Senior Drivers: To Drive or Not to Drive

Are you over 65 years old? Or maybe you have a family member over 65 and still driving a car? Then this article is for you; providing tips and information on what to do if you or someone in your family is getting up in years.

For many of us, driving is freedom; the freedom to go where we want, visit who we wish, and explore new sights.  It can be exciting, driving down the road on a new adventure, or to visit family and friends.  But as we age, it can also become challenging.  The number of drivers over age 65 is growing, and will continue to grow for many years as the baby boom generation moves into retirement.   In 2011 there were 35 million licensed older drivers, a 21 percent increase from 2002.[1]  We are living longer and healthier lives, but we need to remain alert to how we drive, and whether or not we are a potential risk to ourselves or others. Our eyesight and physical abilities change as we age; our reaction times slow down, and even our judgment can be affected by aging.  This is not to say that we should stop driving at age 65; it means that we need to be more alert to our situation and ask some crucial questions.

In 2011, 5,401 people age 65 and older were killed, with 185,000 people injured in car crashes, representing 17 percent of all traffic fatalities and 8 percent of all traffic crash injuries.[2] While fatal crash rates are the highest among drivers over 85 years old, the increased fatal crash risk is more due to medical complications, not an increased tendency to get into a crash.[3]

It is therefore crucial that we recognize our own limitations, ask the appropriate questions and take the right steps to be safe drivers.  At some point, it is important to ask yourself or your loved ones:

• Has anyone expressed concerns about your driving?
• How is your vision?
• How is your physical fitness?
• How is your attention and reaction time?

Off on another adventure

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has created the pamphlet Driving Safely While Aging Gracefully.  This publication asks these basic questions, allows you to honestly evaluate your answers, and then determine what should be done based on those answers.

Because of the dramatic increase in the number of drivers over the age of 65, the available resources have grown quickly, and include:

• Publications[4] and websites[5] on Senior Driving
• Evaluations of your driving abilities, and;
• Driving courses designed to support older drivers.

These resources can help enhance your driving skills and increase your awareness and understanding of what it means to drive when older.  In the meantime, remember a few basic tips to stay safe:

• Remain fit, and exercise to increase your strength and flexibility
• Make sure any medications don’t have any side effects that will cause problems when driving
• Get your eyes checked on a regular basis
• Drive during the day and in good weather
• Use the safest route, which does not necessarily mean the most direct way
• Take the time before you leave to plan what route you will use
• Reduce the number of distractions in your car, especially by not using a cell phone while driving—regardless if it is hands-free or not.

As you reach that age where you are free to visit family and friends, or travel across the country to see new sights, you want to be sure to arrive safe and sound. Take the time to make sure your driving skills are safe for you, those in your car, and everyone around you as you head out on your next adventure.

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[1] Traffic Safety Facts, 2011 Data – Older Population. April 2013. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  DOT HS 811 745

[2] Traffic Safety Facts, 2011 Data – Older Population. April 2013. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  DOT HS 811 745

[3] Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Fatality facts 2009: Older People. Arlington (VA): IIHS; 2010. [cited 2011 Feb 25]. Available from URL:  http://www.iihs.org/research/fatality_facts_2009/olderpeople.htm

[4] How to Understand & Influence Older Drivers, June 2006. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. DOT HS 810 633; Driving Safely While Aging Gracefully.

[5] NHTSA Older Drivers;  AAA-Senior Driving;  AARP Driver Safety

Ignition Interlocks: An Important Tool in the Effort to End Impaired Driving

Blowing into an Interlock Device

“Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”  For the past two weeks, ending today, Labor Day,  that was the message by NHTSA, law enforcement officers and traffic safety professionals across the country.  It is a national crackdown to end impaired driving; arresting those that drive impaired as one part of a comprehensive effort.  While crucial, to end impaired driving it will take much more than arrests.  It will take using all the tools available, before, during and after an arrest, which includes Ignition Interlocks.

