have taken place on the roads, for example; there are more intersections, new highway on and off ramps, and most importantly more cars. Some elderly drivers feel that they need to be more cautious by driving slower to compensate for their slow reaction to other drivers; but in most cases, it only causes more turmoil on the road. Another problem is that young drivers are not considerate of other drivers. They believe that the roads belong to them and elderly drivers should stay home because they have nowhere to go in a hurry. All drivers, no matter what age they are should be aware of the other drivers.
Solutions to the problems presented maybe testing elderly drivers after the age of seventy. The testing would consist of three phases, first phase an annual visual acuity, second, sensory motor skills, and third, annual written and driving exams. The book discusses testing of elderly drivers, and there is a bias because if a state is going to isolate the elderly then this would fall under discrimination. The annual testing should be mandated on every person seeking a driver’s license. I feel that the testing is a small price to pay to keep the roads safe for everyone. Other solutions that might not discriminate against the elderly would be social setting classes that can refresh the elderly on driving regulations. These classes can be kept non-formal, and the incentive would be if they participated in the classes their insurance would be lowered. If the laws are going to change to mandate drivers to attend classes, it should be all drivers. All age groups should be educated on how to act in different situation that may present them selves behind the wheel. Younger drivers should be aware of how the elderly tend to drive and learn how to handle the encounter. For example, if a teenager finds him/herself behind an elderly driver, they should realize getting upset and trying to cut them off to get a head of them is not the solution. The teenage should stay calm and wait for a clear chance to pass the elderly driver in a safe manner. There should be classes that address issues of self-discipline, self-control, and patience. I do believe that elderly drivers should not have their license taken away unless it is absolutely necessary. When an elderly driver loses their license it is like having their freedom taken away. The elderly driver might feel depressed because they now have to rely on others to get around and they might feel that their time is more restricted because they can only travel at curtain times. Rothe discusses some of the alternatives when elderly drivers have lost their drivers license, like the bus system or relying on family members to drive them places.
Three topics that Rothe writes about in this book that I find important when dealing with the topic of elderly drivers are; the physical, mental and social problems of the elderly drivers. The physical aspect deals with aging and how that will affect their driving abilities. The mental aspect deals with the psychological changes that take place while aging, for instance; the need to feel independent. The third topic is the social aspect and that deals with how society reacts to the elderly while driving. Everyone knows that aging is impossible to avoid and there will be changes in our eyesight and motor skills. By acknowledging the changes and compensating for them, they can be less of a burden. The vehicle manufactures are becoming aware of the increase in elderly drivers and are now marketing vehicles that can compensate for some of the physical changes. The Oldsmobile manufactures are making cars larger to allow for elderly to enter and exit the vehicle easier, and they are making the airbags less powerful after impacted because elderly cannot survive a hard impact from and airbag. Some other manufactures are changing the seatbelts because they are not accommodating to the elderly because they’re more frail physically. The mental changes that an elderly goes through can cause stress, which will affect their health. When one is getting older most fear the loss of independence and that can come in many forms, but for this topic we will discuses loss of independence due to loss of drivers license. Many elderly drivers’ families worry about them on the road and will try to take away their vehicles or convince the elderly person to stop driving. This means that the elderly person’s daily routines are disrupted and will have to rely on other means of transportation. Some elderly people will fight the issue because they want to feel the freedom to go and do as they please. As Rothe discuses some elderly understand that they should not drive and will take actions to still enjoy their daily routines while not driving a vehicle. Some may move closer to a bus stop which will make it easier to commute, and others might mover closer to town or family so they can walk to their destination. The social topic is how the society reacts to the elderly while driving a vehicle. Many elderly feel that they are discriminated against while driving, if they do get into an accident they may feel that their opinions will not be listened to because of their age. “ But, not surprisingly, there were some elderly people who support the assumption that blame or fault in an accident is unreflectively attributed to age” (232, Rothe). Some may feel that just because they are getting older that does not mean that they are becoming a bad driver, and they may feel that creating new laws of mandatory testing for the elderly unfair. Society is trying to find ways to deal with the increasing number of elderly drivers when they should just deal with the increasing number of drivers, no matter what age they are. Not all elderly drivers are unfit to have a drivers license, just like not all teenagers should be driving on the roads.
