Should Doctors Discuss Senior Driving Safety Issues with Older Patients
A recent study found that many doctors do not bring up the topic of driving safety with senior patients.
In many cases, doctors only bring up this important subject when a patient has had an automotive accident or suffers from a health condition that affects his or her driving ability.
About the Senior Driving Safety Study
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. They found that driving ability begins to deteriorate at the age of 65 and that nearly 10,000 people in the United States turn 65 every day.
The study concluded that doctors should approach driving safety discussions with their senior patients once they turn 65. However, the researchers found that doctors may avoid these important conversations because of lack of time or some other reason, so they often postpone this discussion until an accident occurs.
Effects of Age on Driving
A person may suffer from a variety of age-related effects as they get older. They may lose their vision, causing the driver to be unable to recognize objects in his or her path, accident risks or other important visual stimuli.
Hearing loss can make it difficult for a person to hear sounds around him or her and may lead to otherwise avoidable accidents. Older individuals may suffer from a delayed response, causing a driver to be unable to avoid an accident.
For these reasons, it is important for healthcare providers to be able to talk about these risk factors with senior drivers and emphasize the importance of senior driver safety. They may be able to recognize signs of deterioration that can help prevent an automotive accident.
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Senior driving safety is important to protect all motorists on the roadway. If you have been injured by a negligent driver, a Tampa car accident lawyer may be able to help you with your case.
Call Abrahamson & Uiterwyk today at 1-800-538-4878 to receive a free initial consultation and case evaluation.