Opinion: Baby boomer drivers threaten roadway safety

We do not want to offend anyone … especially senior adults who are finally savoring some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

Three years ago, George Russell Weller lost control of his car and killed 10 people as his car plowed through three blocks of a farmer’s market in Santa Monica, Calif.

And Mr. Weller is not alone.

With the bumper crop of us (that’s right, this column is ultimately written to me) baby boomers coming to harvest, there is an emerging safety threat on our roads. Add to the inebriated, stoned and anger-crazed drivers … the senior adult who is losing control of physical and mental abilities.

Here are some numbers that should force us to realistically deal with this impending safety issue. My research is the product of The Road Information Program, a research group financed by road builders and other transportation groups. USA Today confirms these statistics.

From 1991 to 2001, the number of licensed drivers age 70 and older increased 32 percent, from 14.5 million to 19.1 million. About 10 percent of all drivers are 70 and older compared with 8.6 percent a decade ago.

People age 70 and older drive an average of 15.3 miles a day. That is a 20 percent increase from 1995.

Most alarming: in 1991, 4,261 people were killed in crashes involving drivers 70 and older. In 2001, the number jumped to 5,113, a 20 percent increase.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration predicts that by 2030 people 65 and older will be part of 23,000 annual fatalities on our roads. That means 63 senior adult deaths each day.

Let’s go back to Santa Monica for a minute. Mr. Weller was not under the influence of any drugs or alcohol. After the accident he continued to repeat, “I just kept pressing on the brake pedal, but the car went faster.” The pedal, as we all know, was for more gasoline to pour into the carburetor creating speeds up to 50 miles per hour on this congested, closed street.

Is it now time for us to have an open conversation about the safety of senior drivers? One of the most devastating moments in my coming life will be the day my children ask for my car keys. My car is a statement of my independence.

But there is a larger issue here than my wounded pride. The legacy of my life should not include an obituary I penned with squealing tire tracks.

So, let’s talk about it.

My father-in-law, who is now deceased, got his driver’s license renewed with one blind eye. I was dumbfounded. If only for peripheral vision, it seems to me that drivers cruising down Highway 65 should have some ability to see out of both eyes.

In Missouri, persons older than 70 are required to have an accelerated renewal process every three years. In certain circumstances, this renewal can be accomplished by mail, not in person.

At age 70, I am convinced I should have to prove my physical ability to drive a car. And, I am not convinced that three years is an appropriate interval for my examination. I recommend two years after 70 and annually after age 80.

My next suggestion is guaranteed to offend multitudes of my boomer buddies.

I believe every two years, after age 70, I should have to get behind the wheel with a Department of Motor Vehicle inspector who will evaluate how I am functioning cruising around with a 2,000-pound machine in my hands.

Let’s go back to Mr. Weller. Just eight months prior to the tragedy of the farmer’s market, Mr. Weller passed a written and vision test at the California Department of Motor Vehicles office. No one observed Mr. Weller behind the wheel.

Finally, I endorse the practice of having an immediate family members and/or a family physician contact the Division of Motor Vehicles if they have concerns about a senior adult’s ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. That notification should result in immediate retesting for vision and motor skills.

As I have penned this column I have been trying to figure out my motivation. I finally figured it out.

The most difficult moment in my adult life was when I had to ask my mother for the keys to her car. A week prior to that moment she had backed out into traffic without looking either way and was hit by another car. I remember reminding my mother, with somber seriousness, the car that hit her could have been a child playing in the street.

If God gives me another few years, that scene with my mother could be repeated with one or both of my daughters or their husbands.

I wrote this column to remind myself that I will hand over the keys before anyone thinks of asking for them.

We steer clear of this issue because we do not want to offend someone who has lots of experience and lived lots of life. Unfortunately, there are 10 fewer people at a kitchen table tonight because Mr. Weller had age-impaired ability to steer clear.

Cal LeMon of Executive Enrichment Inc. solves organizational problems with customized training and consulting. He can be reached via his Web site, www.execenrichment.com, or via e-mail at execenrichment@aol.com.[[In-content Ad]]