INJURED CAR ACCIDENT CAUSED BY ELDERLY DRIVER MN ATTORNEY
Our car accident lawyers have represented many people injured by an older driver. In many cases, the old driver lost control of their vehicle and caused a crash. As the general population ages, there are more elderly drivers on Minnesota roads every year.
An older person driving a car can cause a crash for a number of reasons. For example, the old person driving may become confused. Of course, their reflexes and judgment can be an issue. This is an ongoing problem that our car accident attorneys see frequently. The older driver may crash because of a sudden health issue or a bad medication reaction. If you were injured in a car accident because of an older person driving, call us for a free consultation with a top lawyer. We will help you with the auto insurance issues and make sure you receive the compensation you are entitled to.
Here is an article we came across recently that discussed the problem of elderly drivers on the road causing accidents:
OLDER DRIVER CAUSED ACCIDENT
Last week, an elderly man ran into a bus, twice. Then, he made a turn, running over a bus-stop shelter, injuring six people. Was this 83-year-old man guilty of some crime? My view as a geriatrician was that it was much more likely that the man was impaired. Not by alcohol, he was tested for that. It is more likely that he was impaired by prescription or nonprescription drugs, a neurological disease such as dementia, or a sensory impairment such as vision or hearing loss.
How could this happen? Very easily: Ninety percent of people that age have vision or hearing loss. Thirty-two percent have dementia (mostly Alzheimer’s disease). Most have arthritis and diminished mobility in their legs. Of course, all have slower reflexes. Most older drivers are taking medications. Many of these medications can further impair their judgment and reflexes. That’s why the elderly, after teens, have the highest mortality rate behind the wheel.
CAR CRASH CAUSED BY ELDERLY DRIVER
What’s the answer to this problem? We could take away the driver’s license of everybody over a certain age, say 80. That would be easy, and it would be wrong. I’m a geriatrician. I’ve told many of my patients they have to stop driving. In some cases, I’ve done it because their children asked me to, and it was the right thing to do. In other cases, I’ve done it because my medical judgment said to me: This person is not safe behind the wheel of a car.
So maybe we can simply deputize our good doctors to identify disabled elderly and remove their driver’s licenses. I promise you, that’s a lousy idea. Most doctors would either avoid the issue or soft-pedal their own concerns about safety in favor of preserving their patients’ independence.
Families can help. They can bring it to the doctor’s attention when they see that Mom or Dad’s forgetfulness or loss of hearing or vision. These impairments may well imply safe driving is no longer possible for an older driver.
But that’s not the solution either. The solution is for the state of Minnesota to have mandatory written, behind-the-wheel and vision testing for all elderly above a certain age. I would suggest 75. Right now, Minnesota only requires that a 90-year-old pass a vision test every four years to keep his or her driver’s license. No different from a 20-year-old. That’s a recipe for death and destruction. Let’s adopt regulations that keep our older drivers safe and the rest of us safe, too.