What is an ignition interlock?  It is an instrument that takes a breath sample from a driver, and if the person’s BrAC (Breath Alcohol Content) is above a certain level, usually .02-.04, the car will not start.  Thus, the driver cannot put himself or herself at risk, along with everyone else on the road.  Of course, there were questions of reliability, and who is actually providing the breath sample, but these instruments have been in existence for over thirty years, and over time extensive improvements have resolved most of these issues.

One of the biggest questions used to be, how do we know who is providing the breath sample? What if the driver has a child or a spouse or friend blow into it? How will we ever know?  The interlocks of today require a person to blow in a particular pattern, or hum in a particular manner, or another similar technique specific to that ignition interlock, thereby requiring training for the individual who will be using it.  Also, many of today’s interlocks use a camera that takes a picture of the person blowing into it.  And, once the car is started and the person is driving down the road, the interlock will require a random “rolling test.”  A rolling test not only tests the driver again, but it also makes sure the driver didn’t start drinking after starting the car. Throughout this process, a small computer chip records the results of the breath samples from which a report is made and provided to the Department of Motor Vehicles, the courts, or other supervising agency.

An Ignition Interlock ready to be used.

A second issue with ignition interlocks is that it tests only for alcohol, not for any other drugs that impair a person’s ability to drive.  Drugged Driving is a significant and growing problem, but alcohol is still the predominate substance found in impaired driving charges.  An important tool should not be ignored because it misses a percentage of impaired drivers, especially when it does impact the vast majority.  Impaired driving is a complex issue; there is no silver bullet.  However, the bottom line is crystal clear—the benefits of using ignition interlocks strongly outweigh the negatives when dealing with the impaired driver.

Using ignition interlocks saves lives.  Twenty years of research has shown consistent results—while installed, an ignition interlock reduces recidivism by a range of 50 to 90%.[1]  But there is a crucial word in that sentence: “while.”  Unfortunately, the research has shown that for the alcohol-dependent offender, once the instrument is removed, the person goes back to the same behavior of drinking and driving. [2]  That is why treatment must be a component of any interlock program that involves alcohol-dependent offenders: to change their behavior.[3]

Since the research is clear that the instrument saves lives, why isn’t it being used more?  With 1.2 million DWI offenders,[4] and only 280,000 interlocks installed, [5] that is the crucial question.  Twenty states currently require all DWI offenders to have an ignition interlock installed in their car,[6] but it takes more than just passing a law.  It takes hard work by a number of key stakeholders to implement effective procedures and requirements based on the law and the research, and it takes educating everyone involved on the interlock’s benefits.

In many states before a DWI offender can get a driver’s license back, the Department of Motor Vehicles requires an ignition interlock be installed on the car. But what if the offender doesn’t try to get a license?  Other states use the courts to order an interlock, but with the courts’ current caseload, does a court have the ability to ensure compliance with its orders? These issues can be addressed and overcome, but they need to be recognized and solutions found.

There are a variety of other issues that must be addressed when implementing an ignition interlock law, including:

• Funding the program;
• Educating the public and key stakeholders on the effectiveness of ignition interlocks;
• Shortening the time for any delay in reporting of violations; and,
• Finding the appropriate response for non-compliance.

Each of these issues is interrelated and needs to be considered when moving forward on an ignition interlock law.  A great step-by-step process in implementing an ignition interlock program written by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) is The Implementation of Alcohol Interlocks for Offenders: A Roadmap.  As noted in the publication, the research has shown that significant gains can be made in reducing drunk driving, but now the focus must be on the implementation.  This was also the focus by the Ignition Interlock Institutes sponsored by Mother’s Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and reported in the NHTSA publication: Ignition Interlock Institutes: Promoting the Use of Interlocks and Improvements to Interlock Programs.

Ignition interlocks have received significant support from MADD, NHTSA, NTSB, CDC,[7] MAP-21,[8] and states all across the country.  It is an important tool in the effort to end impaired driving.  Is it the cure?  No. Impaired driving is a complicated issue with a variety of factors, but ignition interlocks are a crucial component in the solution and one we must not ignore.

