It seems logical, but a new study by Science Daily confirms what most of us already suspect: elderly driver’s are less safe and more dangerous on the road. The Science Daily article concludes that even healthy adults with safe driving records are less safe and could contribute to auto accidents and injury. Elderly adults tend tomake more errors when they drive, even dangerous errors such as not checking blind spots or randomly veering across lanes of traffic.
The study involved 266 volunteers from age 70-86 in Australia. None of the participants had any signs of dementia or other noticeable problem that would affect driving ability. The study found that as drivers age, the rate of cognitive errors increases significantly. Notably, the findings found that men’s driving skills deteriorated at the same rate as their female counterparts.
If you have been injured in an auto accident due to an elderly driver, you should speak with an experienced and compassionate auto accident attorney.