My 84 year old dad wants to buy a new car - discuss.

[Anonymous]

Strangely, it is not accurate that older folks have more accidents. They adapt their behavior. They drive a lot less, don't drive at night. Don't go out in bad weather or even rain if they don't have to. They don't speed. Their world gets smaller and their driving radius keeps getting shrinking.

[Anonymous]

my mom is 94 and still driving

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 80 year old inlaws have decided they need a new car before all new cars have touch screens. Their current cars are about 5 years old and work great. But they have this idea in their head that soon all cars will be touch screens! It is not exactly rational.

Actually cars are going to touch screens and off site monitoring. The Wall Street Journal just had an article that consumers prefer non touch screen and older make cars.

[Anonymous]

For anyone with parents who are local, Medstar has a driver evaluation/training program for people with disabilities and older drivers:

https://www.medstarhealth.org/services/driver-training-services

I wouldn't trust a DMV test to determine whether an older driver is safe or not.

Also, the person above who posted statistics about elderly driver crashes needs to post their source (or maybe I missed it). This is what I'm finding:

MD MVA data from 2013-2017 shows elderly drivers were involved in nearly 16% of crashes that resulted in injuries:

https://mva.maryland.gov/Documents/FY19_Older_ProgramAreaBriefFINAL.pdf

The IIHA puts together a page with a ton of data on older drivers, but one interesting graph near the bottom shows that fatality rates for drivers by age go way up starting around 70, mostly for themselves and their passengers:

https://www.iihs.org/topics/older-drivers

OP, it's your dad's money and his choice to buy a new car, but that doesn't mean you can't have a rational conversation with him about driving safety at his age and what he will do (including testing) to determine his strengths and weaknesses.

[Anonymous]

Overview of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes in 2022
https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813560

• There were more fatalities among people 75+ years old (3,453 in 2021 to 3,680 in 2022, or a 6.6-percent increase) and 65 to 74 years old (4,077 in 2021 to 4,291 in 2022, or a 5.2-percent increase) from 2021 to 2022. All other age groups decreased with the largest decrease in the 5-to-9 age group (368 in 2021 to 312 in 2022, or a 15- percent decrease).

• Fatal traffic crashes involving young drivers 15 to 20 years old decreased by 5.5 percent from 4,970 in 2021 to 4,698 in 2022.

• Fatal traffic crashes involving older drivers 65+ years old increased by 4.7 percent from 7,515 in 2021 to 7,870 in 2022. In 2022 the number of fatalities in traffic crashes involving older drivers was the highest since FARS began in 1975.

[Anonymous]

Everyone thinks they are mentally there until they hit someone… people over 80 shouldn’t be driving or ruling the country, period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone thinks they are mentally there until they hit someone… people over 80 shouldn’t be driving or ruling the country, period.

Or voting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Strangely, it is not accurate that older folks have more accidents. They adapt their behavior. They drive a lot less, don't drive at night. Don't go out in bad weather or even rain if they don't have to. They don't speed. Their world gets smaller and their driving radius keeps getting shrinking.

Excellent point.

[Anonymous]

If he can still drive safely, I don’t get why a new car is a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If he can still drive safely, I don’t get why a new car is a problem.

He can't drive safely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Strangely, it is not accurate that older folks have more accidents. They adapt their behavior. They drive a lot less, don't drive at night. Don't go out in bad weather or even rain if they don't have to. They don't speed. Their world gets smaller and their driving radius keeps getting shrinking.

Can you share the research study you are citing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd get a car with a lot of extra safety features.

THIS. I wish my 83 year old Dad would get a new car. His is fine, but it's 10 years old and I want him to be in one that beeps when you're close to hitting something and vibrates on the lane swaying and is really comfortable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd get a car with a lot of extra safety features.

THIS. I wish my 83 year old Dad would get a new car. His is fine, but it's 10 years old and I want him to be in one that beeps when you're close to hitting something and vibrates on the lane swaying and is really comfortable.

They don't detect kids walking across the street. But who cares about the lives of a few kids as long as your dad can make it to bingo?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd get a car with a lot of extra safety features.

THIS. I wish my 83 year old Dad would get a new car. His is fine, but it's 10 years old and I want him to be in one that beeps when you're close to hitting something and vibrates on the lane swaying and is really comfortable.

Makes sense. I'd want to be nice and comfortable, too, so I fall asleep hopefully without hearing the screams of the kids I mow down.