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Many news stories involving elderly drivers involved in car accidents focus on the driver’s age. For example, when a man from Apollo Beach was in a motorcycle accident this month, the news stories often focused on the fact that he was 100 years old. When a woman crashed into a Chinese restaurant this month, mistaking her gas pedal and brake, it was widely noted that she was 80 years old.

Stories like these lead many to assume that older drivers are susceptible to car accidents. After all, the elderly are susceptible to many conditions, such as dementia and vision problems, which can significantly impact driving ability. However, a new study suggests that older drivers have comparatively fewer accidents when compared with younger drivers.

According to new numbers from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the 2010 crash rate for drivers age 80 and over in the state was 90 per 10,000. This compared favorably with a crash rate of 347 per 10,000 for drivers in the 15-24 age range. According to some experts, this may be because older drivers tend to drive a little slower and more cautiously. Some experts also suggest that extensively driving experience helps elderly drivers stay safer on the roads. A few experts have critiqued the numbers by noting that the elderly may drive fewer miles when compared with younger drivers, which may possibly impact the crash rate.

What is certain is that the issue of elderly drivers is an important one for the state. In the past five years, the number of drivers in the state who are 71 years or older has increase to 1.8 million – a jump of almost 100, 000. Since 2007, the number of Florida drivers who are 90 years of age has increased by almost 28%, with almost 65,000 Floridians age 90 or above on the roads today. Some counties, such as Hillsborough County, have an even higher rate of elderly drivers. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, there are over 455 Florida drivers who are aged 100 or older.

The recent studies suggest that Medley car accident caused by elderly drivers are perhaps not as prevalent as public perception suggests, but there are still many initiatives in place to help elderly drivers maintain their independence while having a low risk of Medley traffic accidents.

Current research is also being done at the University of South Florida School of Aging Studies to determine how to prevent Medley personal injury among elderly drivers. Researchers there have determine that cognitive ability rather than age and other factors are what matter when it comes to driving ability and safety. That research supports the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles numbers in suggesting that elderly drivers are safer than many believe.

Florida Car Accident Lawyer Blog

A survey of 11th- and 12th-grade students finds that 90 percent believe that their peers are more likely to drink and drive on prom night, but few think that the behavior carries a high degree of risk, USA Today reported April 9.

The survey of more than 2,500 students, conducted by Liberty Mutual and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), found that 79 percent of students expected their classmates to drink and drive on graduation night. More than one in three students also said their parents had let them attend a party knowing that alcohol would be served.

“Newspapers, television, YouTube and Facebook are rife with tales of tragedy from reckless driving on prom and graduation nights, yet an ‘it won’t happen to me’ attitude continues to be so pervasive among our teens,” said Dave Melton of the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety. “Add to the alcohol factor distractions like texting or talking on the cellphone while driving, or the greater likelihood of multiple people in the car, and the crash potential is very real.”

 
Young Female Drinkers More Likely to Develop Breast Disease, Researchers Say

Risk of developing benign breast disease increases five-fold among women who drank alcohol six or seven days a week during their teens and early 20s, according to research from the National Cancer Institute.

Benign breast disease is a known risk factor for breast cancer, researchers noted. Symptoms include hard lumps in the breasts, irregular cysts, breast discomfort, sensitive nipples, and itching.

Reuters reported April 12 that researcher Catherine Berkey of Harvard Medical School and colleagues drew their conclusions from a study of about 6,900 women ages 16-23. About one percent of the women reported having benign breast disease in a followup study at ages 18-27.

“Our study results give older girls and adolescents another reason to avoid alcohol,” said Berkey.

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Mothers Against Drunk Driving (Orange County)

Today’s article in USA Today entitled, “Website warns athletes that alcohol can lead to prison, death” is a good reminder about the dangers of underage drinking. The article describes how the New Mexico Activities Association is launching a website (lifeofanathlete.com) to remind high school athletes about the dangers of alcohol abuse. On the website, the story of Gabe Gurule is told. Gabe, a former three-sport athlete at an Albuquerque high school who was being recruited by several Big 12 schools, drove drunk on Thanksgiving 2005 and killed three innocent people. He’s now spending his time in the Central NM Correctional Facility in Los Lunas.

Perhaps the most telling part of the article is to point out that the program stresses to high school athletes that even occasional alcohol use can have an impact. They say, “A single night of partying, according to the American Athletic Institute, can undo two weeks of training. It can also have more serious results.” Gabe proved that.

For parents of high school athletes (or even non-athletes), this is a good reminder of why we must continually talk with our teens. Please start the conversation if you haven’t already. It may be your teen you prevent from becoming a victim or a prisoner in a correctional facility.

Blog to Eliminate Drunk Driving