Powell 1

Public Health

Katherine-Grace Powell

Professor Odoo McCullum

February 8, 2020

The Elderly Driver

The legal rights of an individual and the rights of the society is a very important issue to

address when it comes to balancing the two. Each individual within a society has the right to

obtain their license as long as all the requirements to obtain and maintain it are met. Driving is

the legal right of anyone who obtains a license, no matter their age or gender. This was evident in

the fact that Janet, an 82-year-old woman still had possession of a license. However, driving at

such an old age can be very hazardous for both the driver and individuals with that society.

Society has the right to feel safe. This includes their protection from unsafe drivers. Janet posed a

risk on society when she chose to drive, even though she knew she could not drive at a certain

time during the day. Her disregard for her own safety and that of the society led to the death of a

16-year-old boy. It is very unfair to society to allow an unsafe driver to continue driving for their

own individual benefit. In order to create a balance between the rights of an individual and that

of society, safety measures need to be taken. These may include revoking the license of

individuals who are no longer qualified to drive. While it is true that Janet does have the right to

drive, once she poses a risk to herself and others, she should not be able to exercise such right

anymore.
 Healthcare providers should assess drivers based on implemented criteria aimed at ensuring

that they do not pose a risk on themselves and society. Health information about the current or

potential driver should also be reviewed. The purpose of this is to allow the license issuers

judgement based on how a person’s health may affect their ability to drive. These assessments

should be truthful and impartial. Individuals tend to accept risks by overestimating their driving

ability. A person who proves incapable of passing the assessment should be considered high-risk

as they are unfit for driving or their health condition does not support driving. Revoking the

license of individuals who have reached a certain age and suffer from health problems could help

to reduce the incidence of accidents.

This case proves how a person’s lack of judgement can negatively affect others. Janet chose

to drive even though she knew that her condition deemed her unfit for driving. By being

negligent to this, she chose her own personal needs over that of safety for herself and others.

There are certain changes that can be made in order to prevent such outcomes. Firstly, a law

should be implemented requiring individuals to retake the driver’s test once they have reached a

certain age. This is because elderly individuals usually become impaired by health conditions. If

an individual is unable to pass their test with consideration of their health condition and its effect

on their ability to drive, their license should be revoked. Secondly, health care providers who

provide inaccurate and biased information on a person’s health condition should be reprimanded.

It is considered an unethical act since the needs of a single individual is considered and it poses a

risk on individuals within the society. Thirdly, friends and family members should report said

individual’s fitness to drive if it creates a concern. In the case of Janet, her daughter knew of her

“episodes” and how they affected her driving but did not choose to share these concerns with
others. The 16-year-old boy could have had a chance of life if all these precautions were taken on

Janet’s behalf. However, they boy should have practiced seatbelt safety as well.

Janet seemed biased in her judgement regarding her ability to drive. This led to her

disregarding the safety of others. First, I would communicate the lessons learned in this case to

both drivers and passengers. Building awareness of the dangers of driving with a disability or a

health condition that affects driving is very important. The use of technology such as television,

advertising, and visual aids could be highly effective. Informing current and potential driver

about the self-imposed risks could provide them with an understanding of potential outcomes.

Secondly, these same technological resources could be used to inform individuals in school

about driving safety measures. Providing a safety education course to students could be highly

effective. However, it should not be limited to individuals within a school community.

WORK CITED

Riegelman, Richard K., and Brenda Kirkwood. Public Health 101: Improving Community

Health. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2019.