LETTERS: OLDER DRIVERS APPEAR TO BE SAFER

To the editor:

From June 1, 1995, to June 1, 1996, I totalled all auto accidents reported in the newspapers of Iron and Jefferson counties and the ages of the drivers who were involved. I chose those two counties simply because I had access to every issue published in those counties for that year.

I divided these drivers into four age groups: 16 to 30 years, 31 to 45 years, 46 to 60 years and 61 and above. Note that the first three age groups are of 15 years each, while the last (and oldest) age group is as much as probably 25 years.

The results: Out of 301 accidents reported, 156 (or more than half) were by drivers in the 16 to 30 age group, 95 in the 31 to 45 age group, 29 in the 46 to 60 age group and 21 in the 61 and above age group.

This isn't theory or wishful thinking or an attempt to misinform the public (which is common practice today), but pure fact.

At the time I was doing this research, Midwest Motorist, which is a publication of the AAA Insurance Co., was advocating additional training for older drivers. Many other publications and individuals who are always trying to shift responsibility were doing the same.

I picked up the November-December 1997 issue of Midwest Motorist the other day and noted the headlines of two of the articles: "Triple A Fighting the Growing Number of Young Drivers Crashes and Deaths" and "Illinois Implements Three-step Licensing Program to Help Curb Teen-age Crashes." The articles bear out what I have known for almost two years. This makes me believe that common sense may be returning at last and entering the minds of some who formerly ignored it. Blaming the wrong people for a problem will never solve a problem. It only makes it worse.

RAY UMBDENSTOCK

Cape Girardeau