LONG ISLAND, NY- According to Patch.com, two drivers sustained injuries in a collision on Long Island in the Brookhaven neighborhood on Wednesday, November 28, 2018. The Suffolk Police reported that a westbound 2012 Mazda was struck by a westbound 2000 Grand Marquis on Montauk Highway. Both of the drivers were injured in the crash. The […]
LONG ISLAND, NY- According to Patch.com, two drivers sustained injuries in a collision on Long Island in the Brookhaven neighborhood on Wednesday, November 28, 2018. The Suffolk Police reported that a westbound 2012 Mazda was struck by a westbound 2000 Grand Marquis on Montauk Highway.
Both of the drivers were injured in the crash. The man driving the Mazda, William Connolly, 93 was brought to the Long Island Community Hospital where his condition was stated as critical. The driver of the Grand Marquis, Marion Ardine, 91, was also taken to the Long Island Community Hospital where she received treatment for injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.
According to AAA, when elderly drivers are compared to drivers in other age groups, they tend to do some things that would indicate that they are safer than younger drivers. Older drivers are less likely to drink and driver, are more likely to abide by the speed limit and are more likely to wear their seatbelts. However, the AAA also states that elderly drivers are more likely to be in crashes than any age group but teens. Starting at age 75, the likelihood of being in a fatal crash increases, and it spikes once a driver reaches the age of 80. However, a large part of the reason for the greater risk comes from health factors that impact elderly individuals’ likelihood of surviving a collision, and not from a greater risk of being involved in a crash. Another factor that puts elderly drivers at risk is prescription medications. While over 75 percent of older drivers take some form of medication, many of those individuals do not know how their medications could impact their driving abilities.
