About elderly drivers...

[trof]

There have been 4 or 5 incidents in the last few weeks in Massachusetts where elderly drivers (80+) have killed pedestrians or other drivers, or been killed by age impaired/irresponsible driving.

I'll be 68 in August.
I can tell that my reflexes aren't quite what they used to be.
So I cut myself a bit more slack. I leave a bit more room between me and the car in front of me. I don't cut it quite as close in tight traffic situations as I would have a few years ago.

I would have no objection to being retested at age 70 and annually after that.

What do you think?

[Stellabella]

1. Yep, I think annual retesting is a good idea. Although,

if most drivers were being tested without knowing they were being tested, 90% would fail.

I recently followed an elderly woman in my town who blew through every single stop sign in front of her, going a consistent 25 mph.

[trof]

2. Whoa. That's a little faster than a 'rolling stop'.

[Stellabella]

5. Yep, it was scary.

I didn't have my cell phone or I would have called in her plate number.

[havocmom]

40. We have 3 of those in town, and they are also legally blind

but nobody will tell them to turn in their keys, cuz they're such nice people and have always "led productive lives".

Yeah, but they are gonna KILL somebody! :grr:

[Stellabella]

43. Yes they are.

That's really unfortunate.

[pipi_k]

8. I don't see a problem with

people not knowing they're being tested.

I mean, what's the point of testing people while they're likely on their best behavior, only to turn them loose at the end of the test to go out and drive like maniacs when nobody is watching?

In fact, I would say that some people, due to nervousness, would probably make more mistakes if they knew they were being tested.

[Stellabella]

44. I agree.

Most people drive like they are anonymous and invisible, speeding, cutting others off, etc. etc. An 'invisible tester' would be quite useful, if only to improve everyone's driving habits.

[wuvuj]

63. People ARE being tested without knowing it...

...would you want to guess as to if...or why you are being followed at times? Think...secret police.

But...of course...it can't happen here.

Not to mention the large number of people (do gooders with poor intentions and stalkers) with cell phones out on the road...many with negative intentions to begin with.

[pipi_k]

64. Of course, if the secret police are REALLY good...

they'll avoid detection altogether by following from the front instead of from the rear.

I've often wondered why the car in front of me seemed to be taking all the same turns I was...

doo dee doo....

:scared:

[wuvuj]

69. Yes...they can read your mind...

...and turn before you do. :wow:

[virgogal]

3. I am an elderly driver in Massachusetts and my friends and I have

discussed this at great length over the past several years and we all agree that we would be okay with a test.

Some of us have already restricted our nightime or highway driving.

We are all in our seventies and realize we just aren't what we used to be.

Wiser,maybe,but that's about it.

[pipi_k]

65. I'm not quite where you are yet, but

at 56 I know that I too have slowed down a bit...reaction times, awareness, hearing, etc.

That tends to make me cut down on my speed as well. Often I'll be 5 MPH below the speed limit, at least. I don't even mind pulling over to let faster drivers pass...

:)

[konnichi wa]

You old phart...

I won't be 68 for 7 more months! :D

No a re-test wouldn't bother me at all, it can't be any more of a pita than my annual FAA physical and flight review. :-)

[AllieB]

4. I'm in Mass

I think they should retest all drivers every 5-10 years. If you drove in mass every day you'd agree.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

6. It also makes an arguement

for better public transportation so if I have to give up driving myself I won't spent half the day traveling just to get to the store and back.

[taterguy]

9. Is better public transportation enough given how we've decided to build neighborhoods?

I'm not being snarky.

But the American "Dream" is to have as much open space as possible.

There are plenty of neighborhoods that would benefit from more busses and light rail and where it would make sense to add them.

However, physical laws state that a certain population density is required to make public transportation reasonable from an economic and environmental standpoint.

For over 60 years we've been driving development towards the suburbs.

How do we go about reversing that trend?

Or should we?

[virgogal]

18. What astonishes me is that so many of the 55 plus developments

are in beautiful areas without any public transportation.

