It’s no secret that many people face mobility challenges as they get older. Falls are a significant source of injury for seniors. According to a licensed car accident lawyer, falls are also associated with a greater risk of motor vehicle accidents in older adults. While this may seem like a stretch, experienced auto accident lawyers will tell you the common causes for falls in senior citizens are also the same hinderances that can make driving difficult.
A recent study by the American Automobile Association (AAA) revealed that older individuals with a history of falling are 40% more likely to be involved in senior citizen related car crashes and accident victims.
How Falling Connects to a Potential Car Accident
Falls often result in injuries such as broken legs or wrist fractures that limit mobility. In addition, personal injury attorneys say that falls often create an increased fear of falling. The individual’s fear of injury leads to a decrease in physical activity and increase in medical treatment. The outcome is a frailer physical condition, disability, and weaker driving skills due to slower reaction times. This increases your chance of an accident injury and an increase in medical bills.
Other age-related factors can also affect driving abilities, as similar motor skills and sensory functions are used in each instance. These factors include but are not limited to:
- Three-quarters of drivers age 65 or older take one or more types of medicine, but surveys show that fewer than a third of them understand that it may affect their ability to drive.
- As many as 80% of those in their 70s have limited range of motion and chronic pain due to disability from arthritic conditions. When a disability makes turning the steering wheel or putting on the brakes painful, reaction times may be slower.
Car Accident Lawyer Gives Helpful Tips to Mitigate Risk
Issues such as medication or arthritis may be difficult to change. The risk of falls, however, can be diminished by improving the health problems that can lead to falls. Our personal injury lawyers would like seniors to know there are some tips for avoiding falls and thereby avoiding car accidents and the need for a claim and car wreck lawyer’s assistance:
- Poor balance and lower body weakness can be improved through an appropriate exercise program.
- Other causes of falls—including dizziness, vision problems, and side effects from medications—can be discussed with the senior’s physician to see whether a solution can be found.
- Many older drivers have difficulty admitting when it is time to stop driving and it may be easier to hear coming from a medical professional, so setting up a consultation with a family physician can help with this.
While there are some steps you can take to ensure you or a family member continue to remain safe drivers in their growing age, the best thing to do is to understand when some factors are beyond your control. Making the decision to cease driving isn’t an easy one, and it comes with a lot of pride challenges, but in your case, everyone may be safer for it.
Contact Morrison & Hughes
Whether you are a senior who was injured by someone else’s negligence, or were hurt in a car accident with an older person whose driving was impaired, call a car accident lawyer at our office in Marietta, GA to help. Our lawyers are well versed in car accident litigation, personal injury law, and dealing with insurance companies.
Are you a senior accident victim? Hire experienced car accident attorneys, The Bug Guns at Morrison & Hughes for your personal injury case and more. Give us a call at (404) 689-2734 or fill out our online contact form for a free consultation. Speak with an experienced car wreck lawyer and get a free case review and legal advice about your rights.
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