How old is 2 old to drive?

Question

My 72 yr old grandfather keeps getting in to car accidents and he always say oh! she hit me I drive with him often he do not looks when he gets over I know he cause most of these accidents what can I do without feeling like I am taking away his freedom. The first thing he drove was a horse wagon.

Answer 1

that's a hard thing to do and answer,because if you think about it, we will be old one day also,and would we want someone taking away our right to drive,but i do think there is a way to make it a little better ,and that's to have them take a driving test every two years,that might help ,but either way ,your go about this your going to make someone mad at you,its hard to tell people they cant drive good anymore,they will tell you they was driving before you was born,and then you have an argument to deal with,i got in to it with my dad once over this,i won though,and he didn't drive ,but its a thin line between how far and how much we can say about it,good luck on it.

Answer 2

He may or may not be past it, and he may or may not have a minor medical or vision problem. Age is only part of the equation. Talk to his doctor as a first step, but be careful. Have his eyes been checked? A cataract may be interfering with his vision, or maybe he just needs new glasses. Be aware that DVL will have an accident record, and, if he is, indeed building a bad record, they will likely call for either a retest or a medical review. I am 60, have 42 years of driving, well over a million miles, and I have no fear of riding with my 80 year old father-in-law. I know of a 100 year old man that succesfully passed a full driver test. he still drove to work 3 days a week! I also know of people that are terrible drivers at a much younger age. My dad drove until he was over 80, and decided one day it was time to pack it in. My uncle was the same way, well over 80, and packed it in on his own. Are you sure he started on a horse wagon? The last horsedrawn vegetable sellers were about in the mid-50s, and nobody drove a horse cart as regular transportation then. He would have learned to drive in the early 1950s and there were cars and a well-developed road system.

Answer 3

I don't think there should be a mandatory number for calling someone too old to drive. It should be when someone is physically not safe to drive anymore. This could be due to eyesight, hearing, slow reaction time, etc. I think your grandfather could fall into this category. Remember that elderly man that had a history of accidents then ran over and killed several people in an open air market? That was terrible.

Answer 4

i work with the elderly and i see this all the time and i always say "NOT to self remember this so when it comes my time I will know ti quit"...I mean it's not easy but so many elderly refuse to admit it/...I know it takes a lot of your freedom away but better that than dead or running over a young mom with her newborn in the stroller...have a family intervention..let him know what's up and tell him you guys will all help him out...plus the local senior center sometimes has volunteer drivers or the mini vans that take them to doctors or shopping for like a buck....doctor can write a letter to the department of motor vehicles but they don't ...they get chicken because they don't want to hurt the elders feelings or get a lawsuit...so you'd have to file a report with the DMV yourself and it isn't anonymous because they have a hearing on it...but I don't agree about having a law set at 60...you can be an old fart at 65 and a very youthful 75 year old...as long as you still have a good reflex and good sight then continue to drive...good luck

Answer 5

Age is not the issue, eyesight and reflex are the issue, and yes they do get worse with age.

However some Young people as low as in their 40's have bad reflexes and eyesight and should not be driving either.
Whereas some 80 year olds do fine behind the wheel.

I ride motorcycles with some people in their 60's and 70's and they have as good a set of reflexes as I do. Their eyesight may be better, but mine is still good.

Still even my dad in his 80's will no longer drive more then 5 miles from home because his reflexes are slowing down. Whereas my father-in-law should have given up his driving 10 years ago.

Answer 6

While aging is a factor in eventually rendering a person incapable of safely operating a motor vehicle every person ages differently. Some may reach that point in their 50s while others may still be safe into their 90s. My Dad was fine up until his death at age 84 -- his only accident in 50 years was backing into a pole at age 82 but that pole is backed into about 5 times a day by drivers of all ages.

If you have knowledge of a person who is unable to safely operate a motor vehicle you have a civic duty to the public at large as well as to the individual themselves to report that individual to the authorities. It may be something that can be corrected or it may be time for them to hang up their license and the licensing and medical authorities can help in making that decision.

It's tough seeing some who you remember as strong, robust and full of life deteriorate with age but it's even worse to lose them to an avoidable accident or worse, see then harm an innocent third party due to their incapacity. They don't need to know that you are the reason that they've been taken off the road, but you can also use this as an opportunity to reconnect with family and share time together.

I don't believe that mandatory testing at a specific age is the answer. I do believe that ALL drivers should demonstrate their ability to safely operate a motor vehicle every 5 years. There are plenty of contitions that can affect a driver's ability to operate a vehicle safely with onset at an early age -- MS, ALS, diabetes, and epilepsy to name a few -- as well as the accumulation of bad driving habits that aren't linked to age but can be exposed by regular testing.

Answer 7

I worked in the Medical Review section of a licensing authority in Australia.
There is no set age, some lose it at fifty, others drive well in their eighties, but you may need to accept responsibility for taking away his freedom, if you are concerned for him or others. You could investigate whether there are cheap taxi vouchers, community buses, etc.
In our situation we would accept reports anonymously from the public if sufficient details were provided, from the police, or from the medical profession. The person would then be retested to assess their current abilities, and many licences were then amened to be conditional, eg daylight hours only, local area to shops, no major highways, no passengers, etc as required.
Check with your state's licensing authority for their policy.
You could voice your concerns with your grandfather's doctor,
or talk to the local police, or send a letter to the authority.

Answer 8

I think age does not matter in driving. My Grandfather is 72 yet he has never met in an accident touchwood. I think that is the way your grandfather drives.

Answer 9

You have a duty to your grandfather and the community to take his licence. You can report this to a local police agency or DMV, and they will suspend his licence. I think that at 60 you should have to take a mandatory retest, to make sure you have your faculties, and can still respond quick enough to avoid an accident. I would have no problem taking this myself when I hit the age. I would rather be safe, than kill someone

Answer 10

I know im wrong in saying this, but let him be, you shouldnt control your grandfathers life, and if you got his license taken away somehow it'd kill his pride.