I bought a condo 4 years ago,(not age restricted)in the center of my town. I can walk out my front door and be on a train to downtown Boston in one minute,and walk to everything else.I made this move specifically because I didn't want to depend on an automobile.

The luxury retirement communities are dropping the ball on this one.

[SoCalNative]

12. Don't most places have some sort of Dial-a-Ride

service for seniors and the disabled? If it's not completely free it's usually heavily subsidized so it's a lot less than calling a cab.

Also many cities have "around the city" shuttles that can be used to go to the market, etc.

[madamesilverspurs]

24. Regarding the dial-a-ride

In some communities you have to call them days in advance. And if there are no seats available for the time you need to get somewhere, you're out of luck. When I relied on the service, there were times when my appointment was only a few blocks from where I lived but the trip route required the driver to make a circuit to pick up as many riders as possible, the result being that a normally 5-minute drive turned into an hour or longer. Some of the 'homes' that have their own transports have discontinued their use, finding it 'inconvenient' that the residents couldn't all get on the same schedule for shopping, doctors, entertainment, etc. And it was expensive for someone relying on Social Security. I knew several folks who had to rely on family or friends because they just couldn't afford the dial-a-ride.

[JenniferJuniper]

7. I just drove past the site where the little girl was killed over the weekend.

Horrible.

My mother bumped into a motorcyclist a few weeks ago. He wasn't hurt but, but she says she never saw him, and she knows she should have. She's only 68, but says it wouldn't have happened 10 years ago. She's driven a bit since then, but is being very careful. The current events have given her some additional pause for thought.

As individuals and communities, we all need to be helping out older folks with visits and rides as much as we can. This is only going to get worse as the baby boomers age.

[gratuitous]

10. From my cold, dead hands

Wait, this isn't another tiresome gun thread?

I don't know about annually; every other year seems often enough (manpower concerns and all that). But the pass/fail line should be bright and unmoveable, nothing but a passing score is "good enough." Better public transit would follow real soon, methinks. I'm 50 and still competent, but I know I've lost some ability over the years. I'll turn in my license without a squawk when the time comes. It's not yet, but I know I'm closer to the end than the beginning. No way I'll still be driving at 84.

[ROFF]

11. I'm 63

and I agree with the OP. A person can try to be a better driver, but it takes a lot of effort not to fall back into bad habits.
Fortunately my wife helps me and I appreciate her help.

[ohheckyeah]

13. While that's terrible

that pedestrians and other drivers were killed, elderly drivers still are not involved in more accidents than those in the 15 - 24 years old age group among women and 15 - 54 years old group among men.

http://www.insurance.com/article.aspx/Teens_or_Seniors_Who_Are_Our_Worst_Drivers/artid/129

[Journeyman]

14. With all the recent advances in video games, flight simulators, and the like, why. . .

can't a driving assessment test be devised that uses computer-generated scenarios to test everyone's knowledge of the road along with their judgment abilities and reaction times?

All drivers should be tested every few years. And not just elderly drivers, either. I've seen plenty of young drivers who lack the necessary motor skills to drive safely, and even more whose judgment and common sense are inadequate to the task.

It wouldn't have to very elaborate or costly at all -- just a simple simulator that will give an indication of someone's physical and mental capacity to operate a motor vehicle. These could be set up either at the department of motor vehicles, or in commercial establishments. The cost would be minimal -- how much does it cost to play computer games at an electronics arcade? The simulator could both test for knowledge of the rules of the road, as well as physical ability to drive. If someone didn't pass, or problems were detected, a driving test with a human observer would then be required.

Seems to me, everyone could then get a periodic refresher course on the rules and conditions of the road, the physically incapable (of all ages) could be more readily identified, and all at a reasonably low cost. If the simulators were good enough, they could be used as well to teach new drivers before they were taken on the road.

[lpbk2713]

15. I'm 65.

My hearing and my night vision are not as good as they once were.

I have no problem with being tested. If it could keep me or anyone

else from being hurt how could that be a bad thing?

