Team Fit-for-Driving No. 23: Senior Adult Traffic Safety and Alcohol

Fit-For-Driving No. 22: Insurance Discounts

Are senior drivers considered high risk? Not according to the state of Ohio which lists high risk drivers as those who have a poor driving record and those who are uninsurable for 30 days (Kasich, 2011). Senior drivers are historically good drivers who take responsibility for their health and well-being and drive safely. For example, senior drivers seek exercise classes and therapy for sensory losses and limited range of motion issues, and they talk to their doctors and pharmacy about driving and their prescription drug usage.  According to Governor Kasich (2011) most insurance companies offer discounts to seniors if they meet this criteria:

Be between the ages of 60 & 70 and pass an accident prevention course

• Provide the insurance company with a certificate proving you have passed the course

• Have a satisfactory driving record for the previous three years

 

Team Fit-for-Driving No. 21: Drowsy Driving

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conservatively estimates that 100,000 police-reported crashes are the direct result of driver fatigue each year. This results in an estimated 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in monetary losses. These figures may be the tip of the iceberg, since currently it is difficult to attribute crashes to sleepiness.

• There is no test to determine sleepiness as there is for intoxication, i.e. a “Breathalyzer”.
• State reporting practices are inconsistent. There is little or no police training in identifying drowsiness as a crash factor. Every state currently addresses fatigue and/or sleepiness in some way in their crash report forms. However, the codes are inconsistent and two states (Missouri and Wisconsin) do not have specific codes for fatigue and/or fell asleep.
• Self-reporting is unreliable.
• Drowsiness/fatigue may play a role in crashes attributed to other causes such as alcohol. About one million such crashes annually are thought to be produced by driver inattention/lapses.
• According to data from Australia, England, Finland, and other European nations, all of whom have more consistent crash reporting procedures than the U.S., drowsy driving represents 10 to 30 percent of all crashes.

Who is at risk?

Sleep related crashes are most common in young people, especially men, adults with children and shift workers. According to the NSF’s 2002 poll:

• Adults between 18-29 are much more likely to drive while drowsy compared to other age groups (71% vs. 30-64, 52% vs. 65+, 19%).
• Men are more likely than women to drive while drowsy (56% vs. 45%) and are almost twice as likely as women to fall asleep while driving (22% vs. 12%).
• Adults with children in the household are more likely to drive drowsy than those without children (59% vs. 45%).
• Shift workers are more likely than those who work a regular daytime schedule to drive to or from work drowsy at least a few days a month (36% vs. 25%).
• Sleep deprivation increases the risk of a sleep-related crash; the less people sleep, the greater the risk.
  According to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, people who sleep six to seven hours a night are twice as likely to be involved in such a crash as those sleeping 8 hours or more, while people sleeping less than 5 hours increased their risk four to five times.
• A study by researchers in Australia showed that being awake for 18 hours produced an impairment equal to a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .05, and .10 after 24 hours; .08 is considered legally drunk.
  Other research indicates commercial drivers and people with undiagnosed sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and acute insomnia are also at greater risk for fall asleep crashes.

Reference:

Drowsy Driving.org

Team Fit-for-Driving No. 19: The 3 Second Rule

In good weather, the 3 second rule is a tool to determine if you are following another vehicle too closely. To determine the right following distance, select a fixed object on the road ahead and when the vehicle ahead of you passes that object slowly count "one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand." If you reach the same object before you are finished counting you are following too close. Of course, this rule changes with inclement weather, heavy traffic, accidents and road repair, and unsafe conditions.

Fit-for-Driving No. 13: Adaptation

When life events or the aging process interfere with the skills necessary to drive safely, it is vital that you seek medical consultation with your physician or therapist. The reason this is necessary is that there are many products on the market that can help you drive safely and with greater ease. For example, products such as seat adaptation, pedal adaptation, and steering adaptation are available for persons who are height challenged, have strength issues, or reduced feeling in their extremities. In addition, adaptive devices such as accelerator rings can be mounted on the steering wheel for individuals with impaired or no leg function. These are just a few samples of equipment that are available to help you find solutions for your mobility issues. Consulting you health care professional is a fantastic way to find out which method of adaptation is right for you.

Fit-for-Driving No. 12: Automaticity

Avoid being preoccupied or distracted when you drive as it taxes the brain's resources for giving accurate communication and focus to the task at hand. Think back at a time when you were on autopilot and multitasking at the same time (automaticity), and perhaps touched something sharp or hot because you were distracted or multitasking. The same inattention can occur when you try to multitask while driving. Researchers have found that driving is a more complex task than we realize and that our full attention is needed for the complexities, precision needs, and responsibilities of driving. Interestingly, these same researchers tested the reflexes of a group of test subjects while multitasking, who were both sober and legally drunk, and they found that the persons who were sober and multitasking had the same reduced reflexes as someone who was legally drunk doing the same grouping of tasks. The tests revealed that just like those individually who were legally drunk, the persons tested while multitasking, and who were sober, were missing large amounts of peripheral vision information, which affected their reflexes and decision-making.

Fit-for-Driving No. 10: Finding the Right Mechanic

Winter road safety involves taking care of your vehicle and finding the right mechanic. According to Consumer Guide (2009) it is important to find a mechanic that specializes in your car's make and model and to look for certification of their skills and abilities such as the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). Before selecting a mechanic, check with friends, the BBB, and other professionals to find what is being said or documented concerning their personal mechanic's customer service, quality of work, and ethical standards. This may help you make the right selection concerning finding the right mechanic for the repairs and preventative maintenance of your vehicle. In addition, make it a point to know your car's warranty information to make sure that you don't over pay for services and that you perform the recommended preventative maintenance for your vehicle in a timely manner.

Fit-for-Driving No. 7: Ease

Making a smooth and steady transition from one lane to the next, helps to give you time to look where you are going as you merge into traffic. Being easy on the gas pedal and coming up to speed gradually from a stop or lane transition reduces the noise and pollution associated with abrupt starts and acceleration.

Fit-for-Driving No. 6: Choose Your Roads Wisely

Facts about 65 mph 65 mph = 95 feet per second or nearly a football field every three seconds on the open road 65 mph = Complete stopping distance of about 285 feet or about 16 car lengths 65 mph = Increased fuel consumption by 20% when compared to 55 mph

Fit-for-Driving No 3: Look at the Facts

Looking at the facts about driving we find that unskilled or unqualified drivers come from all age groups. Demographic studies indicate that senior drivers are more cautious when driving than other age groups. The leading factors causing senior vehicle crashes are changes in physical ability and reaction time. If a person is experiencing these changes, they should be evaluated as soon as possible by a therapist, who will address these factors with proper therapy and exercises that are designed for the person's current driving deficits.

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