What do you think?

September 2, 2013

In the clip below, Dr. Mark Rosekind, NTSB Board Member talks about Ignition Interlocks and the NTSB recommendations to end impaired driving.

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[1] Ignition Interlock Institutes: Promoting the Use of Interlocks and Improvements to Interlock Programs. July 2013. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT HS 811 815.

[2] Wrong-Way Driving, A Special Investigation Report. December 2012, National Transportation Safety Board. PB2012-917003.

[3] DWI Courts, known by some as Treatment Courts are using ignition interlock devices as a testing device while requiring treatment for the offender.  To learn more, click here.

[4] Traffic Safety Facts: 2011 Data Overview.  April 2013. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT HS 811 753.

[5] Ignition Interlock Institutes: Promoting the Use of Interlocks and Improvements to Interlock Programs. July 2013. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT HS 811 815.

[6] Obtained from www.madd.org.

[7] Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

[8] Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century.  The Federal Transportation law which provides incentive grant money for states to implement “all-offender” ignition interlock laws

Child Safety Seats: The Right One at the Right Time

It’s cool to use a child safety seat.

Did you know that 73% of child safety seats are either not used when needed, or are installed incorrectly?[1]

Did you know that car crashes are the number one killer of children ages 1 to 12 in the United States?[2]

Did you know that correctly installed child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% for infants and 54% for toddlers?[3]

If you have young children, or know someone that has young children, then this article is for you, as I discuss the importance of a properly installed child safety seat.

You just found out that you’re going to have a new daughter or son.  Now what?  Well, after telling the grandparents and other family and friends, it’s time to start looking for a child safety seat. Do you need to get one immediately? Of course not, but why wait?  This will be an important item in keeping your child safe when you travel on the road.

First and foremost, infants should be in a “Rear-Facing” child seat, and it needs to be in the back seat. A rear-facing child seat is the safest type for your baby, as it helps protect the child’s head, neck and spine in a crash.  Second, as a general rule, use a rear-facing seat for as long as the child fits in it, but also check the manufacturer’s instructions.

Another important question is, with the wide variety of child seats to choose from, which is the right one?  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) evaluates all of the child safety seats and lists them in an “Ease-of-Use” 5 star rating.  The evaluation covers:

• The labels
• The instructions
• Securing your child
• Installation, and
• Overall ease of use.

You can check out how your seat rates by clicking here.

There are free car seat checks all over.

With your car seat in hand, now is absolutely the time to ask for some help.  First, there is an easy checklist that you can use to see how you are doing.  It was prepared by Safe Kids. Click here to download the checklist.  Now is not the time to guess on how to correctly install a child’s safety seat.  In a study done by Chrysler, 96% of parents believed they installed the child seat correctly, but based on research by NHTSA, 70% were installed incorrectly.[4] An improperly installed seat increases the risk of harm.   But fear not, it is easy to get personal assistance, and it’s free.  Across the US there are Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs) trained on how to properly install a child safety seat.  To become certified, they have to attend a 3-4 day course that combines classroom instruction, hands-on activities, and a community check-up event.  A CPST will check the installation of your car seat, and show you how to install it correctly.  With over 120,000 CPSTs and 4,000 car seat events, you will be able to find one close by.  To find the nearest event or technician, click here.

Of course, children grow up, and before you know it, your child will no longer fit in the car seat.  It’s now time to change to a forward-facing car seat, but still keep it in the back seat of the car.  A child can remain in a forward-facing seat until about 65-80 pounds depending on the car seat.  Be sure to periodically check the manual to understand the limitations of your child’s car seat during this period.

NHTSA has a great breakdown of age and the type of seat a child should be using:

Birth – 12 months

• Your child under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat. There are different types of rear-facing car seats: Infant-only seats can only be used rear-facing. Convertible and 3-in-1 car seats typically have higher height and weight limits for the rear-facing position, allowing you to keep your child rear-facing for a longer period of time.