[Stinky The Clown]

16. I hate to agree with you. I am just a few years younger. I **hate** to agree with you.

But I do.

Annual checks of some sort after 70 is reasonable to me. And maybe a more thorough check every three or four years on top of the annual check.

But I also would want an automatic appeal to a doc or doc board before suspension.

[tabbycat31]

17. retest at 70 and annually after that

I had 5 close calls in the last week with elderly drivers. I'm 29 so it will be awhile for me, but I like to know that when I go somewhere, I can get there safely (I have a perfect driving record).

[rvablue]

19. I agree and I also think younger drivers need to be retested.

The last time anyone examined my fitness to drive I was 16.

While there have been incidences with elderly drivers, just look at the national statitics.

It's not seniors causing all of those accidents. I think everyone needs a couple of re-evaluations during their lifetime.

[JenniferJuniper]

20. Hell, I question the fitness of 16 year olds as well

I know they've got great reflexes, but their brains are not fully developed and many are impulsive, impatient, and inattentive. And on the phone, texting, or fiddling around with radios more often than not.

Of course, teenagers can pass tests by being on their best behavior during testing, but seniors can't fake it so well.

Come to think of it, nearly all of the accidents I've ever been involved in were the fault of teenagers or old people.

[Stellabella]

45. Oh yeah. Two kids in my husband's high school classes were killed in the

last 6 months. Driving drunk, no seatbelts, ejected from the vehicle, died instantly.

Those kids need limited driver's licenses and frequent testing.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

21. FL is the land of dangerous elderly drivers

In many places, regular testing is already in place, but the DMV so often goes through the motions and still allows people to renew if they can simply pass a vision test.

Hardly a week goes by that one doesn't plow their Caddy into a store front or someone's house (I have personally experienced the former when one tried to flatten the register at the whole foods shop where I worked). I also transcribe medical records and am amazed at how many people are driving around (with their doctor's tacit approval!) on a couple dozen serious medications, half of which can affect your level of functioning. Of course, Floridians are always bitching about the old fogeys who can't see over the steering wheel, drive for miles with a turn signal on, go nowhere near the speed limit, and can't stay within their lane--but that's because it is so prevalent here.

I know full well that everyone gets stuck on an age they see themselves and it's really hard to wrap yourself around the concept that you're actually aging, but I sure as hell wish more people would pay attention and reassess periodically--and realize that driving is not an endless privilege they've earned simply because they've done it forever. I think many families know full well that they're sending their aging parents/grandparents down here when they aren't even safe to drive a few blocks around their home town. It's depressing to have to crack down and tell dad he shouldn't drive any more (or call the DMV to insist he shouldn't be), but sentimentality should not play a part in this. It isn't such a funny story when they take out a group of kids playing stickball in the street or fail to stop for a school bus and drag a 5-year-old two blocks because granny's that oblivious to what's outside her car. I've lost count of the stories like that happening here.

There are far more elderly drivers committing hit & runs and driving under the influence than teens, I'm convinced. Every single time I get out of the house, I see at least one scary thing perpetrated by someone who is just not competent behind the wheel of a two-ton vehicle. In many cases, it's even more dangerous to be driving when you're just too timid and overwhelmed by normal traffic than simply young and assertive. I've also found that elderly drivers are much more prone to aggression than anyone else. Try to toot at some old guy for going 40 mph on the interstate and more often than not, he will not simply move over, but will brake check (often repeatedly), speed up so you can't pass him, or tailgate dangerously if you do. Some of those dudes are seriously angry mofos and have no business behind the wheel at all. (Yes, this is my opinion, based on shit I witness every week--FL is where you all send your aging relatives to die, remember, so we've got more than our fair share of them)

What really irks me is that so much of FL--where we should be actively trying to get these people off the road--mass transit is practically nonexistent. Even people sensible enough to recognize their limitations often have few or no options. I think this is a huge chunk of the issue. How many people would willingly hand over their car keys if there was simply an easier option for them? This isn't even limited to who should or shouldn't drive, just general logic. I know as Americans, we love our cars--but obviously, we love them a little too much.

