Persuasive Essay On Elderly Driving
ELDERLY PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 65 SHOULD HAVE TO RETAKE THEIR DRIVING TEST
Abstract
This paper talks about the risk of elderly drivers. I talks into detail of the health problems that elderly have. The things that elderly people have done and could do to put you or your loved ones in danger. It gives lots of real life examples of dangerous situation’s elderly have put themselves in and others. A recent story “Fatal crashes involving senior drivers renew debate over licensing, testing requirements” published by Michael Turnbell, Diane C. Lade and Dana Williams (2012) talks about real life incidents that happened in Florida just this year. The paper gives a good inscightte on why you should and shouldn’t take away elderly peoples driving license.
ELDERLY PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 65 SHOULD HAVE TO RETAKE THEIR DRIVING TEST “Elderly people over the age of 65 should have to retake their driving test.”
“Witness Graham Kennedy said he had heard a “great bang” and then “the screams of a woman” and ran to assist”, (Sunshine Coast Daily, April 4, 2012). It happened at the local super market on an ordinary day. A mother and her three young boys were walking out of the market when car drove in. The car was driving slow and swerving all over the place. The mother and …show more content…
boys watched the car hit two parked cars and nearly miss the market. The mother gasped and ordered the boys out of harm’s way. The women attempted to follow the boy to safety out of the way of the dangers way. But her attempt to escape was a failure when you the mother letting out screams of pain. The car hit the women and flattened her foot. Immediately witness Graham Kennedy called 911 on the scene. Come to find out the driver was not drunk, high or having any medical issues. The driver of the car that hit two parked cars and almost ended one person’s life was a 65 year old man. It’s funny how we change over time and, every day tasks start to become a challenge to us. For the 65 year old man in the car that day, driving was the challenge for him. The true question here is how many people do lose their lives to elderly drivers. Isn’t there a time where we should step up, where we need to make people 65 and older retake there road test? People over the age of 65 should be required to retake the road test. With this issue many people have different opinions. I’m going to tell you about the three opinions, that are not in support of making elderly people retake there their road test. The first one is that we are making their mobile ability harder. As you may know that it is already hard enough for the elderly to get around. We have supported them with canes, wheel chairs and scooters to move around. If we take away their licenses then we will be limiting their mobile ability. This
ELDERLY PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 65 SHOULD HAVE TO RETAKE THEIR DRIVING TEST argument seems a bit ridiculous to me. I believe that us taking their vehicles is not taking away their mobility, if anything it’s improving it. Most elderly can’t drive at night because they cannot see. They also cannot drive long distances because they bodies will cramp up or ache. If we take away their license then it just broadens there horizons. It’s not that they are unable to drive at these times, but they will simply need assistance. It will allow someone else to take them places at night, allow them to travel places further away for their homes, because someone else is with them to help guide them. It’s important for them to know that they are still independent. The second argument with that is that the elderly will not be taken to the places that they want, when they want. This will result in a reduction of freedom on their behalves. If they do not have the ability to travel to places on their time, then they are stuck at home. Being stuck at home could have a negative effect on the elderly. This could lead to depression and loneliness. Freedom is an important aspect of live regardless of age. What one needs to remember is that there are worse things than being stuck at home. If an elderly person travels out on their own, they are likely to get lost. Being lost could have much worse effects than just being lonely. Being lost could put them in harm’s way, and lead to panic. At least at home they are safe. The best approach to fixing this problem would be having someone else drop them off at a friend’s home. There are other ways to limit loneliness than letting elderly people drive automobiles and put citizens, as well as their, lives at risk. “A 78-year-old woman was killed Sunday when she was backed into and run over by an 89-year-old driver at a Delray Beach Wal-Mart. In Deerfield Beach, a woman was backed over and dragged across a church lawn by an 88-year-old driver.” (Turnbell, 2012) Both of these
ELDERLY PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 65 SHOULD HAVE TO RETAKE THEIR DRIVING TEST incidents happened in Florida which we all know is where the elderly flock in the winter. These two accidents happened with in the same week. Both had people over the age 65 involved and at fault of the accidents. “Florida consistently has high rates of senior’s cash deaths, mainly because it has a lot of seniors. State statistics show that 442 crash fatalities of all age 65 and older in 2010, or about 15 percent of all fatal crashes.” It’s sad to think that these statistics would not have to be so high if we could just create one law. One law that says that anyone over the age 65 has to retake their road test.
