What does everyone think about elderly drivers?

Question

Do you think they shouldn't be allowed to drive after a certain age? I ask this because I was just driving behind an elderly man. He could barely see over the wheel, was going 10 mph in a 35, and almost caused about 2 accidents. What do you think? Should there be a cut off limit for drivers? Should we implement driving tests every year after a certain age?

I'm curious what everyone thinks about this.

P.S. I'm not saying all older drivers are bad.

Answer 1

Yes I think we should have after a certain age driving test every year. Not just a come in pay the money do the eye test either a real driving test. Its one of those things maybe after 70 its every 2 years and after 80 every year and im not saying all older drivers are bad either but you have to blanket the situation at the expense of some good drivers.

Answer 2

It has nothing to do with age - it has everything to do with driving skill. Would you deny someone the privilege of driving who was still an excellent driver? How about younger drivers who are also bad drivers?

I think the problem is that there needs to be higher standards for getting a license, and more frequent and stringent tests for keeping it. Here in Arizona, you get a license good until your 65th b'day and only have to update it every 12 years, then every 5 once you are 65. Teens only required 25 hours of practice 0 no driver's ed - and have to pass a ridiculously easy driving test.

Answer 3

I think that it just depends on the person.
My 90 year old grandfather drives better than most 30 year old.
I think that maybe a Dr should recommend to the state how often a certain individual should have to take driving tests or maybe even to have their license restricted to around town and emergencies. I also think that if you have been the cause of more than 3 accidents in 5 years that you should have to take a driving teat no matter what your age.

Answer 4

Older drivers are a traffic hazard. They drive way too slow, are slow to react, and generally do not observe other drivers.

I have the Florida problem (see above) in Tucson, having a large retirement community.

Don't get me wrong, I love old folks, but they need to know how to step on the accelerator. Heck, use your cane if you gotta.

You can't stop old folks from driving. Possibly we can develop better visual and audio driving aids and seating for them to help increase alertness and reaction time. I think there would be a huge market for this, especially with the upcoming aging baby boomers.

Answer 5

There's no doubt that there are older drivers who shouldn't be on the road...just as there are younger drivers who shouldn't be on the road. I personally have as many problems, if not more, with dumb kids blabbing on cell phones, playing with their makeup, eating, cutting me off, and racing, than I do with older people who drive slowly or erratically. I think the minimum driving age should be 18, and after 70 there should be annual testing for license renewal. If you look at the statistics, the under-21 and over-70 groups combine for a goodly chunk of auto-related injuries and deaths nationwide. Perhaps we need to revisit our testing procedures for both young and old.

That's my 2 cents' worth anyhow.

Answer 6

I had to confiscate my dad's keys after he drove over a curb turning right one day.

I say that after age 60, a YEARLY driving test should be mandatory.

With a STRICT examiner doing the testing.

MOST of you youngsters drive WAY too fast and that's why you hate us "mature" drivers who are staying below the limit.

admittedly, some of us do go WAY below the limit. Those people should be retired from driving.

Answer 7

It really depends on the individual but on average they tend to react slower and have been known to hit the gas pedal instead of the brake.
It isn't totally fair to generalize. My grandma is almost 70 and a great driver. She is fast and under control. My parents once left Baltimore headed for Chicago in a Porsche - shortly after my grandma left in a minivan. She actually got to Chicago first...

Answer 8

I merely became 70 and voluntarily became my license in to the DMV. I had a innovations anuerism 4 years in the past which left me with some confusion on the main inopportune situations. It additionally impacts my eyesight and that i merely didnt sense gentle at the back of the wheel. i've got seen greater beneficial than my share of older people who've pushed by way of homes and plowed down human beings on the line. i think of human beings could desire to start to be examined each and every 3 hundred and sixty 5 days while they turn sixty 5.I dont merely mean eye assessments-yet co-ordination assessments and an all out utilising try. human beings ask if I dont omit utilising. sure,I do. yet I didnt elect to take the possibility of killing myself or somebody else. Wouldnt that's greater efficient to err on the realm of risk-free practices?

Answer 9

there are honestly too many reasons why the older should have more frequent / stricter tests to be able to drive and another whole set of reasons why the age should / should not be bumped up

the only one i actually see going anywhere is the older generation age limit

Answer 10

I honestly feel that senior citizens should be retested at age 70. I say that as I have concerns that sometimes adult children are uncomfortable telling their own parents not to drive when they are not able to. Many times senior drivers cannot turn their head as well. In addition, response times are not as fast as when they were younger. Lastly, as one gets older, sometimes one can have macular degeneration which causes the peripheral vision (the vision on one's sides) to decrease to sometimes none. It's a heated topic as many of our congressional representatives are seniors.