[Roon]

22. My Grandfather gave up driving recently

he is 88-years-old. He wants to start driving again so he can go to the cabin. The family said no way. My Uncle,Aunt, or I will drive him and my Grandmother.

[Skittles]

23. I do think older drivers should be tested more often

but if they can pass the test at age 95, more power to them

[sarcasmo]

25. Taxi driver for ten years and I applaud this post. I agree that 70 is a fair age.

I witnessed this need way to many times. They aren't doing it on purpose the reactions times have slowed and the speeds have risen.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

26. You have to pry the keys from their cold, dead hands.

Sorta like guns.

Lots of people have to go to court to take the keys away from the old folks.

I borrowed my mom's car and she got a lawyer to send me a nasty letter threatening to sue me to get the car back.

She knew I needed a car. And she had stopped driving due to macular degeneration. She paid a lady to drive her to the doctor. She was just being possessive.

:wtf:

[Bobbieo]

27. I gave up driving last year at 85 BUT I only drove to the grocery store

which is less than a mile from the house and only 4 blocks on a major street.

[kiva]

46. Probably should be glad she didn't call the police...

car theft and all.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

49. The lawyer threatened legal action.

He didn't say whether civil, or criminal (auto theft or UUMV, lesser included offense) or BOTH.

:wtf: A real jerk.

[madamesilverspurs]

28. My dad lost his license automatically

following the stroke he suffered while driving. Although he hit a couple of parked vehicles, his only injuries came when he got out of his car and fell hands-first into the broken glass from his headlight; thankfully, no one else was involved. He was 85 at the time. Following the hospitalization and a period of home-care he began rehabilitation to regain function and strength. He insisted that he would get his license back, and got furious when the driving simulator would timeout; he said it was stupid because they didn't leave stuff on the screen long enough for him to respond to. Yes, we tried and tried to explain it to him; also tried, with no success, to explain that his repeating TIAs weren't hazardous to others as long as he was in his recliner, but being 'out of it' for a couple of minutes behind the wheel was unacceptable in the extreme.

He chose to deal with it by calling Sacramento two or three times a day, yelling at whomever was unfortunate enough to answer the phone, complaining about the cruelty of the state in penalizing a good citizen, yada yada. Nevermind that he repeatedly failed the simulator tests, they eventually returned his license on the basis of an oath he swore OVER THE PHONE, made him raise his right hand and everything. We tried hiding the keys, he'd bully Mom into giving him her set. We'd flatten his tires, he'd take Mom's car. He'd always been a stubborn cuss, but the mean stuff was new, a result of the personality change caused by the strokes. And he started getting lost on short trips, insisting that he'd been given wrong directions.

When we relocated the parents to a different state to be closer to family, he immediately went to DMV to transfer his license; took him two or three attempts to pass everything, and the examiner was sympathetic to our efforts to keep him from driving but had no choice but to issue the license. When his vehicle needed a minor repair to the engine we told him that it needed something major and it was going to take a while and cost a bunch, so he'd have to be patient; imagine Mom's shock when he sold her car along with his to get the money to buy a vehicle that was running but falling apart.

His doctor, finally, confiscated his license. Dad was convinced that the doc was colluding with us, even though the doc had seen Dad driving. Dad's health continued to decline, and the last couple of years he couldn't walk across the room without help. But until the day he died at 92 he complained loudly that we'd taken his license without justification, and he never forgave us for that supposed infraction. Mom, bless her, relinquished her own license at 82, when she recognized the increasing problems with her vision; she never had so much as a parking ticket.

It's a damn hard situation for families. But its only solution is the exercize of common sense.

[spinbaby]

41. We're about to try to get my father in-law's license pulled

He's in his 80s. He has trouble staying awake while he's driving.

[SharonAnn]

75. Sounds like our experience with our dad. He just wouldn't give it up, then when we had it taken,

he complained loudly until he died.

It was not a fun experience.

[undeterred]

29. I think annual retesting is a good idea

and I appreciate it when seniors set their own limits. My mother is over 80 and she stopped doing night driving when she turned 70.

