Driving a car means freedom. No one likes to give them away. The majority of Germans are in favor of driving aptitude tests for seniors. What do people and experts have to say??
24.02.2021 06:00 by
elisabeth morgenstern
Reaction time decreases with age. If drivers over 75 are involved in accidents, they bear the main blame in three out of four cases. (image source: istockphoto.Com/daisy-daisy )
wilhelm (*) has his first rear-end collision in his early 70s. After that, he is always conspicuous in road traffic. In his late 70s, he drives off the side mirror of an oncoming car because he’s driving in the middle of the road. He claims to have been driving sufficiently on the right. "it was never his fault, if he had his way," recalled his now 80-year-old wife hildegard (*). When she is driving and asks him at an intersection if a car is coming from the right, he answers in the negative. They only narrowly missed an accident at the time. wilhelm could no longer judge the distance of other cars.
Compensating for weaknesses
Annette paulus knows the weaknesses of many older drivers. Among other things, she is a driving aptitude consultant, senior citizen trainer and trained moderator for "sicher mobil" events in enger, herford county. Many seniors have problems not only with lane keeping, but especially with turning left and parking and backing out. They are also often overtaxed at blind intersections, as complex vision and perception are required.
In 2019, 36,000 people nationwide voluntarily surrendered their driving licenses, of which 16,500 were over 64 years of age. But annette paulus can understand everyone who is attached to their driver’s license. The aim of their work is to keep people mobile for as long as possible. "Many deficits that occur in old age can be compensated for. Then I don’t drive at dusk or at rush hour."Reactivity and memory can be trained with computer programs. Modern vehicle technology can also help, for example lane departure warning systems or emergency brake assistants. Sensors and cameras make parking easier – provided the driver knows how to use them and doesn’t just get extra nervous. A raised seating position and automatic transmission also help to concentrate better on traffic, he said.
"my motto is: not everyone has to be able to do everything. The question is, what can I be responsible for?? If I’m unsure about driving on highways and therefore avoid them, the danger is averted."
Leaving the car behind
With her offers, annette paulus usually only reaches people who are already thinking critically about their own driving abilities. "there are significantly more women than men," she knows. This was also evident in the case of wilhelm and hildegard. While he does not know his daredevil driving behavior.
In his early 70s, Wilhelm (*) has his first rear-end collision. After that, he repeatedly stands out in road traffic. In his late 70s, he drives off the side mirror of an oncoming car because he is driving in the middle of the road. He claims to have driven sufficiently to the right. "it was never his fault, if he had his way," recalled his now 80-year-old wife hildegard (*). When she is driving and asks him at an intersection whether a car is coming from the right, he answers in the negative. At that time, they only just missed an accident. wilhelm could no longer estimate the distance to other cars.
Compensating for weaknesses
Annette paulus knows the weaknesses of many older drivers. She is, among other things, a driving suitability advisor, senior citizen trainer and trained moderator for "sicher mobil" events in enger, herford county. Many seniors have problems not only with keeping in lane, but also with turning left and parking and backing out. They are also often overwhelmed at unclear intersections, as complex vision and perception are required.
In 2019, 36,000 people nationwide voluntarily surrendered their driving licenses, 16,500 of whom were over 64 years of age. But annette paulus can well understand anyone who is attached to their driver’s license. The aim of your work is to keep people mobile for as long as possible. "many deficits that occur in old age can be compensated for. Then I don’t drive at dusk or at rush hour."responsiveness and memory could be trained with computer programs. Modern vehicle technology can also help, for example lane-keeping systems or emergency brake assistants. Sensors and cameras make parking easier – as long as the driver knows how to use them and doesn’t just get nervous. A raised seating position and automatic transmission are also helpful in being able to concentrate better on traffic.
"my motto is: not everyone has to be able to do everything. The question is, what am I responsible for?? If I am unsafe on highways and therefore avoid them, the danger is eliminated."
