How do you feel about old people driving?

Question

I've been thinking a lot about this lately, i've been seeing a lot of wreckless driving and when i peep to see who the person behind the wheel is, it happens to be an elderly person.
Now don't get me wrong, i love and respect my elders but i just much rather be in a car with a teenager who just got their license than w/ an old person who can't use his/her senses to their best potential.

(think about that old man who drove his car into several people in Santa Monica's Farmers market and killed 9 of them)

Answer 1

I think they need to be tested. If they're in their right mind and can drive well, more power to them. But I've rode (ridden?) with older people who can't drive and let me tell you...it's very very very scary. I've been driving around people who are swerving between lanes and/or going 30 in a 55/65 zone and usually it's someone who looks over 65 or so and that too is cause for concern. If they're afraid to drive and can't handle their car they should be OFF THE ROAD!!

Answer 2

My father is going on 80 and does very well. I ride with him for 150 miles at a time and can even sleep while he's driving. He's sharp enough to know when to change drivers if he gets tired. My father-in-law would terrorize the highways in his 60s by passing on the shoulder, stopping to count cows in a field along the interstate, or weaving in and out of traffic at 85 MPH. When he got to be 80 he would come to visit and coast into the driveway in neutral so he could stop before he hit the garage.
My brother is mid 50s and is absolutely nuts in a car. My daughter is 26 and does just fine. Age isn't the problem, mental and physical conditions are the problem.

Answer 3

I can't tell you how tired I am of hearing this kind of crap. If a senior has an accident on Monday, it is in every paper and on every newscast in the country. If a teen or young adult has an accident on Tuesday, it is in every newspaper in the neighbourhood. Seniors as a whole have a good driving record, it is just their accidents get more publicity. Yes, there are bad senior drivers, but I have never been tailgated by a senior in a snowstorm, or in a rain storm, i have never been threatened with violence because a senior driver thought i took his parking spot, I have never seen a senior driver run his SUV 10 car lengths into a snow-filled ditch, i have never seen a senior get his vehicle stuck because he decided to see how much mud he could race through, I have never had a senior tail-gate me on the highway, pass me, and immediately slam on his brakes because we were at his corner, I have never had a senior pass me on a gravel road going up-hill where you couldn't see what could be over the rise, I have never had a senior speed up to pass me in a no-passing zone in the last 100 yards before a construction zone, and most seniors are smart enough to stay home in really bad weather instead of driving like so many younger drivers do. 99% of the vehicles I see speeding up to race through an intersection as soon as the light turns yellow are aged 20 to 40. In other words, nobody under 50 would be considered mature enough to drive if a person wanted to keep manipulating statistics.

Answer 4

There should be periodic testing for our older drivers. The trouble is that organizations like the AARP are against it. Only a handful of states have retesting for the elderly. In northern NJ, a 95 year old woman took out a hospital wall, 2 days ago.

Answer 5

Clearly, whether or not a person should drive depends more on his presence of mind and reflexes than his age...although I'll agree these *sometimes* go hand in hand!

For example, I'd so much rather ride with my (sweet, elderly!) neighbor, than with a drunk, or a teenager.

On the other hand, I know of one older man (82) whose family no longer permit him to drive, as his attention wanders; the family pitch in and take him anywhere he wants to go, at any time.

As for me, I dearly hope it's decades before I need to lay down my keys; but, if I don't recognize the time when it comes, I hope someone will TAKE THE DAMN KEYS AWAY!!

Answer 6

Think about that young man who drove his car into a bus stop and killed someone. Stats show that young people have the most accidents. Maybe because you can't get out of the driveway without jamming the cell phone in your ear.

Answer 7

I agree that some older people are not as safe behind the wheel. We
should all be tested periodically to find out if we know what we are doing.
Testing reflex times might also be appropriate.

Answer 8

first thing is for you to define the words OLD PERSON. I am 61 years old and often drive my sons cosworth engined road car. I can drive fast and safely. I can also drive slow and safely.. It all depends on the person. Dont put all older people into the same categories please. Just a thought...why do insurance companies take lower premiums from senior citizens? Could it be that we are safer drivers?

Answer 9

i own a repair shop,and i know one day I'm going to be old also and im going to be driving,so i kind of look at it like this as long as im a safe driver,and don't hurt anyone i think age don't matter,but when me or you get old and we get to the point to where we are dangerous to be on the road ,then i think we don't need to drive anymore,its kind of one of those things that you have to look at it from both side of it,,and either way it can be wrong,or it can be right,just think about it like this,would you want someone to tell you you cant drive no more ,that your to old to drive,its kind of like telling a 16 year old your to young to drive,both add up to be the same thing,don't you think,i hope this help,s,its something to think about,

Answer 10

A lot depends on mental and physical condition. age has nothing to do with it some younger people don`t drive to well.