I know of some awful tragedies with senior citizen drivers- where several people have been killed because they took a wrong turn.

[Bigmack]

30. My wife and I .....

have already agreed to be re-tested at 70 and every 5 years after that. I'm tending to think every three years now. Both of us are very good drivers, but I think our bodies are slowing down. Ms.Bigmack's 90 yr-old-aunt is still driving.... badly. She could never pass any kind of test. She is concerned about loss of independence. Bullshit! She lives in a small town and owns two vehicles. If she sold both vehicles, that money plus her savings on gas, upkeep, and insurance would keep her in cabs for as long as she lives. No loss of independence, no accident that could hurt someone and ruin her financially, and no anxiety about driving. But noooooooooooo!

[demigoddess]

31. elderly drivers need their cars to get to their drs appointments

I'm a little younger than what you are talking about, but getting appointments scheduled in a reasonable way is impossible. They want you to drive all over hell and gone to make appts for tests etc. More and more often you are sent up into the middle of town for specialists. And they always schedule them from 9 to 3 or 4 so the children are at work and cannot drive their parents to appts. And there is so often no transportation. I have heard from elders who have taken the local transportation for elderly, handicapped, etc that it is notoriously unreliable. They need more of it and make it reliable so appts can be kept. Not to mention the buying of food.

[dysfunctional press]

33. so it shouldn't matter if they're unfit to drive...?

:crazy:

[demodonkey]

32. I think 70 is a bit young and/or annually is a bit too frequent for many.

My mother had to stop driving after a paralyzing stroke in 2006 at age 87. She drove until the night before she had the stroke, when she drove to a Township Commissioners meeting in a full-size pickup truck to get plaintiffs signed up on a lawsuit against paperless electronic voting machines. Until the very end of her good health she drove flawlessly, up to speed, and without danger or hesitation. She could even pull a livestock trailer full of animals safely at proper speed on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Again, at age 87.

Her older brother voluntarily gave up driving at about 95 or 96. Until he stopped, he remained safety conscious and a very capable driver. He was constantly looking ahead, watching for potential problems (just like I was taught back in driver's ed) and could discuss what he was doing and why. I rode with him many times in his 90s and his driving was excellent.

Her younger brother is still driving now at age 88 or 89. I rode with him last week and his driving feels as "normal" to me as a passenger as anyone half his age or less, as did my mother's driving before her stroke and her older brother until he quit driving (he passed at age 97.)

All these people were better drivers in their late 80s and 90s than many who are in their 20s. 30s or 40s. I am a good driver myself with hundreds of thousands of safe high-speed highway and inner city driving experience, and I think I am capable of recognizing safe and capable driving when I see it.

I think we might find it a bit burdensome to retest millions of active 70-year olds every year, year in and year out. Some say the age of 70 is the new 50. As the baby boomers reach that age, I think we are going to find more and more of them staying active and "normal" until much older.

And DON'T ANYONE DARE let this degenerate into another boomer-bashing thread. Bad drivers come in all ages from the teenager to the 90 year-old. Perhaps the answer is to test people annually at any age after there are problems indicated (moving violations, DUIs, accidents, health issues, etc.)

[RebelOne]

51. I am an active 70-year-old. I work full-time and drive

back and forth to work daily. I renewed my license in January. I was totally pissed that I had to go into the DMV and take an eye test. People under 65 can just renew their license online. That would be so much easier. And younger people can get a license for 10 years, but I can only have a 4-year license.

[ddiver]

34. I want to die like my grandfather, peacefully in his sleep.........

not screaming in panic fueled terror like the passengers in his car.

[NYC_SKP]

35. Yep, need more frequent testing...

My dad was in no condition to drive, convinced the housekeeper to drive him to DMV to ask if he could drive.

They said, "sure".

It didn't last long, he finally had a seizure, they should have given him a written and a driving test based on his being 83, if nothing else.

Nobody got hurt, thankfully.

