Statistically speaking, elderly drivers do pose a higher risk of accidents, which is compounded by a recent Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles study that found at least 20 percent of Floridian drivers over 85 suffered from dementia. And while I believe Ms. Vrana seems a little hurried to kick old folks off the road, she does point out that the crash rate of older drivers with dementia is almost 8 times higher than other drivers.

But dementia aside, don't older drivers tend to be safer? Don't they have more experience on the road and make better decisions? The article says yes—older drivers frequently avoid busy roads and opt to drive during daylight hours rather than at night—but that this would change with Boomer drivers, describing them as:

[...] A generation that has thrived on mobility and living far from city centers, which at least have public transportation. This generation is expected to also be the first with a large number of elderly female drivers...Like men, they will be reluctant to relinquish their mobility, meaning more old, small and frail drivers will be on the road.

I'm afraid I don't understand this. Just because there are many Boomers, the majority of whom are used to driving a car, doesn't mean that they'll practice any less self-regulation on the road than the current population of senior drivers. And it certainly doesn't make them any less capable behind the wheel.

But that's not what Vrana's getting at, right? The point is that more geriatrics on the road pose a greater risk for accidents. Okay; I'm tracking.

Now, as the MSN article pointed out, some states already have provisions in place to make sure that the senior drivers on the road are fit to be there.

According to the article, at least 20 states mandate vision and/or writing tests which 65- 70-year old drivers must pass to renew their license. Some states, like Hawaii, are moving for residents over a certain age to take a driving test when renewing a license.

Motorist groups like AAA are also developing programs such as "CarFit" and "Roadwise Review" that help seniors test eyesight, leg strength (you know, for that "trembling foot over the break"), memory and other motor skills. The programs then give seniors pointers and suggest ways to improve areas in which they're lacking.

The biggest upside to these technologies and tests is that Boomers are probably going to be more open to education than previous aging drivers, and as a result, Boomers will be safer on the road and less of a risk for insurers to take on.

Personally, I have an affinity for older folks and I get upset when younger adults treat them like children. They're not children. They're valuable assets to the community and should be treated as such. I have no desire to kick old people off the road, and I think with a combination of driving tests and senior safety classes, we'll all be just fine with aging Boomers in the lane next to us. And this is coming from someone who's car was nearly decimated last year by an elderly driver.

Of course I'm interested to hear what you insurance folks think about this. So check out the article here; you can also view some responses to the article here.

And this concludes the longest post to-date on the InsureMe Agent Blog.