Perils of merging
Small communities could be lost in amalgamation. Page A3
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Driving under the influence of age UVic research seeks to keep seniors safe on the road, and when to know to quit driving Edward Hill News staff
Not much stops Tony Embelton from hitting the road in his roomy Toyota Avalon. The 91-year-old cruises to Cordova Bay to visit friends, to church or other social events around Greater Victoria, day or night. In terms of an older driver, Embelton is a bit of an anomaly. With 70 years behind the wheel, the retired school principal prides himself on being a careful, steady motorist who isn’t intimidated by heavy traffic, aggressive drivers or bad weather – unlike many of his peers. “I enjoy driving. I always have,” Embelton said. “Although I didn’t start driving until late, until I was in the army (in 1943). My parents didn’t have a car.” Embelton is one of 125 senior-aged volunteers in Victoria, and 928 in Canada, participating in Candrive, a study that is taking a deep and detailed look at how to improve driving safety and quality of life for seniors. Associated with the Centre on Aging
Edward Hill/News staff
Tony Embelton, 91, visits UVic researcher Phyllis McGee every four months as part of a nationwide study of how to make driving safer for seniors. Embelton remains a daily motorist, but many of his peers restrict their driving due to weather or traffic, or they abandon driving altogether. and based out of the Candrive office at the University of Victoria, the Capital Region is among seven cities in the five-year program and a prime recruiting ground due to its large population of older residents. Participants go through a battery of cognitive, reflex and perception tests, and volunteer information on their health and well-being. Their cars are rigged with a GPS and a memory card to record data on driving habits. “Part of the questions they ask here is: do you drive at night? Or in the rain? I wonder why they ask that,” Embelton said at the Candrive office. “If you are careful on the road, what difference does it make?” For many of the seniors in the Candrive study, being careful doesn’t cut it anymore. At least 40 per cent have restricted their own driving, with the majority opting to not drive in bad weather, at night or in
heavy traffic. Many simply feel unsafe on the road, have failing eyesight or have experienced “near misses.” Some have been advised by family or their doctor to not drive. “There is a perception in the community that older drivers aren’t changing and there should be more regulations. We are seeing that people are becoming more mindful and choosing to keep safe, and limit when and where they drive,” said Holly Tuokko, the director of the UVic Centre on Aging and lead on one of the substudies for Candrive. Tuokko’s research is digging into the process behind why seniors self-restrict or abandon driving. Her work could help inform government policy around senior drivers, and help drivers decide when they should opt to stay off the road. “People don’t just decide one day to
stop driving. There is a process,” she said. “We’re looking to see if it’s the case that people are aware of changes, and then make their own choice to take themselves off the road if they don’t feel safe.” Although male drivers between 16 and 25 by far cause the most mayhem on B.C. roads, ICBC stats show that older drivers may drive less, but per kilometre driven, they tend to crash at rates similar to young people. And for that older demographic, crashes are more likely to be fatal, or lead to broken bones and a long recovery. “We want to keep people on the road for as long as possible, but safely,” Tuokko said. “The crash rate (for seniors) is not high, but when they occur it can be quite damaging.” PlEASE SEE: Driving about health, not age, Page A2
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