Leave the car at home
With her offers, annette paulus usually only reaches people who are already thinking critically about their own driving abilities. "that’s significantly more women than men," she knows. This was also evident in the case of wilhelm and hildegard. While he did not admit his reckless driving behavior, she left the car more and more often from her mid-70s onward. At the time, the couple still lived with their son and his family on a former farmstead in the middle of a small town. Grocery shopping could be done there even without a car. Hildegard only drove familiar routes within a radius of just under 10 km. She avoided the highway altogether. "Long car journeys became more strenuous, my attention had waned" she recalls. The stiff bones did not make it any easier to get in and out of the car.
There have been no dicey traffic situations. She did not wait that long. "i must have enough sense not to drive when i’m no longer safe," says hildegard. She finally gave her car to her grandson. She bought an electric car instead.
Accident liability for senior citizens
54% of the german population are in favor of mandatory fitness to drive tests for drivers over the age of 75. This was the result of a representative survey commissioned by the german traffic safety council. As expected, the proposal met with less approval in the 65+ age group. But the figures from the Federal Statistical Office also show that in accidents involving drivers aged 65 and over, they are usually the main culprits. For drivers aged 75 and over, this is the case in 3 out of 4 cases.
Senior citizens often disregard right-of-way rules or behave incorrectly when turning, reversing, entering or exiting a vehicle. However, it is worth mentioning that compared to younger drivers, you are less likely to be charged with driving too close to the road, speeding or driving under the influence of alcohol.
"medical MOT"
Among the supporters of mandatory testing is dr. Med. Mathias bieberbach. The traffic physician has been practicing in hanover for more than 20 years and examines truck, cab and bus drivers to determine their fitness to drive. According to the guidelines of the driving license ordinance, they are obliged to undergo a medical examination every five years. This includes filling out a questionnaire, having blood pressure and sugar levels measured, and having their eyes checked. "if i extrapolate my experiences to the entire nation of drivers, i can’t even imagine how many drivers are on the road with impaired vision or reactions, for example."
He considers a regular "medical MOT" every five years to be sensible. After all, one of the greatest risks of accidents is health impairments. And they usually increase the older you get. The traffic physician therefore proposes starting with drivers over 70 for the sake of urgency. gradually, the threshold could be lowered to 50. "i am in no way concerned with discriminating against older car drivers. My aim is to reduce the number of accidents."he sees a compulsory examination for all drivers over a certain age not as censorship, but as a large-scale early detection examination.
Now it is important to distinguish between a medical fitness to drive examination and a driving test. hildegard also thinks it’s conceivable to make it compulsory for drivers to have their hearing and eyesight checked, as well as the provision of glasses and hearing aids, once they reach a certain age. "the time for this should be determined by the family doctor," she says. Premiums instead of compulsory? hildegard rejects a legally prescribed driving test from the age of 75, for example. "the state takes away the last dignity". Those who live in the outskirts and are dependent on a car should still be allowed to drive known and short distances, he says. But she concedes: "Anyone who hasn’t been behind the wheel for a long time should take driving lessons again to get fit."
Calendrical and biological age
annette paulus has little faith in mandatory driver fitness tests for older drivers. "That would be discriminatory. And the age according to the calendar does not necessarily say anything about the biological age."Instead, the qualified driving instructor advocates a bonus system for the health insurance companies. Rewards could encourage drivers to attend courses or to do re-registration rides. So far she has had no success with the insurance companies.
In her more than 10-year career as a driver suitability advisor, annette paulus has only advised people to stop driving in two cases. It’s up to them whether the people concerned follow their advice. The results of both the tests and the feedback rides remain confidential in any case. "i’m not the extended arm of any authority, i don’t pass on the results," she assures.
Nevertheless, the inhibition threshold on the subject is high. She deliberately holds her courses at the local diaconal cafe rather than at the driving school. "otherwise, some fear there could be talk: he’s going to driving school? Something could be wrong."She often has to deal with concerned relatives who fall on deaf ears with the seniors. She therefore knows the cases of senile stiffness well. But when should older drivers really think about having their fitness to drive checked?? "as soon as relatives bring up the subject, you should do something about it. After all, the kids don’t mean any harm."
In wilhelm’s case, too, the family finally took action. His children pulled together and were actually able to convince their father to leave the car at home. Only later is he diagnosed with dementia, which could explain his driving behavior.