Elderly Driving

Dangers of Elderly Citizens Driving Suddenly a sharp pain emerges in the ribs of a young student; but it is not only him that has been injured, but the majority of his class, a broken rib being the most minute injury. Teachers and other pedestrians concerned while a couple gets the license plate of the car that just plowed through a crowd of children. But on the other end; there is the driver of the car, who did not see that the light was ever red, who was on auto-pilot and still has not recognized what had happened. The driver is almost a mile away when the driver comes to the realization "I just ran through a crowd of people." Yet the memory is so vague that the driver believes that it is only a day dream; the thought is dismissed, and they continue to drive. While reasons such as health concerns or age related impairment indicate the need for greater restrictions for elderly drivers; lawmakers must also demonstrate respect for those who are healthy and unimpaired. Health concerns play a major role in an elderly persons ability do drive. One after another, day after day you can guarantee that there will be an accident some where caused by something. Though the elderly are not the only ones at fault for this, they have a higher risk at being involved in a fatal car crash than teenagers (Loyola). Some of the largest threats of having elderly drivers on the roads are vision, hearing, physical disabilities, dizziness, confusion. When discussing physical disabilities it may include reaction time to events happening around them, traffic light signals changing from one color to another. Which is bad enough on its own, but as if that was not enough another even more dangerous worry is the loss of sensation in extremities (Loyola). When such loss of sensation occurs it is difficult for an elderly person to be sure of how much pressure is being applied to a gas or brake pedal.
Alzheimer's disease plays another large role by the driver not being able to recognize