Also it is feared that their drivers will forget about them. The fight back against that is that if someone loves the elder enough to get their road test taken over again, that they love them enough to not forget about them. You don’t just forget about the people you love. If you truly love someone you will do anything for them, even if it means taking them uptown at, the most inconvenient time. The third and strongest argument made for elderlys not having to retake the road test is the possibility of them losing their independence. This is the only argument that I cannot justify. I realize that we will be taking away their independence, but for the right reasons. If we keep letting elders drive around that are not suitable to drive, then we putting their lives and others in danger. It is our responsibility as family to protect them, and do what’s right for their safety. One of the biggest suggestions that we have to families is that you do not take on the responsibility of telling them they should not be driving. You should set a doctor appointment and make it a medical condition be the reason they should not drive. This is important so that you don’t look
ELDERLY PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 65 SHOULD HAVE TO RETAKE THEIR DRIVING TEST like the bad guy. It’s better if the one that they count on most is not the one putting them down. You always want to be the one that they trust the most. I also have three reasons why we should make them retake their road test. One being that some elders develop a disease called dementia. Some cases may cause them to lose their memory, from thinking, remembering certain words, keeps them from making a judgment, and creates bad behavior. As you can see this disease can do many things that can affect there driving. If you are losing your mind and forgetting things you could possibly get lost. Also if you are having behavioral issues someone should always be with you. You could possibly get upset and have severe road rage. Which everyone could have but when you aren’t yourself, you could possibly lose your patients patience faster. They also could have visual problems and as you can see that could be a big problem when I came to driving. In USA today, they talked about how most people develop dementia by age 65. (Copeland, 2009) This is the reason why driver should have to retake there road test by age 65. The second reason why elder’s should have to retake there road test is, because of the aging of the baby boom. The baby boom generation took place between 1946 and 1965. This is a problem in today’s times, because there are more people over the age of 65 on the road than ever before. This means we have a greater chance of getting into an accident with them. There is more of a risk of you being harmed or put into a dangerous situation. Not saying that if there wasn’t so many of them that it wouldn’t be a concern to have them retake the road test. It’s more like it should be a bigger concern because there are more elders. ELDERLY PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 65 SHOULD HAVE TO RETAKE THEIR DRIVING TEST
The third and final reason why is because we need to keep ourselves safe.
Not only do elders put their own lives in danger on the road their putting everyone and everything around them into danger. This is the most important reason way. Yes, elders are precious and we should cherish them. One way that we can support them is by making them retake there road test. If you, the family member cares you would make them a doctor’s appointment. You would take the time to make sure they were a safe driver. Do you still think that it is safe for a 65 year old to be, driving around without being tested for dementia? Do you think it is safe for everyone? Have you had your love one tested? Do you
care?
ELDERLY PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 65 SHOULD HAVE TO RETAKE THEIR DRIVING TEST
References
Copeland, Larry. "State Seek Tests for Older Drivers." USA TODAY 06 July 2009, Nation sec. Print.
"Elderly Drivers Not Necessarily Bad, Say Experts; Rush to Get Them off the Road a Blow to Independence:[Final Edition]." Elderly Drivers Not Necessarily Bad, Say Experts; Rush to Get Them off the Road a Blow to Independence:[Final Edition] (2001). Print.
O'Connor, Michael. "The Elderly Driving Dilemma." McClatchy (2009). ABI/INFORM. Web. 3 Apr. 2012. .
Turnbell, Michael, Diane C. Lade, and Dana Williams. "Fatal Crahes Involving Senior Drivers Renew Debate over Licensing, Testing Requirments." The Palm Beach Post 12 Mar. 2012. Print.
