Should old people have their license taken away? If so at what age?

Answer 1

it isn't the old folks you have to worry about, it the new young drivers that are dangerous, lets not give them licenses until they are 20 :)

Answer 2

This will be an open question for sure.... Old people and drivers Licence has been always a topic of insurance companys...

I personally don't think you should take anyone's basic license away just because of there age.... Its that simple...

BUT, there are times when you do need to step in and find out if a person might need there drivers license suspended and ther keys taken away... Age might not be the only factor in most cases...

Comment stops here......

A lady I know had 12 wrecks in 1 year she was 42 years old. She past her drivers test, but what was the cause of all these wrecks. She had 1 wreck in 25 years of driving...
Come to find out she needed Glases to drive but didn't like the way they looked on her and she didn't like putting in contacts...

A gentleman I meet in MN had been driving for 68 years he had his licence revoked after an accident where a 16 year old was killed. Come to find out the 16 year old cut the man off, had a blow out spun around hit the man's car in the front and flip over the railing... 16 year old didn't have a license was going 75 mph or more and wasn't wearing his seat belt... The man got his license back and just made the statement I'm glad the truth came out...

Have more I could submit, but will stop here...

As we get old things happen. Things happen every day... Look at the reason your asking this question... Has the person stopped getting their license renewed ? Has the person had some problems driving lately? Is the person having different problems like memory, site, spech, Light starting to bother them in the late afternoon ( more than before), problems seeing while driving at night??? These are the questions to ask 1st and there could be more for sure...

Good luck with your problem....

Answer 3

The real question here is what is old? I've interviewed young people who said the "old guy" must have been 37 or 38. On the flip side I've interviewed elderly people late 70's, early 80's that would put a lot of 20 somethings to shame. At some point however, the motor skills start to give out and the reflect action is not what it use to be, not to mention the eye sight. So yes at some point yearly testing should become mandatory, but I say not until 80 unless a doctor recommends otherwise.

Answer 4

I think at the age of 60-70 they should have to take the drivers course over if the don't pass then yes they should have them taken away but not just because there old. I think we would have less accidents with older people if they were made to take the driving part of it and then maybe like every 3-5 years have to repeat the drivers course.

Answer 5

I am a full believer in having any senior citizen do an annual road test. Not all seniors are bad drivers. My grandfather, before he passed away, was a very good driver, but I have been witness to several elderly on the road that shouldn't be. One great example happened to me when I was simply walking through the parking lot. I stopped because I thought a car was going to pull out, but then the elderly lady driving stopped and flagged me to go on. I was behind her car walking, she turned around, looked right at me and back into me. Not my car, but physically backed into ME!!! Then she pulled forward and smacked into the cement pole around the parking lot light!!! It was daytime and full sun, so I know that it being dark was not a factor. It can't be determined by a person's age whether or not to let them retain their license, but based on their skill and comprehension. I would love to see a road test every few years for younger and middle aged people (perhaps every few years when they have to renew their license) opposed to just a written test and an actual road test annually for anyone that is over 65. There really are more good drivers than there are bad, but the bad ones are so bad, that is all we notice.

Answer 6

When I was a teenager, I told my mother that the old woman down the street was dangerous and should have her license taken away. Mom asked, "Then how would she get into town to buy food and see the doctor?" A valid point..

A few weeks that old woman drove into cross traffic and was killed by an 18 wheeler.

We, meaning any of us, should loose our license when we can no longer demonstrate the ability to drive safely. Be that due to age, handicap, addiction or stupidity. ;-)

Answer 7

There is NOT a "magic number" where people suddenly become unable to drive. There are plenty of very elderly people who have all of their faculties and are just as healthy as the rest of us. HOWEVER, I think that after the age of 60, the DMV should require more frequent testing, and even doctor's notes and stuff. Peoples' reaction times slow down as they get older, that is proven... and it causes accidents. Not good. My grandmother? Had full-blown Altzheimer's and a valid driver's license. She drove all over the place, would get disoriented, lost, confused, etc. Scary as hell. That should NEVER be allowed to happen. There was also an elderly gentleman here in California who plowed through THREE BLOCKS of a busy Farmer's Market, killing several people and injuring dozens more. Once again, should NEVER be allowed to happen.

Answer 8

No. Age based restrictions are meaningless. Some people are not fit to drive at any age, while others can continue to drive safely well into their 80s or later.

Periodic on-the-road testing should be mandatory for license renewal at ALL ages. Every 5 years. Period!

Answer 9

No, not true, I know of people in their 80's that are very good drivers and others who are quiet a bit younger but are so bad that they should have their license revoked immediately. I think that after a person reaches 70 and older should be tested at certain intervals and in some states they are required to pass a road test, written test or both.

Answer 10

I think they should at some point. There have been many accidents here where I live involving elderly people putting their car into the wrong gear and running into buildings, cars, people, etc.

I had a regular customer at my job who was 89 and she still drove. Her hands shook badly and you had to repeat everything said to her. I always thought to myself that I wouldn't want to be behind her in a car.

I was hit by a 83 year old man once in a parking lot. He was cutting across the parking lines as I was coming down the lane. He argued with the cop saying I was speeding (I wasn't) but the cop could tell from how/where he hit me that he just didn't stop before cutting into my lane.

As far as what age...I don't know. Maybe around 80?

Answer 11

Instead of taking old people's licenses, everyone should have to take an annual driving test.

Yeah, it'd be a pain in the ***, and an unpopular decision, but some people have no business driving. And age isn't always the determining factor.