Driving Licenses of People Above Age 65 Should be Repossessed
Overview
This paper argues that driving licenses should be repossessed for all individuals above age 65 due to age-related cognitive, physical, and sensory decline. The author supports this position by citing statistics on increasing traffic accidents involving senior citizens and presents evidence of vision problems, cognitive disorders, and hearing loss as safety hazards that justify mandatory license revocation.
What this essay covers
- Introduction with statistics on senior driver accidents and demographic trends
- Vision problems and visual processing decline as primary safety concern
- Cognitive decline, dementia risk, and mental incapacity in older drivers
- Hearing loss and inability to detect vehicle and road hazards
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Driving Licenses of People Above Age 65 Should be Repossessed
There have been many traffic accidents in the last ten years, but perhaps none is as concerning as those caused by people above 65. Statistics affirm that accidents initiated by senior citizens are increasing across the United States. At the same time, the country continues to record an increase in the aged population, a trend expected to remain due to a high life expectancy. In 2018, more than 45 million drivers were above 65 years, an increase of more than sixty per cent since 2000 (Whitley). Data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that many adults die from road accidents, with many admitted for emergency care because of injuries. Across all states, the number of accidents caused by aged individuals is growing each day. The risks of cognitive loss, muscle loss, visual challenges, and hearing problems are high after age 65. Ageing leads to a decline in necessary abilities to operate a vehicle, mandating repossession of driving licenses for aged people.
Older people driving licenses must be repossessed because age is associated with vision problems, causing poor decisions while driving. Age increases risks for blindness because of muscular loss in the eyes (Loh & Ogle 563). Many people lose their ability to see appropriately after the age of 65. The loss of visual acuity increases the risk for accidents, making it dangerous for elderly drivers to maintain their licenses.