Gerontology is the study of the aging processes and individuals as they grow from middle age through later life. Gerontology may be distinguished from geriatrics by its non-medical emphasis. Geriatrics is the study of health and disease in later life and is associated with the medical aspect, application, care and well-being of the elderly. Areas of gerontology research include:
- Social and economic problems due to the increasing number of elderly people in the population.
- Psychological aspects of aging including intellectual performance and personal adjustment.
- Physiological bases of aging, pathological deviations and disease processes.
- General biological aspects of aging.
Cognition, vision and motor skills are involved in the act of driving. There is no magic age when cognitive, vision and motor skills diminish. According to the
Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, in 2007 motor vehicle crash deaths per capita among males and females began to increase markedly starting at ages 70-74. Across all age groups males had substantially higher death rates than females.
More vehicle crash deaths per 100,000 people by age and gender, 2007
Fatality Facts 2007, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Based on travel data collected between April 2001 and March 2002, the rate of passenger vehicle fatal crash involvements per 100 million miles traveled was higher for drivers 80 and older than for drivers of any other age group except teenagers. Drivers 85 and older had the highest rate of fatal crash involvement.
Passenger vehicle fatal crash involvements per 100 million miles traveled by driver age, April 2001 to March 2002
Fatality Facts 2007, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
There are many different diseases and conditions that can have an impact on a person’s driving. They include sleep apnea, Parkinsons, arthritis, cataracts, glaucoma, diabetes, macular degeneration, seizures, medications, stroke and Alzheimer's.
For example, dementia-related diseases including Alzheimer's disease afflict up to 5 million people in the United States and about 26 million people worldwide. By 2050, there could be 13 million cases of Alzheimer's alone among U.S. baby boomers and the aging Generations X and Y, according to the National Institutes of Health. Some reports have the global prevalence of Alzheimer's growing to 100 million people by midcentury. The U.S. comptroller general estimates that annual long-term care costs for elderly people -- which include treatment for dementia -- could quadruple by 2050 to $379 billion.
According to NHTSA in 2007:
- 13 percent of the total U.S. resident population (38 million) were people age 65 and older.
- There were 30 million older licensed drivers in 2006 — an 18-percent increase from 1996.
- In contrast, the total number of licensed drivers in all age categories increased by only 13 percent from 1996 to 2006.
- Older drivers made up 15 percent of all licensed drivers in 2006, compared with 14 percent in 1996.
- 196,000 older individuals were injured in traffic crashes, accounting for 8 percent of all the people injured in traffic crashes during the year.
- These older individuals made up 14 percent of all traffic fatalities, 14 percent of all vehicle occupant fatalities, and 19 percent of all pedestrian fatalities.
- Most traffic fatalities involving older drivers in 2007 occurred during the daytime (79%), occurred on weekdays (72%), and involved other vehicles 71%.
Gerontologists that are interested in how age impacts driving can benefit from a driving simulator as part of their research laboratory. The simulator gives the researcher the ability to create virtual driving scenarios in a controlled and measurable environment. The simulator is realistic and compelling to elderly subjects; finding willing parties to participate should not be difficult. Find out more…
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