McQuade 1

Amanda McQuade
AP Seminar
26 February 2017
A Day
Annotated Bibliography

Boomgaard, Masood. Retaking Driving Licenses: Bad Idea, 2015, IOL, 2015,
http://www.iol.co.za/motoring/special-features/retaking-driving-licences-bad-idea-
1864440.. 2017.

Masood Boomgaard is a South African journalist, as well as a comedian, technically does

not
make him an expert on this particular subject. However, he is also a citizen driver himself, which
makes
him liable enough to tell the situation at hand like it really is, as he explains it very simply. In this
article,
Boomgaard discusses the possibility of the South African government requiring all citizens when
renewing their licenses, they must retest. When he rejects this idea, he explains his reasoning by
bringing
up possible negatives such as the long lines and wait times at the Driving License Centers (which
are
similar to Americas DMV which is also notorious for being slow), driving in the real world is
different
than in a drivers test, and the bad habits that are picked up after years of driving would be costly
mistakes during a drivers test. As an alternative to this idea, the author presents a fairly simple
solution,
which is to make driving laws stricter, and to start making punishments more severe than fines
and
warnings.This article does bring up many variables to consider, such as the negative effects of
constantly retesting for licenses, even if the source is discussing South African Laws. This can
give Americans a new perspective on driving laws in the states.
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Duffy, A. Maureen. Normal Vision Changes, no. 125, VisionAware,

http://www.visionaware.org/info/your-eye-condition/eye-health/normal-vision-
changes/125. 2017.

Maureen Duffy is a credible author, because not only is she a writer and editor for content
posted on the VisionAware website, but she has extensive knowledge on blindness and vision
loss in older individuals in her past work in Vision Rehabilitation at Salus University. In this
editorial piece, she writes about the experiences of Kaye Olsen, who thought she only needed a
normal checkup at her eye doctor, but discovered she had an incurable branch retinal vein
occlusion. Duffy also informs the reader on the normal symptoms of vision changes in older
individuals such as sensitivities to glare, focal close ups, judge depth perception, and difficulties
telling colors. The article does not directly talk about how these issues affect driving, but this
source is important and informative when researching the symptoms of older drivers, and the
risks they take when they get behind the wheel.

Hoogendam, Young Yoo et al. Older Age Relates to Worsening of Fine Motor Skills: A
Population-Based Study of Middle-Aged and Elderly Persons. Frontiers in Aging
Neuroscience. PMC, 2014, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4174769/.
2017.
In this informative article many collaborators tested the prevalence of tremors and fine motor
skills issues, which was measured by the Archimedes spiral-drawing test. This source does not
make many mentions of the motor skills and how this affects drivers, but it does give a very good
idea to the reader, of how important fine motor skills are. The writers explain that the experiment
was measured based on the participants dominant hands ability to draw the spiral as quickly
and as accurately as possible. The source contains tables from the experiment that give visual
proof of the prevalence of fine motor skills issues in older populations, which makes the source
credible by these measurements. This study shows proof that the older population does struggle
more with fine motor skills, which is important to consider when questioning if it is truly right to
test older individuals.
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Levy, David. Relationship Between Drivers License Renewal Policies and Fatal Crashes
Involving Drivers 70 Years or Older. The Jama Network, 1995,
http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/389724. 2017.

A brief analysis of renewal policies, and how they correlate with the statistics of elderly
drivers.
This is a very interesting source, because it allows the reader to view a scientific approach to the
question, without the bias of personal stories and influenced opinions, with all of the information
is
presented from hard data and analysis. David Levy, the author of this article is a technologist and
teaches at the Information school in Washington who provides a scholarly viewpoint to the issue
. This
source finds in the conclusion that retesting seniors improves traffic safety, especially in vision
and and
knowledge tests. This source is fairly outdated, but it is also information that must be considered
when
concluding with a definite answer, and it is useful information to know that retests help the
performance
of elderly drivers, which will come in handy when introducing the idea that all citizens should be
retested.

Mayo Clinic Staff. Aging: What to Expect. Mayo Clinic, 2015, pp. 1-2,
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/aging/art-20046070.
2017.

This article correlates with the theme of driving, with information about the human body
as we
age. This source provides us information about our bodies as we get older, and what will affect
us if we
continue driving. This source is extremely credible, because Mayo Clinic is a medical research
group,
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which includes a vast variety of information on life science and health. In this informative
article, there is
knowledge of common complications to the aging process, such as cardiovascular disease,
memory
loss, difficulty focusing or seeing, and hearing loss, and what precautions the reader should take
to
promote their health as they age. These problems are often associated with one's ability to drive,
which
makes this source very useful when deciding to stop driving, and the common issues of elderly
drivers
that cause accidents.

