Rising number of older drivers on the roads
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Jennifer Auh reports on the rising number of older drivers. Video by IdahoOnYourSide.com
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With the aging baby boom population, the number of elderly drivers are continuously rising. We looked into how older drivers are fairing, here in Idaho.
Meet Ervin Gifford, who’s in his 80’s. He said he's never had any problems driving.
In fact, he teaches AARP driving safety classes. Gifford said age is really just a number, and one’s driving abilities all depends on their health condition.
“It’s hard to an elderly person to give up driving, because they don't want to,” he said.
In Idaho, older drivers must renew their license every four years. Those older than 69 must take an eye exam and apply for a renewal in person. The county sheriff's office also has the power to determine if they can renew their license.
Statistics in Idaho show accident numbers tend do go down as drivers get older, but that number actually starts to rise back up slightly for drivers 75 and older.
Experts said most people don’t realize they are not fit to drive, until they get into a minor accident, like hitting a pole or their garage.
Gifford showed us some simple exercises to prevent that, which can serve as a test for you to see if your elderly family member is physically fit to drive.
Watch the video to see the exercises.
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