May 23, 2012 (Press-News.org) As we get older, it becomes more difficult to do many everyday activities -- and driving is no different. Despite the challenges associated with driving as a senior citizen, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that 78 percent of people age 70 and above -- about 22 million seniors -- are still driving.
We're all familiar with media stories that involve senior citizens driving off the road, and sometimes injuring the unsuspecting people around them. But, statistics show that generally speaking, older drivers are not as much of a harm to others as you might think.
"The overrepresentation of seniors in fatal crashes is mainly due to their frailty -- the age-related increase in the probability of dying as a result of a crash," said Ezra Hauer of the University of Toronto in a statement. "Frailty as a cause of overrepresentation should not be confused with the ability to drive safely. More than four-fifths of those killed when the driver is 85 years or older are the drivers themselves; among drivers between the ages of 16 and 59 years, two-thirds of those killed are other people. Unlike younger drivers, older drivers are a danger mainly to themselves."
Seniors and Safety on the Road
Aware of their limitations as they age, many seniors change their behaviors in order to stay safe. To that end, drivers in this age range generally avoid driving at night, hitting the road during bad weather and traveling on expressways. In addition, these drivers are less likely to engage in risky behavior such as speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol.
But these precautions can only help but so much, as there are still factors that they cannot control that can lead to car accidents. Things like slower reflexes, diminished hearing and eyesight, and decreased stamina can be a recipe for disaster on the road.
Know Your Rights
If you've been injured in a car accident with an elderly driver, contact a personal injury attorney who can advise you of your rights. You may be eligible to receive compensation for your injuries, and a lawyer can let you know what course of action you should take.
Article provided by Galine, Frye & Fitting
Visit us at www.dongaline.com
Millions of Seniors Still Drive, Study Finds
Despite the challenges associated with driving as a senior citizen, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that 78 percent of people age 70 and above -- about 22 million seniors -- are still driving.
2012-05-23
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Deterring signals: Tobacco plants advertise their defensive readiness to attacking leafhoppers
2012-05-23
This press release is available in German.
Tobacco: actually pretty bad food for leafhoppers
Empoasca sp. is not a typical pest of wild tobacco (Nicotiana attenuata). When this plant grows in its natural habitats in North America, however, it is attacked by tobacco hornworm larvae (Manduca sexta). This specialist insect is resistant to the toxic nicotine, which the plant produces as a defense against its enemies. When researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology used particular transgenic plants in field experiments, they noticed that these plants were ...
Drug Ads Often Gloss Over Side Effects, Enlist Doctor Endorsements
2012-05-23
Prescription drug advertisements have become ubiquitous in United States' media, including television and magazines. Unfortunately, these ads may be ultimately misleading about potential side effects, placing patients at risk.
How Drug Marketing Campaigns Portray Side Effects
Drug companies use several techniques to downplay the side effects of the potentially dangerous drugs they are advertising.
First, a drug company may enlist a celebrity to endorse its product. For example, the anti-inflammatory drug Enbrel is promoted by professional golfer Phil Mikelson. ...
How Traumatic Brain Injuries Affect Children
2012-05-23
Traumatic brain injury -- often called TBI -- is brain damage that can be caused by a blow or jolt to the head, as well as by an object penetrating the skull. Oftentimes, TBIs are not life threatening and those who suffer from mild injuries experience temporary brain-cell dysfunction -- which results in symptoms such as headaches, sleep-pattern changes, mood alterations and loss of consciousness that lasts for a few seconds to a few minutes.
In other cases, TBIs can be quite severe, causing serious damage or even death to the victims.
The Causes and Effects of Severe ...
Study supports urate protection against Parkinson's disease, hints at novel mechanism
2012-05-23
Use of the antioxidant urate to protect against the neurodegeneration caused by Parkinson's disease appears to rely on more than urate's ability to protect against oxidative damage. In the May issue of the open-access journal PLoS One, researchers from the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (MGH-MIND) describe experiments suggesting the involvement of a novel mechanism in urate's protection of cultured brain cells against Parkinson's-like damage.
"Our experiments showed, unexpectedly, that urate's ability to protect neurons requires the presence of ...
'Obesity genes' may influence food choices, eating patterns
2012-05-23
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Blame it on your genes? Researchers from The Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center say individuals with variations in certain "obesity genes" tend to eat more meals and snacks, consume more calories per day and often choose the same types of high fat, sugary foods.
Their study, published online by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and appearing in the June issue, reveals certain variations within the FTO and BDNF genes – which have been previously linked to obesity – may play a role in eating habits that can cause obesity. ...
