Traffic Safety (4)
In the long term, we should use technology to take choices out of people’s hands-like using vehicles that are programmed to force people to obey speed limits and brake at red lights. Some road safety experts are pushing for changes like redesigned roads and stricter enforcement of seatbelt use.
And then there are autonomous vehicles. Right now, the priority is to make them safer. They’re unlikely to hit the road in large numbers for many years.
One thing that worries me is the potential increase of accidents and fatalities as people in their 70s, 80s and beyond continue to drive. In Japan, we’ve seen cars driven by seniors go the wrong way on highways or hit pedestrians because elderly drivers step on the gas pedal instead of the brake.
Here in America, children of older drivers sometimes take away or hide the keys of their aging parents when they won’t listen to reason and insist they’re still capable of driving safely. I’m worried that I might have to do that with my stubborn dad in the not-too-distant future.
But new research suggests we should worry more about young drivers, because they’re more likely to speed and multitask. A recent study found that drivers aged 70 and older were less likely to be involved in a fatal car accident than those 35 to 54. Although seniors rarely drive as far as young drivers, older adults had better safety records in terms of miles driven.
I can see that. Older adults benefit from years of driving experience.