1 – 3 years

• Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. It’s the best way to keep him or her safe. Your child should remain in a rear-facing car seat until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, your child is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness.

4 – 7 years

• Keep your child in a forward-facing car seat with a harness until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the forward-facing car seat with a harness, it’s time to travel in a booster seat, but still in the back seat.

8 – 12 years

• Keep your child in a booster seat until he or she is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly. For a seat belt to fit properly the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach. The shoulder belt should lie snug across the shoulder and chest and not cross the neck or face. Remember: your child should still ride in the back seat because it’s safer there.[5]

You might be tempted to purchase a used car seat. However, you should never use a car seat that has already been in a crash, so a word of caution: if you choose to buy a used one, buy it from someone you know to be sure it’s crash-free.

And speaking of buying car seats, while the parents are the adults and must take responsibility for the child’s safety, as well as lead by example, parents of toddlers and older children might want to decide on two or three options, and then let the child make the final selection for “his” or “her” seat. Young children have an innate sense of “mine.” Allowing them a say in their own car seat–choosing the one with the pretty colors or the cool cup holder–can also be the beginning of fostering in them a lifelong understanding of the need to make “safe” choices.

Using the right car seat, installed in the right way is one of the most important safety actions any parent can take.  Don’t wait ‘til tomorrow; now is the time to do it.

How about you?  Have you tried to install a child’s car seat only to throw up your hands?

August 19, 2013

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[1] Safe Kids Worldwide. 2013. Retrieved from: www.safekids.org/safetytips/field_risks/car-seat.

[2] Safer Car Website.  2013. This website is a gateway to information and resources for keeping your kids safe when they are on the move. You will find answers to the most common questions you may have – whether you’re buying their first car seats or handing your teen their first sets of car keys. Should you let your kids walk to school? What about bikes or the big yellow school bus? How safe is my car? This website can help you with all these answers and many more. www.safercar.gov.  Fact retrieved from: www.safercar.gov/parents/CarSeats.htm.

[3] National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). 2013. School Transportation Safety.

[4] Seatcheck.org.  2013. Retrieved from: http://www.seatcheck.org/about_overview.html

[5] To read this list and get additional information on car seat basics go to: http://www.safercar.gov/parents/RightSeat.htm.

Where’s Baby? Look Before You Lock.

Do you have children? Do you have pets? Do they travel with you in a car or truck? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then this article is for you.

Number of children in the U.S. dying from heatstroke since 1998

With summer here, more children and pets are dying from heatstroke and these tragedies are 100% preventable. This article provides easy tips to ensure it doesn’t happen to your child or pet.

Heatstroke can happen anytime during the year, but it is more frequent during the summer. Since 1998 there have been at least 582 cases of children dying in vehicles because of heatstroke, with more than half under two years old. In 2012 there were 33 heatstroke deaths, with 21 so far in 2013. From 1998 to 2012, 29% of the heatstroke deaths happened because the child got into the car unattended to play.[1]  According to NHTSA, heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash vehicle fatalities for children 14 and under.[2] On average, a child dies in a car from heatstroke every 10 days.[3] There are no statistics on how many pets, typically dogs, die in a car from heatstroke, but there are news stories about it on a regular basis.

Never leave a dog in a car unattended.

Sadly, it occurs so easily—a person stops to pick something up from the grocery store, goes inside the home preoccupied, or is just getting off the cell phone and the child or pet is left in the backseat. Ten minutes later, the person remembers but by then it is too late. On a hot day a child’s body absorbs heat up to 5 times faster than an adult’s. For dogs, their main method of cooling down is panting, which means breathing out the hot air and inhaling the cool. If the ambient air is hot, panting will have no benefit.