[IDemo]

36. I'd apply that to the other end of the age spectrum as well

Teen drivers are among the most dangerous on the road. A local bicyclist was killed a few days ago by a 16 year old in an SUV turning in front of him, and a kid on his way to school this year
was badly injured by a classmate who "couldn't see him".

[LWolf]

37. This is a painful subject,

looking at the permanent loss of personal privacy and freedoms that the elderly are subjected to as they slow down. My mom is 70, and while she is still very active and capable, she's definitely slowed down.

Should they be retested? Perhaps at 75 or 80, yes. We should also provide a good public transportation service, so that the loss of a driver's license doesn't lock them in.

I'd like to see teens annually re-tested until they hit 21. I don't know what the stats are, but they seem as likely to have problems, for different reasons.

[EFerrari]

39. Our moms are about the same age, LWolf.

Mine is the most independent woman I've ever met. Yikes.

[LWolf]

42. Yikes, yes.

My mom still rides her horse, cuts and splits firewood, does all of her own yard work, and stays very busy.

I just notice, when I'm walking with her, that I have to slow down considerably; that she takes just a little longer to do some things than she used to.

Her driving is still as good as it ever was, for now. I know what it would do to her spirit, her drive for life, to be dependent on people to drive her places. The time may come, but not, I hope, for some years yet.

[polmaven]

53. When the time does come,

LWolf, I do hope that you will recognize it if she does not. Please consider what it would do to her spirit and her drive for life is she were to be responsible for the serious injury of even the death of another person.

[LWolf]

61. I will.

I hope I can convince her to live with me, or near me, by that time.

She won't kill a spider. She cries when a hawk takes a rabbit.

To cause harm to others herself would destroy her.

[Mariana]

68. The teens would likely pass with flying colors.

They know how to drive safely and are capable of doing so, most of them. Many just choose not to. A huge proportion of their wrecks are a result of distractions (friends in the car, loud stereo, cell phone, etc) that simply wouldn't be there during a formal driving test.

A driver who is incapable of driving safely is a different problem.

[LWolf]

70. That's all true.

What would be most likely to convince them to focus on driving safely?

Yanking their license for a year if they get a ticket? That sounds harsh. What is reasonable?

[AngryAmish]

38. Diabetes makes driving really hard

Notwithstanding the passing out, ones feet go numb as you go older. It makes the pedals much harder to tell apart.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

47. My 92 year old father-in-law lost his car last year

in one of the hurricanes. He decided to go out in the storm to get his girlfriend to the bus station!
On his way back home, the car stalled out in a flooded street, and he had to leave it. Fortunately, he made it home safely; but the car was ruined.

I'm thankful that he decided not to buy another car. If his judgement was so poor that he'd drive in a hurricane, heaven knows what else he does on the road. Also, he has Alzheimers, and often can't navigate without someone giving him directions.

[tammywammy]

48. My Grandfather is 88 and still drives

Only a little bit, to the senior citizen center, the grocery store, church all within max 3 miles of his house. Family takes him to his doctor appointments. Oh and he never drives at night, he stopped doing that on his own many years ago.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

50. another horror story.

FIL had Alzheimer's and the wife had promised to take care of him. That equaled denial.

He got in his car and went searching for "the old Oklahoma City". He was 83 and out of his mind.

The cops stopped him doing retrograde orbits around the State Capitol. :wtf:

They took his license away. His last Xmas I was up there and tried to get him in a car to look at Xmas lights. He started screaming about how the cops took him to the police station and fired their guns, bla blah, blah.....it was sooo depressing. All he did was argue with me. I wanted to strangle him.

My blood pressure reached a new record high. This was in 1995. Eventually I had to call the State Agency for Elder Protective Services to get anything done.

And then in 1996, the Next Christmas, MY father decided to be a grumpy old bastard and not go out with us on Christmas night to look at Christmas lights.

We went to a movie just to get out of the house.

[Liberal_in_LA]

57. It's not easy dealing with elderly parents

[Vinca]

52. Only if they retest the twenty-somethings who speed like bats out of hell

through the local roundabout (aka circle of death) while engrossed in a cell phone conversation.

