Older Drivers

WASHINGTON - Drivers over 65 are nearly twice as likely to be killed in a serious automobile crash as those ages 55 to 64, according to a study released yesterday. The study of nearly 4 million motor vehicle accident reports in Texas over 25 years from 1975 to 1999 found that the older a driver, the more likely that driver is to be killed in an accident where at least one person was injured. The study noted that older drivers tend to be more frail and might die from injuries that would not be fatal to younger drivers.

The recent fatal crash caused by an 83-year-old motorist driving the wrong way on the Jones Falls Expressway has prompted debate over whether Maryland should impose new restrictions on older drivers. What should determine when drivers relinguish their licenses? Should older drivers -- or all drivers -- be periodically require to retake driving tests? If so, how frequently, and at what age should people be tested? We are looking for 300 words or less; the deadline is May 22. Letters become the property of The Sun, which reserves the right to edit them.

Health newsletter available online Learn to Live at Fifty-Plus, a newsletter from the Anne Arundel County Department of Health, explores dietary supplements and provides tips for evaluating their benefits. It also examines low-fat diets, exercising without injury, smart ways to eat out and the dangers of secondhand cigarette smoke. There is also a list of community health resources. For a free copy, call the Learn To Live Line at 410-222-7979, or download the newsletter from the Department of Health Web site, www.aahealth.

In 1953, K. Dale Williams Sr. bought a new Plymouth for $1,975. That was a wince-worthy sum back then, but Williams remembers cringing even more when he was offered - for $13 more - a handy-dandy little gadget called a turn signal. "It was an option back then, turn signals," Williams, 77, said. "And back-up lights." Over the years, Williams has learned that turn signals are far from optional; they're vital. As are such good driving practices as checking mirrors and blind spots before moving an inch, merging smoothly and safely, and adhering to the three-second rule when following another car. As district coordinator of AARP's Safe Driving Program for motorists 50 and older, Williams has been teaching lessons like those to drivers in his peer group since 2001.

Federal and state regulators are struggling to deal with one of the most vexing and fastest-growing roadway safety issues -- identifying the older drivers who pose a hazard while not discriminating against those who don't.The number of motorists over 65 years old has doubled over the past 20 years. And while older people, as a group, have a lower rate of fatal accidents than teen-agers, their fatal-accident rates based on miles driven are among the highest, according to federal data.Scientific research also suggests that reflexes and cognitive skills critical to driving deteriorate markedly after age 75.But groups representing older motorists, as well as many researchers, are fiercely opposed to additional driving tests for the aging.

A major study of the skills of older drivers is falling short of its goal in Howard County, with too few elderly motorists willing to participate.Only 150 people -- of the 650 hoped for -- have volunteered for the 20-minute screenings since they began at county senior centers in March, making officials question whether such a program can work in community-based settings. So Howard County, which is playing an important role in the statewide study, plans a mass mailing to senior citizens to increase participation.