Aging drivers: staying in the game
Date: 2002-04-14
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John Wolff, 96 this month, loves to drive. His 1995 Buick Regal to takes him to doctor's appointments, local shops and, on Saturdays, to teach a class at Georgetown law school. "It's the key to my independence," he says.
The U.S. has 18.5 millions licensed drivers aged 71 and over. Some drive well, some atrociously. What should family, friends and licensing authorities do? One of the things researchers are doing is looking at how technology might help, for example: M.I.T. AgeLab's 2000 VW "Smartcar" Beetle is fitted with a vision enhancement screen to reduce glare, a collision warning system, and an emergency alert system that beeps when a vehicle wanders from its lane. There are other useful devices that can help, such as corrective mirrors, raised driver seats, pedal extensions, and so on, not to mention driver training courses that update skills.
In the end though, family, friends, driving professionals and licensing authorities
will have to team up to assist drivers who need to hang up their driving gloves
and make a graceful exit. Read
the Time.com article.
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