"Woman, 23, Hurt in Car Park Crash." The Sunshine Coast Daily. 3 Apr. 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. .
Abstract
This paper talks about the risk of elderly drivers. I talks into detail of the health problems that elderly have. The things that elderly people have done and could do to put you or your loved ones in danger. It gives lots of real life examples of dangerous situation’s elderly have put themselves in and others. A recent story “Fatal crashes involving senior drivers renew debate over licensing, testing requirements” published by Michael Turnbell, Diane C. Lade and Dana Williams (2012) talks about real life incidents that happened in Florida just this year. The paper gives a good inscightte on why you should and shouldn’t take away elderly peoples driving license.
ELDERLY PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 65 SHOULD HAVE TO RETAKE THEIR DRIVING TEST “Elderly people over the age of 65 should have to retake their driving test.”
“Witness Graham Kennedy said he had heard a “great bang” and then “the screams of a woman” and ran to assist”, (Sunshine Coast Daily, April 4, 2012). It happened at the local super market on an ordinary day. A mother and her three young boys were walking out of the market when car drove in. The car was driving slow and swerving all over the place. The mother and …show more content…
boys watched the car hit two parked cars and nearly miss the market. The mother gasped and ordered the boys out of harm’s way. The women attempted to follow the boy to safety out of the way of the dangers way. But her attempt to escape was a failure when you the mother letting out screams of pain. The car hit the women and flattened her foot. Immediately witness Graham Kennedy called 911 on the scene. Come to find out the driver was not drunk, high or having any medical issues. The driver of the car that hit two parked cars and almost ended one person’s life was a 65 year old man. It’s funny how we change over time and, every day tasks start to become a challenge to us. For the 65 year old man in the car that day, driving was the challenge for him. The true question here is how many people do lose their lives to elderly drivers. Isn’t there a time where we should step up, where we need to make people 65 and older retake there road test? People over the age of 65 should be required to retake the road test. With this issue many people have different opinions. I’m going to tell you about the three opinions, that are not in support of making elderly people retake there their road test. The first one is that we are making their mobile ability harder. As you may know that it is already hard enough for the elderly to get around. We have supported them with canes, wheel chairs and scooters to move around. If we take away their licenses then we will be limiting their mobile ability. This
ELDERLY PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 65 SHOULD HAVE TO RETAKE THEIR DRIVING TEST argument seems a bit ridiculous to me. I believe that us taking their vehicles is not taking away their mobility, if anything it’s improving it. Most elderly can’t drive at night because they cannot see. They also cannot drive long distances because they bodies will cramp up or ache. If we take away their license then it just broadens there horizons. It’s not that they are unable to drive at these times, but they will simply need assistance. It will allow someone else to take them places at night, allow them to travel places further away for their homes, because someone else is with them to help guide them. It’s important for them to know that they are still independent. The second argument with that is that the elderly will not be taken to the places that they want, when they want. This will result in a reduction of freedom on their behalves. If they do not have the ability to travel to places on their time, then they are stuck at home. Being stuck at home could have a negative effect on the elderly. This could lead to depression and loneliness. Freedom is an important aspect of live regardless of age. What one needs to remember is that there are worse things than being stuck at home. If an elderly person travels out on their own, they are likely to get lost. Being lost could have much worse effects than just being lonely. Being lost could put them in harm’s way, and lead to panic. At least at home they are safe. The best approach to fixing this problem would be having someone else drop them off at a friend’s home. There are other ways to limit loneliness than letting elderly people drive automobiles and put citizens, as well as their, lives at risk. “A 78-year-old woman was killed Sunday when she was backed into and run over by an 89-year-old driver at a Delray Beach Wal-Mart. In Deerfield Beach, a woman was backed over and dragged across a church lawn by an 88-year-old driver.” (Turnbell, 2012) Both of these
ELDERLY PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 65 SHOULD HAVE TO RETAKE THEIR DRIVING TEST incidents happened in Florida which we all know is where the elderly flock in the winter. These two accidents happened with in the same week. Both had people over the age 65 involved and at fault of the accidents. “Florida consistently has high rates of senior’s cash deaths, mainly because it has a lot of seniors. State statistics show that 442 crash fatalities of all age 65 and older in 2010, or about 15 percent of all fatal crashes.” It’s sad to think that these statistics would not have to be so high if we could just create one law. One law that says that anyone over the age 65 has to retake their road test.