Mitchell, Paul et al. Impaired Vision and Other Factors Associated with Driving Cessation in
the
Elderly: The Blue Mountains Eye Study. 2001, EBSCOhost,
http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=9bbad909-64b4-42b8-a422-
22c68355e185%40sessionmgr120&vid=6&hid=118. 2017.

This source has multiple authors, a variety of demographics and tables, and a variety of
sources to create this expansive look at the Blue Mountain eye study, an experiment conducted in
Australia during the early 90s, in order to assess visual impairment in the elderly community. It
is noted in this article that there should be some considerations to re testing drivers, while they
should have their own freedoms without restrictions. There are many authors listed for credit in
this work, with most possessing MD PHDs, making them experts in this medical analysis of
testing drivers. This is a very credible, useful source for its hard data presented, the paragraphs
broken into the steps of the scientific method, and the expertise of the authors. This article is
definitely a source that will be considered when deciding whether drivers should be retested over
time.

Polansky, Rob, et al. Drivers Could Have to be Retested for License Renewal. Eyewitness News
3,
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2014, http://www.wfsb.com/story/24894080/drivers-could-have-to-be-retested-for-
license-renewal. 2017.

This article is a collaborative effort between Rob Polansky, Matt Campbell, and Joseph
Wenzel, that revolves around Bill No. 335, that decrees as follows: a licensee seeking renewal of
a motor vehicle operators license shall be required to pass a comprehensive test as to
knowledge of the laws concerning motor vehicles and the rules of the road. Polansky edits
digital content, Campbell is an expert in broadcast journalism and a news reporter, and Wenzel is
a news editor for Connecticut Eyewitness News, so they are not the most credible, when it comes
to the bill, but rather report on the bill itself. The bill took place in early January 2016, and
requires all licensed drivers to retest when renewing their motor vehicle license. This is not the
most reliable of the sources presented, however it is vital to take notice of how the new law has
affected Connecticuts drivers, and if it has improved highway conditions. Once we are able to
know how this bill has positively or negatively redesigned road safety in one state, there will be a
better estimate to how it will affect the U.S population if it is suggested for all licenses to be
retested, when they are renewed.

Age-Related Hearing Loss. National Institute of Deafness and other Communication

Disorders, 2016,
. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/age-related-hearing-loss#1. 2017.
This source has no author, however it remains credible for its websites extensive
knowledge of the science behind subtopics presented such as age-related hearing loss, how
humans are able to hear, why we lose our ability to hear as we age, preventing this condition,
treatments for the hearing impaired, and the research supporting the cause of hearing loss.

Age Page: Older Drivers. National Institute on Aging, 2016,

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/older-drivers. 2017.

A scholarly source on driving as an elderly individual by The National Institute on Aging,

an organization of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. This article provides
information on various topics and concerns for elderly drivers to consider, such as medical issues
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such as stiff muscles and trouble seeing, how medications affect driving, being safe on the road,
and the time when to stop driving. This source is very informative, as it does not directly support
the elderly to stop driving, but provides examples for elderly drivers to make driving not only
safe for others around them, but make the driver more comfortable to continue driving. There is
no present bias, as it provides many opportunities for adults to keep driving as they age and
develop more health problems.

Driving Safely as We Get Older. Harvard Womens Health Watch. 2007, EBSCOhost.
http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=aeaa309b-cd9b-492b-9835-
b677c698c2b9%40sessionmgr4006&vid=10&hid=4206&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwL
GN1c3R1aWQmY3VzdGlkPXM4NDU1ODYxJnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZ
T1zaXRl#AN=25165582&db=f6h. 2017.
This source by Harvard Womens Health, informs the reader on driving safely as the
aging process occurs overtime. The sources credibility lies within its informative structure, and
provides the reader with much-needed knowledge on the conditions drivers must look out for as
they age. The article remains simple enough to be understood, while there are complexities,
which makes it a great source for the reader to understand, and for the information to use in a
scholarly way. This source is an important one, especially for the scientific research needed to
explore the question. It allows both ethical and medical standpoints to the issue, at it discusses
when it is time to stop driving, and what you are able to do to keep healthy to continue driving.

How Old are Your Ears? (Hearing Test). YouTube, Uploaded by AsapSCIENCE, 2013.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxcbppCX6Rk. 2017.