[a la izquierda]

54. My grandma quit when she was 72...

all because she ran over my aunt's dog and broke its leg. We were all very happy because we didn't have to wrangle with her. I had also found her asleep in the car one day, still running. Thank god the garage doors were open.

My mom's parents only rarely drive, which is good. They're in their early 80s.

[recoveringrepublican]

55. I think EVERYONE should be retested every 5 years nt

[elleng]

56. I think every state should require retests, at certain intervals.

Among other things, its often MUCH EASIER for the state to restrict and/or remove the privilege than for family to do it. Fortunately my folks themselves recognized their 'handicaps' and stopped driving, but they were in their 80s. (I have their old car now.)

[Heidi]

58. In Switzerland, motorists over the age of 70 are required to have medical exams every two years.

My mother-in-law tells me that the examination includes testing one's reflexes, vision, hearing, etc. If your doctor won't vouch for your fitness to drive, you end up surrending your license.

On the other end of the spectrum, you can't get a driver's license here until you're 18, and though the driver's license is "for life," the theoretical and practical driving tests are extremely difficult. Though I got my driver's license and first car at 16, I believe strict licensing standards are wise.

[AngryOldDem]

59. I have no problem with that.

Once, a long time ago when I was getting my license, an older driver there failed his eye exam and was arguing with the BMV clerk that the "doctor said my vision was fine."

More seriously, about nine years ago my husband was injured in a side-impact collision at a four-way stop, caused by an 80-year-old driver who "thought he had the green light." (Note -- four way stop. Stop signs.) Our van was totalled, he suffered a slight concussion, so we considered ourselves as having gotten off lucky. But the old man still insisted there was a light at the intersection (it was about a half-mile back).

So yes, I favor annual testing of drivers after a certain age and the revocation of their licenses if they are deemed impaired. Had my kids been with my husband that night, at least one of them would have been killed.

I commend you for your stance.

[Cleita]

60. Or maybe have better public transportation options.

We have a shuttle that picks old people up at their doorstep to do shopping or go to doctors appointments and delivers them back home, but it's very expensive, too expensive for any senior whose living on Social Security. If we had such a thing and it was affordable, I wouldn't drive anymore and I would use it instead. It would probably be a program that people who want to go out and have a few drinks could probably benefit from too, if it was affordable.

[LostinVA]

62. Call or write to the DMV and get the license and tags taken away

They'll call them in and make them retest. In many states, if they don't show up, they get a bench warrant out. Also, in some states, if they fail, they tags are taken off the car on the spot. I think this is a terrific idea.

Losing independence sucks, but too many people are killed by elderly drivers who have no business behind the wheel. A friend of our family's was permanently disabled by being hit be a elderly driver. She was home from college riding her bike, and the elderly woman DRAGGED her and her bike for over a mile, until another car cut in front of her so she'd stop.

Haruka's granddad drives and can't remember where he is. He needs to also have his license and car taken away. I'm about ready to contact the NJ DMW on my own.

[Hepburn]

66. About 10 years ago, I contacted the Cal DMV about an elderly driver I knew.

He was nearly 80 years old and lived in Los Angeles and, OMG, riding with him was a nightmare. It took one ride and I was on the phone. He would blow stop signs, run red lights, change freeway lanes without looking, and run through crosswalks with people in them. It took one ride from Union Station to Santa Monica and that was it! Scared the shit out of me. And his family saw NOTHING wrong with the way he drove!

:wow:

Luckily the DMV pulled his license because he failed the driving test. It took some time, but it was worth the wait.

[old mark]

67. Years ago a friend at work was days away from retirement, when his wife

was struck and killed while walking to her car in a mall parking lot.
It was a hit and run.
The driver turned out to be a 16 year old high school girl who was driving very fast in the lot and doing her makeup. She drove home, sat in her room. She was scared.

