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As our parents, relatives and friends get older there comes a point in time when an elderly driver becomes a liability on our roadways and poses a heightened risk of being involved in a car accident. Unfortunately, elderly driving accidents in Connecticut not only can injure the driver of that vehicle but can also seriously injure, or even kill, other people on our streets. As we get older, we become less sure on our feet, our hearing and vision deteriorates, our reaction time becomes much lower, we become more easily confused and our ability to safely operate a motor vehicle is greatly reduced. So how can you avoid an elderly driving accident in Connecticut?
So how can we as a child, relative or friend of an elderly driver know when it is time for this individual to stop driving? There are a number of things that we can do to help in making this determination: we can look for opportunities to ride along with the elderly driver to see how they are operating their motor vehicle, how they negotiate in traffic, how well they can park a motor vehicle and generally get a better idea as to how safely that person can drive; inspect the elderly driver’s motor vehicle to determine if there are dents or scratches which would indicate some type of a minor accident; and/or have a conversation with the elderly driver to see how comfortable they are with driving a motor vehicle or if they avoid driving in adverse weather conditions or at night.
So what if it appears that the elderly driver should not be driving anymore. How can you get this individual to give up their keys and to stop driving? This is a very sensitive topic with most seniors and might cause them to feel that their freedom is being greatly restricted or even lost. The thought of having to depend upon others for their transportation might cause the elderly driver to be become quite argumentative or avoid discussing this topic whatsoever. It is important to understand that this is a process which will occur over time and generally will not be resolved in one brief conversation.
It is important that you prepare for these conversations so they can attempt to comfort the elderly driver and provide options rather than creating a situation where the elderly driver shuts down and wants to argue about the suggestions being made. Research what alternatives are available for transporting the elderly driver once they give up their keys. What family members or friends can assist in transporting the elderly driver? Is public transportation available? Are community groups or not for profits available to perform this much-needed task? Get as much information as possible so that all of these options can be made available and discussed with the elderly driver.
If the elderly driver insists that his or her ability to operate a motor vehicle is fine and that they do not pose any danger whatsoever to others on the roadways then it might be useful to involve the elderly driver’s family doctor so that this conversation could be had between the doctor and the elderly driver. You might also want to suggest that the elderly driver have an updated vision test to see if their vision has deteriorated and whether they can obtain different eyeglasses. A hearing examination might also be helpful to see if some type of hearing device or different hearing device might improve their hearing. if a doctor has this conversation with an elderly driver it might have a different effect than if it is coming from a child, relative or friend.
Be prepared to have multiple conversations with the elderly driver because this battle will not be won overnight. This is a very frightening prospect for an elderly driver to consider who might very well need some time to process all of this information before determining that this is the right course of action. It is also important for the elderly driver to understand that their continued operation of a motor vehicle might result in the serious physical injury or death of either the driver or innocent victims on the roadway. Elderly driving accidents account for far too many injuries and deaths so this is an important issue that needs to be resolved with the elderly driver.
Several years ago I was waiting to renew my Connecticut license when an elderly gentleman was in front of me who had trouble standing upright. He walked with great difficulty and obviously had a number of physical challenges. He was able to renew his license without any questions regarding his vision, his hearing, or his ability to operate a motor vehicle. It is therefore very important that family and friends start having the conversation with an elderly driver about reducing and/or completely eliminating their operation of a motor vehicle as soon as possible.
If you or someone you know has been involved in an accident due to an elderly driver you should get the advice and counsel of an experienced Connecticut personal injury lawyer. Our Connecticut accident attorneys and injury lawyers provide this type of free information in a number of ways: you can visit our website at www.HCWLAW.com and download a free copy of our Connecticut accident and injury law book; you can fill out our brief online form and one of our Connecticut accident lawyers will get in touch with you to review the facts of your case; you can call our toll-free number at 888-842-8466 and either get your questions answered over the telephone or you can schedule and in office appointment to review the facts of your case. If you are unable to travel due to your physical condition than we will make arrangements to meet with you at some mutually acceptable location. Get this valuable free information as soon as possible before you make a mistake in attempting to handle your own Connecticut car accident case.
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