How to Improve Your Credit After Bankruptcy
2012-05-23
If you have filed for bankruptcy, you may wonder what your credit will look like after you obtain your discharge of debt. You understand that a bad credit rating means credit cards and loans will be more expensive and harder to get. However, you may be surprised to find your credit could be better than you expect.
Bad Credit?
The good news is your credit can probably only improve. If you had to file bankruptcy, your financial situation was probably rather unstable. All of your creditors were aware of this; after all, they were the ones harassing you to pay their bills.
Once ...
Seagrasses can store as much carbon as forests
2012-05-23
Seagrasses are a vital part of the solution to climate change and, per unit area, seagrass meadows can store up to twice as much carbon as the world's temperate and tropical forests.
So report researchers publishing a paper this week in the journal Nature Geoscience.
The paper, "Seagrass Ecosystems as a Globally Significant Carbon Stock," is the first global analysis of carbon stored in seagrasses.
The results demonstrate that coastal seagrass beds store up to 83,000 metric tons of carbon per square kilometer, mostly in the soils beneath them.
As a comparison, a ...
New Program Increases New York Bus Safety Inspections
2012-05-23
About a year ago, 15 people were killed in a commercial bus that was traveling from Connecticut to New York City. A few months later, 30 bus passengers were injured in upstate New York in an accident that killed a truck driver. According to Governor Andrew Cuomo, these New York bus accidents are just two examples of why it's necessary to increase the amount of commercial bus inspections conducted by the Department of Transportation. To that end, Cuomo and the New York State Legislature recently approved $1 million in the state budget to create a program that will allow ...
Albany's Sorely Lacking Sidewalks Can Be a Danger to Wheelchair Users
2012-05-23
An elongated crack, a random upheaval -- less than perfect sidewalks can send almost anyone caught off guard tumbling. For those in wheelchairs, shoddy sidewalks can even mean a complete lack of mobility.
In New York State, a person in a wheelchair is considered a pedestrian, and is subject to all pedestrian traffic laws. Yet, the neglected state of a good number of sidewalks in Albany can make compliance with the law difficult or impossible, substantially raising the risk of pedestrian accidents.
Wheelchair Users Can Be Forced Into Traffic Due to Unsafe Sidewalks
If ...
Cardio fitness levels of breast cancer patients may affect survival
2012-05-23
DURHAM, N.C. – Women receiving care for breast cancer have significantly impaired cardio-pulmonary function that can persist for years after they have completed treatment, according to a study led by scientists at Duke University Medical Center.
The findings, reported online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, also provide initial evidence that poor cardio-pulmonary function may be a strong predictor of survival among women with advanced breast cancer.
"We know that exercise tolerance tests, which measure cardiopulmonary function, are among some of the most important ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Industrial research labs were invented in Europe but made the U.S. a tech superpower
Enzymes work as Maxwell's demon by using memory stored as motion
Methane’s missing emissions: The underestimated impact of small sources
Beating cancer by eating cancer
How sleep disruption impairs social memory: Oxytocin circuits reveal mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities
Natural compound from pomegranate leaves disrupts disease-causing amyloid
A depression treatment that once took eight weeks may work just as well in one
New study calls for personalized, tiered approach to postpartum care
The hidden breath of cities: Why we need to look closer at public fountains
Rewetting peatlands could unlock more effective carbon removal using biochar
Microplastics discovered in prostate tumors
ACES marks 150 years of the Morrow Plots, our nation's oldest research field
Physicists open door to future, hyper-efficient ‘orbitronic’ devices
$80 million supports research into exceptional longevity
Why the planet doesn’t dry out together: scientists solve a global climate puzzle
Global greening: The Earth’s green wave is shifting
You don't need to be very altruistic to stop an epidemic
Signs on Stone Age objects: Precursor to written language dates back 40,000 years
MIT study reveals climatic fingerprints of wildfires and volcanic eruptions
A shift from the sandlot to the travel team for youth sports
Hair-width LEDs could replace lasers
The hidden infections that refuse to go away: how household practices can stop deadly diseases
Ochsner MD Anderson uses groundbreaking TIL therapy to treat advanced melanoma in adults
A heatshield for ‘never-wet’ surfaces: Rice engineering team repels even near-boiling water with low-cost, scalable coating
Skills from being a birder may change—and benefit—your brain
Waterloo researchers turning plastic waste into vinegar
Measuring the expansion of the universe with cosmic fireworks
How horses whinny: Whistling while singing
US newborn hepatitis B virus vaccination rates
When influencers raise a glass, young viewers want to join them
[Press-News.org] Millions of Seniors Still Drive, Study FindsDespite the challenges associated with driving as a senior citizen, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that 78 percent of people age 70 and above -- about 22 million seniors -- are still driving.