Our bodies change as we age. As we enter the later stages of life, some of those changes affect a person’s ability to drive safely.
Here are some of the bodily changes that should cause a driver to wonder whether it is time to hang up the keys:
Weaker vision
Seeing well is essential to safe driving. Yet, aged eyes cannot see nearly as well as younger ones. This is even more true at night. As a person ages, glasses may allow them to continue driving safely for some years more, but there may come a point where they need to curtail their nighttime driving and eventually stop altogether.
Slowed reactions
Some people’s brains function well until the day they die. Other people experience a significant deterioration in their mental capabilities. Driving requires quick and accurate processing of situations and rapid decision-making, which may become impossible.
The aging body, too is less able to react quickly than a young one. Once the brain tells the leg to press the brake pedal it may do so more slowly than when the person was young and with less force. Immediate powerful braking can sometimes mean the difference between stopping in time to avoid a collision and failing to stop in time.
If you are involved in a collision with an elderly driver, you might come away thinking that they should not still have been driving. Showing that the person was negligent in continuing to drive when they were not fit to do so could help you claim the compensation you need if you were injured in the collision.