Some of us begin planning for retirement in our twenties. As the age gets closer, we prepare even more –shifting funds, meeting with financial experts, and even downsizing our homes. As more and more baby boomers hit retirement age, safety experts say they should also be thinking about a different retirement: retirement from driving.
In the state of Colorado, there is no required age to stop driving. Yet, safety experts urge all older drivers and their families to evaluate their driving habits, physical ability, and mental ability to continue driving. Any family member can request a driving test for an older driver – so can a police officer, the DMV, or even a physician. While no one wants to lose their independence too early – driving when you are no longer physically or cognitively able can be disastrous – not just for you but for others around you.
According to AAA, 86% of adults over the age of 65 still drive and 68% of those over the age of 85 continue to drive at least 5 days a week. Yet, older drivers themselves often favor tougher laws – including strict license renewals for older drivers.
As you age, your body begins to grow weaker, and your bones and muscles aren’t quite what they used to be. For some older adults suffering with arthritis or other joint pain, pressing the brake pedal can be difficult. In an emergency, slamming the brakes may even be impossible. When an older driver is injured in an accident, they don’t heal as quickly as younger drivers. This means that even a minor accident could result in a fatality.
For many senior citizens, growing older often means growing forgetful. As the body ages, so does the brain. They may forget where they placed their keys, parked their cars, or even how to interpret the road signs. Some can even suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, making it even more difficult to continue driving.
Many older drivers also begin losing their sight and/or their hearing. This may make it more difficult to see a small child on the road or an oncoming motorcyclist. When you factor in the physical changes and the cognitive changes that occur with aging – there is no doubt that a driving retirement age must be considered.
Unfortunately, giving up driving is no easy task and one that the majority of older drivers wish to avoid. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and Columbia University report found that older drivers that give up their keys are 2x more likely to suffer from depression. The loss of freedom that comes with giving up driving is something that often pushes older drivers to drive well past a safe age. This means that many older drivers miss the warning signs.
Further Reading: Whiplash is NO Joke
Yet, not all elderly drivers need to retire from driving. Choosing the right age to give up your keys is crucial and should be individualized. University of Colorado School of Medicine Researcher Dr. Emmy Betz believes that insurance companies should reimburse older drivers for undergoing comprehensive driving evaluations after a certain age – and for taking a specialized driver safety class.
Once such class is offered at Aurora Center for Active Adults. They discuss everything needed for older drivers to continue to drive safely, including newer technologies in vehicles, medications that may hinder their abilities to drive, and when to stop driving altogether.
The AAA website also has information for older drivers and their families, as well as a Driver Planning Agreement, which provides families with a list of discussion topics including when to hang up the car keys.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident in Broomfield, Northglenn, Westminster, Thornton, or anywhere in Colorado, it is important to contact our experienced personal injury attorneys immediately. At Hull & Zimmerman, P.C., our committed personal injury lawyers are dedicated to the belief that everyone deserves justice. Contact us at (303) 423-1770 or (866) 385-3505.
Our personal injury lawyers have extensive experience representing injured accident victims in Broomfield, Arvada, Superior, Lafayette, Louisville, Erie, Brighton, Commerce City, Northglenn, Westminster, Thornton, Longmont, and throughout Colorado.
At Hull & Zimmerman, P.C., we are honored to help accident victims in their time of need, and take our responsibility as personal injury lawyers incredibly seriously. We know how important it is for victims to secure the full and fair compensation they need following a serious accident, and that is why we take a hands-on, personalized approach to every case we handle.
