Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Fatal Crash Renews Senior Driver Debate

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
U.S. Department of Transportation
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

The perennial debate about seniors who drive has been reignited after an 88-year-old woman crashed into an auto shop in Lake Worth, The Palm Beach Post reports.

The woman is hospitalized in critical condition, and her husband who was in the car with her died, according to the Post. She is one of 167,000 registered drivers in Palm Beach County age 70 and older.

Florida already requires residents 80-years-old and older to pass a vision test to remain licensed, the Post reports. However, some say that’s not enough, since thinking and physical abilities are also needed to drive safely.

A 2010 study by TRIP, a national transportation research group, found Florida ranked number one in senior-related fatal car crashes, according to the Post. But the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that drivers age 60 and older are responsible for fewer motor vehicle deaths than adults ages 30-59.

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.