The Reality of Senior Drivers and Cedar Rapids Auto Accidents
There are many elderly drivers traveling the streets of Cedar Rapids. Because seniors don't feel as comfortable behind the wheel as they once did, they tend to stay away from interstates and nighttime driving due to their slower reactions and deteriorating nighttime vision.
Because elderly drivers in Iowa tend to avoid highways, they are typically involved and injured in city street accidents, which are usually low-impact crashes, intersection accidents and rear-end wrecks.
Although high-impact crashes tend to occur on the freeways and interstates, there are many auto accidents in Cedar Rapids that occur at intersections and city streets that can also cause major damage and life threatening injuries.
Sadly, there are many seniors that do not want to give up driving because they feel that their freedom would be taken away. They may not realize their inability to drive a vehicle safely until it is too late.
Research from the United States Department of Transportation shows the highest age group for fatal crashes are drivers 85 years of age and older.
When senior drivers cause wrecks in Eastern Iowa, they are typically the ones critically or fatally injured due to their aging bodies and declining health. Sadly, many of these car accidents could have been avoided if the senior driver had done the following:
- Gotten frequent vision checkups to make sure their eyes were good enough to drive.
- Stayed off of the road when not feeling well.
- Been honest with themselves about their deteriorating vision and slower reactions.
- Talked with their children about alternatives to get around town.
Children of elderly parents should monitor their parent's driving in order to keep their parent safe and protect other drivers sharing the road around them. If adult children start noticing that their elderly parents shouldn't be behind the wheel, they should have discussions with their parents and provide transportation options before it is too late.
If a senior doesn't feel comfortable to drive anymore, shouldn't be driving, or has lost their license, there are options for them to get around town that include:
- Assisted living transportation
- Homecare workers
- Friends or family
- Public transportation
Children can only do so much to help their aging parent see that their eyesight and reaction time isn't what it once was. The elderly parents are the ones who need to go in for their eye exams frequently and give up their keys willingly if their vision or reaction time isn't safe.
Seniors needs to remember that there are other lives at stake in a Cedar Rapids car crash. If you or a family member was injured in an Eastern Iowa accident due to someone else's negligence, please call a skilled Cedar Rapids personal injury lawyer today at the Law Offices of Brady Preston Gronlund for a free legal consultation at (319) 866-9277.
