As drivers age, a safety push
Friday, August 31st, 2007
By Chris Fitzsimon
Ideas include road design, clearer signs, more frequent license renewals
Thomas Goldsmith, Staff Writer Mary Lassiter is 94, and wheels her 2005 Honda around the streets near her Garner home, tooling out to busy U.S. 70 and even striking out as far as Florida. A driver since "before they had licenses," Lassiter enjoys the independence.
"I’m just as happy as I can be," she said. "I’ll just look at the cars going by. I’ll say, ‘This is my lane. If you stay in yours, we’re going to be friends.’ "
Lassiter’s defensive driving philosophy has mostly served her well, but some other seniors have proved less adroit. Statistics show that older drivers have more crashes, per mile driven, than any other group except young, inexperienced drivers.
Even though older drivers generally drive fewer miles and are less prone to speeding and drunken driving, the coming demographic swell of aging Americans has prompted state and national officials to search for ways to make the roads safer. (more…)
Last 5 posts in Daily News
- Health insurance coverage dwindling - October 10th, 2008
- N.C. to change voter ID process after problems - October 10th, 2008
- State defends database use for IDs - October 10th, 2008
- States tighten their belts amid financial woes - October 10th, 2008
- Senate race aims to boost Libertarians - October 10th, 2008
Email This Post
Print This Post