In my personal opinion, I do not see the media exploiting elderly drivers. I do feel, that the media does make the general population believe that when you get old, all you have to look forward to is sickness and loss of freedom. I also feel that the older generation is doing a great job at changing the way society views them and because people are living longer the term, “elderly” is pertaining to seventy-five or eighty years old not sixty. I do feel that the media exploits teenagers more then the elderly. However, my views may be bias due to my age (I am twenty-three) but I feel that young drivers are thought to be reckless and immature. Not all young drivers, drive with no consideration of the other drivers, just like not all elderly are in need of their drivers license revoked.
I enjoyed this book and thought that Rothe did a great job interviewing the small groups of elderly people participating.
The data that Rothe gathered is not to be generalized, he only interviewed a small sample of elderly drivers but his questions were broad enough to get an idea of what the elderly people might be feeling. I enjoyed that Rothe placed quoted conversations amongst the elderly participating, that way the reader can come to his or her own view of the conversation. The style that Rothe chose to take in gathering his data allowed for open-ended question and extensive answers. If all his data came from surveys my view would be very different. I liked how the elderly had the chance to explain themselves and the situation at hand. Rothe writes, “ We will reassemble the lives of 130 accident victims and trace their attitudes, feelings, motives, physical involvements, social interpretations of events, and moral displays” (185, Rothe). This line explains that Rothe’s goal is to understand the elderly better, not just from one aspect but also from many different views. Allowing the elderly to explain what happened before, while, and after the accident might allow us (the society), to understand what it is like as an elderly driver driving on the roads today.
I feel that young drivers in the drivers’ education classes should read clips from this book. The book should be part of the college students entering the education field because learning how to react in stressful situations and how to interact with people different from your self is learned through out mandatory schooling. Young children can learn how to interact among different people and high schools need to learn the responsibility that comes along with a driver’s license. This book should also be read among the elderly, they need to be educated on when driving is appreciated and when it is not. Rothe does a great job giving examples on when elderly drivers should not drive, for example; when it is raining, and high peak times. Rothe also touches on how the elderly might feel when their license is revoked and children of elderly drivers should read the book to get a better understand of what an impact it will leave on their elderly parent emotionally.
This book written by Rothe is very well constructed and touches on topics that are important in our society. Our population is getting older and that does mean that there will be more elderly drivers but that does not mean that the roads will be unsafe. Now that the medical society is growing and more cures are being found everyday, people are going to live longer and healthier. Technology is becoming more intense and allowing elderly drivers to compensate for their physical shortcomings, which makes their driving abilities more acceptable. If laws are passed that force the elderly to take mandatory testing, this might help the situation. Testing each elderly driver as an individual instead of generalizing the whole elderly community and saying that everyone 75 and older cannot drive will eliminate some of the discrimination. By having these exams each elderly driver will be able to prove that they can still driver in a safe manner. On the other hand the testing might make some elderly drivers nervous because they fear failing and losing their right to drive. This fear can lead to high levels of stress, which might be reduced by introducing classes just for the elderly that will refresh their driving techniques. If an elderly driver does lose his or her license, society needs to realize that this may cause that person some stress and or depression. Families of elderly drivers should be careful of the needs of their family members and society needs to create more exsessable transportation for the elderly. As a Psychology major I have taken classes that stress that everyone has emotional needs no matter what age they are. Everyone needs to feel that they are independent, confident, successful and wanted. Our society might not fulfill these needs of the elderly and that should be one area of importance because we will all become elderly sooner or later! The elderly also feel depressed because of all the changes that take place in their lives and there should be places where they can go to get help and compassion. This book helped me realize that the elderly are not old and frail; they are people with needs and wisdom. Now that the life span is increasing the elderly can have a lot to offer in the changes to come. So my overall opinion of this book is that Rothe provided a great educational resource for all ages, but the only weakness is that his data was taken from a small sample and that the data cannot be generalized but can be used as a source to better understand the view points of some elderly drivers.
Here are some links that I found that might help you better understand the elderly drivers. Please click on them and review different points dealing with this issue.
Should Elderly Drivers Be Tested?
Licensing Renewal Older Drivers
Oldmobiles Roll For Grey Drivers