Also it is feared that their drivers will forget about them. The fight back against that is that if someone loves the elder enough to get their road test taken over again, that they love them enough to not forget about them. You don’t just forget about the people you love. If you truly love someone you will do anything for them, even if it means taking them uptown at, the most inconvenient time. The third and strongest argument made for elderlys not having to retake the road test is the possibility of them losing their independence. This is the only argument that I cannot justify. I realize that we will be taking away their independence, but for the right reasons. If we keep letting elders drive around that are not suitable to drive, then we putting their lives and others in danger. It is our responsibility as family to protect them, and do what’s right for their safety. One of the biggest suggestions that we have to families is that you do not take on the responsibility of telling them they should not be driving. You should set a doctor appointment and make it a medical condition be the reason they should not drive. This is important so that you don’t look
ELDERLY PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 65 SHOULD HAVE TO RETAKE THEIR DRIVING TEST like the bad guy. It’s better if the one that they count on most is not the one putting them down. You always want to be the one that they trust the most. I also have three reasons why we should make them retake their road test. One being that some elders develop a disease called dementia. Some cases may cause them to lose their memory, from thinking, remembering certain words, keeps them from making a judgment, and creates bad behavior. As you can see this disease can do many things that can affect there driving. If you are losing your mind and forgetting things you could possibly get lost. Also if you are having behavioral issues someone should always be with you. You could possibly get upset and have severe road rage. Which everyone could have but when you aren’t yourself, you could possibly lose your patients patience faster. They also could have visual problems and as you can see that could be a big problem when I came to driving. In USA today, they talked about how most people develop dementia by age 65. (Copeland, 2009) This is the reason why driver should have to retake there road test by age 65. The second reason why elder’s should have to retake there road test is, because of the aging of the baby boom. The baby boom generation took place between 1946 and 1965. This is a problem in today’s times, because there are more people over the age of 65 on the road than ever before. This means we have a greater chance of getting into an accident with them. There is more of a risk of you being harmed or put into a dangerous situation. Not saying that if there wasn’t so many of them that it wouldn’t be a concern to have them retake the road test. It’s more like it should be a bigger concern because there are more elders. ELDERLY PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 65 SHOULD HAVE TO RETAKE THEIR DRIVING TEST
The third and final reason why is because we need to keep ourselves safe.
Not only do elders put their own lives in danger on the road their putting everyone and everything around them into danger. This is the most important reason way. Yes, elders are precious and we should cherish them. One way that we can support them is by making them retake there road test. If you, the family member cares you would make them a doctor’s appointment. You would take the time to make sure they were a safe driver. Do you still think that it is safe for a 65 year old to be, driving around without being tested for dementia? Do you think it is safe for everyone? Have you had your love one tested? Do you
care?
ELDERLY PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 65 SHOULD HAVE TO RETAKE THEIR DRIVING TEST
References
Copeland, Larry. "State Seek Tests for Older Drivers." USA TODAY 06 July 2009, Nation sec. Print.
"Elderly Drivers Not Necessarily Bad, Say Experts; Rush to Get Them off the Road a Blow to Independence:[Final Edition]." Elderly Drivers Not Necessarily Bad, Say Experts; Rush to Get Them off the Road a Blow to Independence:[Final Edition] (2001). Print.
O'Connor, Michael. "The Elderly Driving Dilemma." McClatchy (2009). ABI/INFORM. Web. 3 Apr. 2012. .
Turnbell, Michael, Diane C. Lade, and Dana Williams. "Fatal Crahes Involving Senior Drivers Renew Debate over Licensing, Testing Requirments." The Palm Beach Post 12 Mar. 2012. Print.
"Woman, 23, Hurt in Car Park Crash." The Sunshine Coast Daily. 3 Apr. 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. .