Bad drivers come in all ages and genders. Driving lienses should be harder to get and harder to keep it people have violations of conditions that may be disabling. In the US we do not take driving seriously at all - every day I see people using phones, reading papers, fixing lipstick, eating, whatever, when they should be concentrating. Most people rely on habit and luck to get where they are going safely,rather than any skill or thought process.
I think people with repeated driving violations should have to work with EMT ambulance crews going to accidents for a few weeks...maybe they would get the idea, if they have the ability.

mark

[KoKo]

71. I was sad to see when my 85 year old dad got his license revoked

because of "macular degeneration" and but still could drive the "One Mile" to his grocery store..which was the ONLY PLACE he ever drove and he was a careful person.

He might have killed some kid walking along the rural road he lived on...because he couldn't see...and he refused to hire folks to shop for him...because his "car was his freedom" and after he couldn't drive he declined.

Who knows if the "decline" was just natural or precipitated by his driving license being revoked for him just to drive a couple of miles to get his groceries to be "INDEPENDENT!"

BUT..what if he'd killed someone driving that route who didn't expect to be "walking along a rural road and have an older person who couldn't see so well knock him off the road and maybe kill him.

:shrug:

It's a hard call ...that is...

[Samantha]

72. My daughter has been in 3 serious and one terrifying auto accident

None of which were her fault, and three of which resulted to serious injury to her body. The combined lasting impact on her body of these accidents is catching up with her now.

Two of the drivers were drunk drivers. One accident was caused when a closed road which was walled off by those orange cones was reopened by an impatient driver who needed to access the road whether it was available or not. He removed the cones and proceeded down the road and broadsided by daughter's car.

One of the accidents caused by a drunk driver involved his running a stop sign and hitting the passenger side of the car she was driving. Her date was injured, she was injured, they both were hospitalized and the car was totaled.

The second accident caused by a drunk driver occurred when she went to visit her former college roommate in Virginia Beach. The roommate and her husband were sitting in the front of the car, the husband was driving. My daughter was in the back seat. The car was stopped at a red light. The drunk driver rear ended the back of the car so badly, the back seat was pushed to the front of the car where the roommate and her husband sat. The driver was a retired veteran, and this was not his first drunk driving offense. The accident left the three in the car he hit so severely injured, my daughter was on valium for pain for three of four months and she could not walk. She ended up going to physical therapy and was almost was prevented from graduating with her master's degree that year due to the accident. She would have had to repeat that last year, and we could not afford to pay for her to do so. I drove over ever day and took her to classes, she on her crutches, and I drove her to physical therapy sessions. I also did her grocery shopping. She managed to hobble through the rest of her classes and graduate that year.

The fourth accident was in Baltimore. My daughter was on the way to a musical performance when the road narrowed due to construction. A duck bus was in the right-hand lane and was to large for the sudden narrowing of the road. It hit the car she was driving on the back door of the driver side. The car was severely hit and the window on that side shattered. A person on drugs observing the accident ran over to the car, put his fist threw the shattered window and stole the items sitting on the back seat (including the outfit she was to wear for her participation in the performance). She yelled at him, and he told her to shut up or he would kill her.

None of these drivers of these four vehicles were elderly.

Bad drivers come in all shapes, sizes and ages. They are inherently simply poor or irresponsible. In my opinion, the practice of observing poor driving habits does not discriminate due to age. It appears in many people who are simply inept or irresponsible and should not be driving period.

Just my two cents.

Sam

[Wizard777]

73. No, That will cost fees that many elderly people don't have. I'm 77 and drive fine.

[Wizard777]

74. Why would you judge and subject to heightened scrutiny ALL elderly by 4 or 5 incidents?

If you tried to do that based on race. You would be pariah here. Doing that based on age isn't any better. I still have a right to be judged on my own merits. Not all people age the same. There are people in their 40's and 50's with dementia. But you don't see that as a problem with them driving until they hit 70. Hell I had an aunt that worked in a nursing home taking care of old people until she was 90. We live differently and we age differently. Death is the great equalizer. Because dead is dead. No one is a lil more dead or a lil less dead. Dead is dead. Our nations elderly deserve more equality than that.