Consider how often you get into a car and find that you have to get back out, roll down the windows and wait for it to cool down, or grab the steering wheel only to quickly take your hands off of it because of the heat. This is a common experience for all of us. How does it happen? The objects inside a car, the steering wheel, the dashboard, even a child’s seat, receive heat from the sun’s shortwave radiation. Then the air around the particular item is heated. It doesn’t take long. On average, temperatures inside a car can rise almost 20 degrees in ten minutes and 30 degrees in 20 minutes.[4] Dark colored dashboards or seats get even hotter and leaving the window down “a crack” is of absolutely no benefit in any situation.

July 31^st is National Heatstroke Prevention Day

It is time to get the message out to everyone, family, friends, co-workers, and community leaders, any way possible. On National Heatstroke Prevention Day it is planned that from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. everyone, every hour, will send a tweet, or post a message on Facebook about stopping heatstroke. It is time to get involved. Click here to get to the website where you can download suggested tweets, Facebook messages, fact sheets, sample media templates such as letters to the editor, posters, PSA clips, and safety tips that you can share.  In the meantime, there is more we can do individually.

SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PARENTS[5]

• Never leave a child or pet in an unattended car, even with the windows down.
• Be sure that all occupants leave the vehicle when unloading. Don’t overlook sleeping babies or pets.
• Always lock your car. If a child is missing, check the car first, including the trunk. Teach your children that vehicles are never to be used as a play area.
• Keep a stuffed animal in the carseat and when the child is put in the seat place the animal in the front with the driver.
• Place your purse or briefcase in the back seat as a reminder that you have your child in the car.
• Make “look before you lock” a routine whenever you get out of the car.

SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BYSTANDERS

• If you see a child or pet alone in a hot vehicle, call the police.
• If they are in distress due to heat, get them out as quickly as possible. Cool the child or pet rapidly. Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.

This past week was one of the hottest weeks this summer, and more hot days and weeks are coming. It is a critical time for parents, and non-parents alike to take action. If you see a child or a pet alone in a car—Act!  And remember, the simplest act every parent with young children can do is: Look Before You Lock.

July 22, 2013

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[1] Heatstroke Deaths of Children in Vehicles, Jan Null, CCM, Department of Geosciences, San Francisco State University.

[2] NHTSA Unveils Campaign to Prevent Child Heatstroke Deaths in Cars, NHTSA Press Release, April 3, 2012.

[3] Heatstroke Deaths of Children in Vehicles, Jan Null, CCM, Department of Geosciences, San Francisco State University.

[4] Heatstroke Deaths of Children in Vehicles, Jan Null, CCM, Department of Geosciences, San Francisco State University.

[5] Children-in-Car Fact Sheet, Jan Null, CCM, Department of Geosciences, San Francisco State University

Here is a video clip on Heatstroke–Called “One Decision”

Related articles

• Safety advocates, police warn: Leaving a child in unattended vehicle is potentially deadly (mlive.com)
• As Heat Wave Bakes Region, A Lesson On Kids and Pets in Cars (washington.cbslocal.com)

Drugged Driving: The Time Has Come for Action

“Every year, thousands of fatalities occur in the United States that involve drugged driving. [1] Drugs other than alcohol that can affect driving performance include illicit drugs and medications (prescribed and over-the-counter) with the potential to alter behavior.”

2013 National Drug Control Strategy, U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, pg. 67

People driving while impaired by drugs other than alcohol have been doing so for years.   In the early 1970s, Los Angeles law enforcement officers developed the Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) program to identify drivers that were drugged-impaired.[2]  The program has expanded and is now an international endeavor known as the Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) Program. Still, even after all these years, the fight to end impaired driving remains heavily focused on alcohol-impaired driving, with far less attention paid to drug-impaired operators. But, times have changed and a broader perspective is required.

Research demonstrates that drugged driving is a significant problem nationwide.  A study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the 2007 National Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use by Drivers[3] found that:

• One in eight Americans driving on a weekend night tested positive for an illicit drug.
• Of the 16.3% of drivers who tested positive for drugs, 11.3% were positive for illegal drugs, 3.9% for medications and 1.1% for both illegal drugs and medications. The most common illegal drugs were cannabis (8.6%), cocaine (3.9%) and methamphetamine (1.3%).