This source is from a YouTube channel called AsapSCIENCE which puts out a variety of videos
that explain frequent questions by watchers about certain scientific subjects, such as hearing,
vision, and pain tolerance. They are visually creative as they present their information to the
public. This is not a scholarly source, but it is for those who have a general interest in science.
This video doesnt discuss how hearing affects driving, but it gives good information as to how
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driving may be affected by hearing loss, and how hearing loss occurs. The video discusses higher
frequencies, hair cells found in the ears, and how sound reaches our ears, to talk about how
higher sound pitches lowers the ability to hear normally. There are no stated sources of where
they get their information for their videos, but they provide a lot of great explanations for hearing
loss.

If all elderly drivers were tested, my son would be alive. 2007, EBSCOhost,
http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=14&sid=ce20cd25-016d-4dd8-88a7-
ec1c8da16580%40sessionmgr4009&hid=4212&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLGN1c3R1
aWQmY3VzdGlkPXM4NDU1ODYxJnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#
AN=110560683&db=n5h. 2017.

This article relies all of its information on a mother, whose son was killed by an elderly
driver, who bases her opinion on the argument, of a personal account, making the article
undeniably biased. There is no listed author for the article, and the actual article itself is quite
brief. It can be interpreted, that the mother is devastated over the death of her son, and the
motivations behind this post relies on mostly pure, raw emotion, while there is some backing
from sources in her local area. There are not many given statistics or studies to prove the dangers
of impaired driving, but this source persuades people through the eyes of a devastated mother. It
is an article based around the principles of morality, and the stories that are so emotionally-
driven, they cause other people to sympathize or empathize with them. From this short, emotive
source informative, but you can powerfully persuade people with your own experiences that
form your own personal opinions.

License Renewal Procedures. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 2017,

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/laws/olderdrivers. 2017.

This article explains the needed information of renewing a license. There are specific
transactions needed to renew a license as explained in this informative, important source. A
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driver may be susceptible to this process if they have specific age requirements in their state (for
elderly drivers), if they have been in crashes in their history, if the applicant is not fit to drive
because of medical reasons, as well as other cases. This information comes from a very
important, credible website with many credentials in the field of motor vehicles and highway
safety. Therefore, it is important to include these factors into consideration when inquiring if all
drivers must retest (including the elderly).

Mature Drivers. Governors Highway Safety Association,

http://www.ghsa.org/state-laws/issues/Mature-Drivers. 2017.

This article is provided by the official Governors Highway Safety Association (or
GHSA), which arranges information on highway safety in all of the states, which makes the
article credible and informative with information on all state highway safety laws, such as
impaired driving, child safety, and others. This particular article examines the rules and
regulations of elderly drivers (called mature drivers in the provided information) for each state
licensing law. This is an important source to consider when questioning whether the roads are
safe enough, or if licensed drivers should be retested. With the information provided, most states
require license renewals on a cycle of 4 to 10 years, and the age range of elderly provisions is 40-
80 years old. There are some exceptions to these laws, such as Minnesota, Arizona and New
Jersey, which does not provide provisions for mature drivers.

Medications and Safe Driving. Druginfo, 2016, pp. 1-3,

http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au/fact-sheets/medications-and-safe-driving-web-fact-sheet.
2017.

This was a very important, credible source for the topic, as it discusses the effects of medications
while driving a motor vehicle. There were many sources concerning the physical effects of
drivers as they age, but this provides a very fresh, new topic on the effects of medical products
on our perception as we drive, and how it altered by these prescriptions. This source warns its
readers on the BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) levels in medications, and how some of these
medications can be very similar in effects to alcohol. It can be easy to fix the physical
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impairments of drivers with these medications, but findings have concluded that these
medications can also impair drivers. Some seemingly common medications can cause equal
impairments as certain levels of BAC. This adds a new perspective into the scientific standpoints
of the argument.

Wake-up call for elderly drivers. YouTube, uploaded by ABC News, 2010.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqGaIiwsTbA. 2017.

This two minute video produced by ABC News, tells the story of an elderly woman, who
was speeding and driving on the wrong side of the highway, without realizing what she was
doing. This segment raises the question if elderly drivers should be able to keep their licenses. It
is credible, because there are multiple people who are creating their own narratives of the event,
such as Tim Fleming, a witness and recorder of the event, Elizabeth Dugan PhD, an expert on
elderly driving issues, and John Burman, a tester of a suit designed to prevent injury from car
accidents. There are many unique segments to the fairly short video, which provides easy to
understand information to the public eye.