Auto deaths by NJ elderly drivers raise questions on when seniors should give up the keys
Last Monday, a 91-year-old man died after his pickup truck struck the center median on Route 80 in Wayne and veered back into traffic, where it was hit by a tractor-trailer.
On Thursday, a 94-year-old man allegedly struck and killed a teacher in Dumont before leaving the scene.
And on Saturday, a 94-year-old motorist reportedly hit a 75-year-old woman in the parking lot of the Paramus Public Library and dragged her 20 feet. The victim died Sunday evening.
While police blotters are often filled with collisions and other accidents involving elderly drivers, few weeks have ever had as many serious incidents as this past one in North Jersey.
Each incident highlights one of the most difficult subjects when it comes to aging in New Jersey: When should seniors give up their car keys?
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To many, it's a simple matter of public safety. Cognitive abilities including reaction time decline as one gets older, especially in the senior years. That can create a dangerous situation for the driver, passengers, other motorists and pedestrians.
Many elderly residents continue to drive when they shouldn't. In New Jersey, there is little legally that can be done if a driver is not willing, experts say.
Seniors outlive their ability to drive by seven to 10 years, an AAA report said. The auto safety group recommends that seniors begin planning for “driver retirement” around the time they retire from work, but it stresses that ability, not solely age, should dictate whether a motorist gives up driving.
New Jersey is a state that doesn't make it easy to give up the keys. Much of the state's infrastructure was built around driving. Much of its transit system was built for commuters to get into New York, not around the state. Loss of driving becomes a loss of independence, especially in classic postwar suburbs, where some communities don't even have sidewalks.
New Jersey's laws are not nearly as strict as those of other states when it comes to testing drivers' ability in their later years, and forcibly taking away someone's driving privileges is a lengthy process.
Unlike other states, New Jersey doesn’t require any special requirements such as road tests or even vision tests for seniors when they renew licenses. It would take the Legislature to change the law for new senior requirements, the state Motor Vehicle Commission said.
More than 30 other states require shorter license renewal times or vision exams. The strictest state, Illinois, requires drivers over 75 to take a road test every time they renew a license.
Taking away someone’s driving privileges requires a doctor's examination and ultimately a determination by a special "Medical Review" panel at the MVC made up of physicians.
"Those who know and care for an older, unsafe driver must positively intervene to suggest they give up the keys," Robert Sinclair, a spokesman for AAA Northeast, said Sunday. "But this action must be accompanied by serious personal attention to help with the feelings of loss of independence by the older driver and providing a means of transport so that they may continue to have an active, vibrant life."
Experts say impaired driving due to age is going to become a bigger problem in New Jersey. The number of residents over 60 is expected to surge this decade to 3 million ― a jump of almost 1 million ― as the bulk of the baby boom generation enters its golden years. Seniors are expected for the first time ever to make up a larger percentage of New Jersey's population than school-age children by 2030.
Sinclair said most studies show that young drivers in their teens and 20s are the most dangerous on the road, due to inexperience and willingness to take chances.
Dumont pedestrian killed
The Dumont hit-and-run incident happened on Thursday afternoon when Elizabeth Feliciano-Rosa, a first grade teacher at Dr. John Grieco Elementary School in Englewood, was struck by a pickup truck driven by Ernest Hofmann, 94, at Washington and Madison avenues. The 54-year-old grandmother later died from her injuries. Police said Hofmann left the scene.
He was charged with obstruction and knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death, and he was issued several summonses, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said Friday evening.
Feliciano-Rosa leaves behind a husband, three daughters and two grandchildren. As of Monday afternoon, donors had given $36,000 via a GoFundMe page to help the family with expenses.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: When should seniors stop driving? Deadly week raises questions
