Road safety is an absolute priority at every age with so many factors both inside and outside our control affecting our wellbeing while we’re traveling. The reality is that even with education and legislative precautions, road accidents happen and in some cases even fatalities. Regardless of how far we progress, road safety remains a community responsibility that we should all prioritize as more than 38,000 people still die annually in the US due to road accidents.
While we are all committed to prioritizing health and safety in our cars and other vehicles there is always more that we can be doing. Even with adherence to road rules and speed limits, making sure to take regular driving breaks, and observing road conditions, we can’t ignore the additional risk factors that affect our older drivers in particular. In fact, uniting around this and finding ways we can support our older drivers to stay safe without compromising their independence is an essential conversation for us to have with our family and friends, as well as our wider community. Keep in mind though, that these conversations centered around our older drivers need to be empathetic and inclusive. The organization Arrive Alive emphasizes that we can’t take a one size fits all approach saying, “Rigid age boundaries do not take into consideration the fact that aging is a process that does not start at the same age for each and every individual, nor does it progress at the same pace.”
To help make these conversations possible, the experienced team at Hussey Fraser Solicitors has shared this infographic, ‘Road Safety For Older Drivers’. The graphic explains different medical conditions that can affect older drivers, prompts for how to talk about safe driving, and essential statistics that can be used for health promotion no matter what age bracket you fall into. Above all, this helpful graphic is a great road map, if you will, to start working together to have supportive, informed conversations that encourage safe driving whether you’re behind the wheel, a passenger or a concerned relative. Stay safe and look out for the ones you love wherever they’re going and whatever stage of their driving journey they’re at.
