An I-Team Investigation

Driving in to work every day, I can tell you, there are some people that really scare me. Teens and senior citizens get the brunt of the criticism from most drivers. So the I-Team decided to find out:

Who is more dangerous on the roads?

When I got my license, I remember thinking, "I can't believe the DMV is letting me drive, because I barely know how." Yet, older drivers have lots of experience, but may have problems with reaction time. The I-Team decided to find out, which counts more for safety on the road.

It is that very American sign of independence: getting behind the wheel of a car and taking off for anywhere.

"When I first got behind the wheel, it was pretty nerve-wracking. But it was really fun at the same time," said Service High School Junior, Katie Barrett.

Barrett is in a dangerous age group. Research shows 15 to 24-year-olds caused 43-percent of all accidents in the U.S. in 2001. Barrett thinks she knows why.

"I think they just don't pay attention, get lost in like music or cell phones, stuff like that. We just need to be a little more alert," said Barrett.

Although drivers 65 and older caused only about seven-percent of crashes in 2001, there are plenty of complaints about them too. At an AARP driving course, we met folks who talked about it openly.

"I just turned 65 this last fall. And I know that I'm slowing down in some respects, you know. Making sure you have good vision and our reactions are just slower, or could be slower. But I think there's a lot of good drivers in their 80's and 90's," said Anchorage driver, Lant Platner.

In fact, at Anchorage Driver Training, no one is off the hook for making our roads unsafe--no matter your age.

"What I see as being the biggest problem is people have a complete disregard for traffic laws. They disobey the law on purpose and get away with it all the time," said William Miller of Anchorage Driver Training.

Which is why, from the youngest to the oldest person we talked to for this story, everyone says it's a great idea to take a refresher course every once in a while. AARP is open to anyone of any age and only costs 10 dollars.

"I didn't realize that if I'm going to turn, if I take rights I'll probably get in less accidents than lefts," said Anchorage driver, Joan Reyla.

Billie Bloker has been teaching a driving class for ten years.

So when you're behind the wheel do you feel, "Oh I've gotta drive carefully or I'm a hypocrite?"

"No, huh-uh, not at all. Because I feel that I am a very safe driver. And my driving record will show that," said AARP volunteer,

Bloker.

Hopefully, Barrett's will too, someday. Her friends have already had some close calls.

"We've had a couple of scares, a couple of maybes. But all my friends are good drivers," said Barrett.

That's something we're all counting on.

As for older drivers, AARP instructor Bloker says they're good about knowing when to cut back on driving. And that's backed-up by the study we relied on for this story, which was conducted by the non-profit Rand Corporation. However, a spokeswoman for Alaska's DMV tells the I-Team that if you have concerns about an older driver, family members, doctors and police officers can send a confidential letter to the DMV, which may trigger a driving skills test or medical exam.

---

If you have a story for the I-Team that you want me to look into, you can call the I-Team hotline number at 273-3111.