A year later, NHTSA released additional research determining that 33% of all deceased drivers with known drug-test results in 2009 tested positive for drugs.  This includes illegal substances as well as over-the-counter and prescription medications.[4]  While the research did not say that every person who tested positive was impaired, the extent of positive tests is troubling.

People are dying because of drugged driving, and the problem is growing.  Recent data also shows that the involvement of drugs in fatal motor vehicle crashes increased by five percentage points over the past five years, even as the overall number of drivers killed declined. [5]  Additionally, the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found an estimated 9.4 million people reported driving under the influence of illegal drugs during the year prior to being surveyed.[6]

Clearly, drugged driving is a significant issue that can’t be left on the side of the road; the problem is not going away.  In fact, it is growing. What are we to do?

Three years ago drugged driving was included as a national priority in the U.S. National Drug Control Strategy. That is still true in 2013, continuing the goal set in 2010 to reduce drugged driving in the United States by 10% by the year 2015.  The strategy calls for us to:

• Increase public awareness
• Enhance legal reforms to get drugged drivers off the road
• Advance technology for drug tests and data collection, and
• Increase law enforcement’s ability to identify drugged drivers. [7]

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and other federal partners[8] have provided a great jumpstart in the effort to end drugged driving, such as NHTSA doing additional research on this topic and NTSB expanding its discussion to substance-impaired driving. But more is needed. It will take every one of us to educate ourselves with the facts. It will require every one of us to take action, whether it is in our own homes, at work, or within the community.  It will take every one of us to share the message that drugged driving is deadly:

• Parents can and must talk with their children.[9]
• Friends can and must talk to friends.
• Employers can and must educate their workers.
• Doctors can and must interact with their patients and understand the signs of substance-use problems
• Law enforcement officers and prosecutors can and must be trained on the effective identification, arrest, and adjudication of the drugged driver, and
• Public leaders can and must look at the research and understand that proactive legislation can make a difference; they must be willing to discuss this deadly crime in an effort to protect the community.

There is no overnight remedy to this growing scourge.  There is no silver bullet that will end it.  It will take continued discussion and effort. The first step in this fight is acknowledgement of the problem, and believing that we can make a difference. Like throwing a pebble into a pond, as we influence those around us, they, too, influence those around them, in an ever-increasing circle.  On this issue, it is up to every one of us to create a circle that ripples across our communities, our states, and ultimately our country.

June 17, 2013

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[1]   Traffic Safety Facts: Drug involvement of fatally injured drivers.  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.(2010) DOT HS 811 415. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation.

[2]   For this article, when using the term “drugged” driving, it includes not only illicit drugs, but also prescription and over the counter medicines.

[3]   2007 National Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use by Drivers, NHTSA, Department of Transportation, (2009) DOT HS 811 249 Washington DC: U.S. Department of Transportation

[4] Traffic Safety Facts: Drug involvement of fatally injured drivers. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2010) DOT HS 811 415. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation.

[5]   Traffic Safety Facts: Drug involvement of fatally injured drivers. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2010) DOT HS 811 415. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation.

[6]   Results from the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings, SAMHSA, U.S, Department of Health and Human Services

[7]   2013 National Drug Control Strategy, U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, pg. 67

[8]   NTSB, CDC, SAMSHA, and NHTSA are a few of the federal agencies that have worked on combating drugged driving alongside of ONDCP.  Non-profit organizations, such as MADD, GHSA, NADCP/NCDC, IBH, We Save Lives, and RADD, have also expanded their efforts to include ending  drugged driving.

[9]   See the ONDCP Tool Kit for parents and community groups to be proactive with teens.

Related articles

• NHTSA Survey Shows Drunk Driving Down, Drugged Driving Up (kbb.com)