awarded to a woman who was a victim of a car crash. The woman was driving the highway when the other driver approaching from the opposite direction lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center line and hit her head on. She suffered multiple broken bones, including her hip, pelvis, leg, and right arm. She missed several years of work as a result of her injuries. Read More
awarded to a woman who was the victim of a t-bone car crash. The client suffered multiple injuries. The most significant of which was a head injury. While she was ultimately able to return to work on a part-time basis, Plaintiff was never able to return to work on a full-time basis. Read More
settlement awarded to a lady who suffered a head injury. She slipped and fell in a slanted parking lot at her place of employment. Evidence demonstrated that the owner of the building had constructed a fence shading the parking lot such that ice was allowed to continuously accumulate during the winter months. Multiple people had fallen on the ice prior to the client’s fall. As a result of her injuries, Plaintiff was forced to take early retirement. Read More
awarded to a man whose vehicle was hit from behind by a semi. The injured party suffered back pain and rotator cuff tears in each shoulder and was forced to retire from his job doing road repair four years earlier. Read More
settlement (policy limits) awarded to a young man who lost his eye when another child shot an arrow into the air. Read More
settlement obtained for a man who was injured in a rear end automobile accident. He suffered a herniated disc in his low back which was not well resolved by surgery forcing him to leave his employment as an apartment maintenance manager. Read More
awarded to a gentleman in association with a workman’s compensation case. He initially sustained a head injury at work when attacked by a patient. Several years later, his condition worsened resulting in his inability to return to work in his usual job. Read More
settlement achieved in a legal malpractice case. The client initially suffered a herniated disc in her neck in association with an automobile accident. The attorney failed to file the lawsuit in a timely manner and the Plaintiff was initially denied her ability to achieve any monies from the original lawsuit. Read More
settlement awarded to a man who was a victim of an automobile accident. Plaintiff was a passenger who was rear-ended by another driver. Following the accident, he suffered a long term back injury. Read More
settlement awarded to a lady who aggravated a pre-existing back condition when she slipped and fell at the entrance to a casino. Read More
awarded to a woman who suffered a rotator cuff tear from an automobile accident. Read More
$1,250,000.00 –awarded to a woman who was a victim of a car crash. The woman was driving the highway when the other driver approaching from the opposite direction lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center line and hit her head on. She suffered multiple broken bones, including her hip, pelvis, leg, and right arm. She missed several years of work as a result of her injuries.
$1,200.000.00 –awarded to a woman who was the victim of a t-bone car crash. The client suffered multiple injuries. The most significant of which was a head injury. While she was ultimately able to return to work on a part-time basis, Plaintiff was never able to return to work on a full-time basis.
$450,000.00 –settlement awarded to a lady who suffered a head injury. She slipped and fell in a slanted parking lot at her place of employment. Evidence demonstrated that the owner of the building had constructed a fence shading the parking lot such that ice was allowed to continuously accumulate during the winter months. Multiple people had fallen on the ice prior to the client’s fall. As a result of her injuries, Plaintiff was forced to take early retirement.
$425,000 –awarded to a man whose vehicle was hit from behind by a semi. The injured party suffered back pain and rotator cuff tears in each shoulder and was forced to retire from his job doing road repair four years earlier.
$300,000.00 –settlement (policy limits) awarded to a young man who lost his eye when another child shot an arrow into the air.
$300,000.00 –settlement obtained for a man who was injured in a rear end automobile accident. He suffered a herniated disc in his low back which was not well resolved by surgery forcing him to leave his employment as an apartment maintenance manager.
$250,000.00 –awarded to a gentleman in association with a workman’s compensation case. He initially sustained a head injury at work when attacked by a patient. Several years later, his condition worsened resulting in his inability to return to work in his usual job.
$250,000.00 –settlement achieved in a legal malpractice case. The client initially suffered a herniated disc in her neck in association with an automobile accident. The attorney failed to file the lawsuit in a timely manner and the Plaintiff was initially denied her ability to achieve any monies from the original lawsuit.
$150,000.00 –settlement awarded to a man who was a victim of an automobile accident. Plaintiff was a passenger who was rear-ended by another driver. Following the accident, he suffered a long term back injury.
$125,000.00 –settlement awarded to a lady who aggravated a pre-existing back condition when she slipped and fell at the entrance to a casino.
$75,000.00 –awarded to a woman who suffered a rotator cuff tear from an automobile accident.
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My heartfelt gratitude goes out to the whole staff at Hull & Zimmerman. Thank
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– R. Hamilton
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would just like to send a “thank you” to you and your staff. You have been the
most professional and efficient law office if have ever dealt with. I will
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– D. Hassoun
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just like to send a “thank you” to you and your staff. You have been the most
professional and efficient law office if have ever dealt with. I will continue
to tell people about the wonderful job you have done for me and my family. Mr.
Zimmerman you are the most professional lawyer and I truly appreciate all you
have done. Again Thank you.
– Jason B.
I was
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Working through divorce and custody issues is an extremely difficult and
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were hit by an uninsured driver in 2006 and my husband was unable to work for
some time. Initially our own insurance really didn’t want to help us. On the
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was compensated for my loss of transportation. The end result in my case
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appreciated the fact that Rick Hull always explained everything to me. No matter
how insignificant I thought the question was, he encouraged me to ask and was
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addition, he explained certain aspects of Colorado law thoroughly to me so that
I could make an informed decision that best suited my needs.
7:40 pm
October 30th, 2015