Why do old people suck at driving ?

Answer 1

Its not really that old people suck at driving, they have much more experience then most people around 20, though in some situations they do drive too slow, if someone can't go the speed limit or at least get to 5 below it they should not be on the road, but at the same time ask why young drivers have to go so damn fast, sure 5 or so miles over the speed is ok, but not 30 miles over that's just ridiculous and those people shouldn't ever be driving, until they understand the risks of driving which people who speed on the regular road don't so don't try and say they do.
Before you criticize other peoples driving you should evaluate your own driving maybe they are driving good and in fact its your driving that sucks
Don't assume that the people that are driving fast are young. Their are also plenty of old people that also drive to fast out their on the road, and sure there are also young drivers that go the speed limit and obey the law.

and to the older adults out there that take so much pride in throwing their driving record around at younger people, im 21 i have driven legally with a license for 6 years this September no accidents, no tickets, before that i have raced karts that easily go 150 mph since I was 5 years old also no accidents since I was 8 years, before you flame a younger driver think about when you were young, you probably did the same thing kids do now, the only difference is back then people had self responsibility and didn't do stupid stuff out in the open were innocent people could get injured or killed.
Let me here you say you learned how to drive when you were 6 years old.

Answer 2

There are a few arguments involved here... First we need to define "Old" My parents are both in their 60's and excellent drivers, so by default are we referencing people who are well into their 70's & 80's?? I will concede in many instances, there are people who are probably less competent behind the wheel than we'd like to see. It's not entirely fair as we see that they are elderly and think immediately that they're blind and have alzheimers. Not true... what about the same dangerous teen driver, they become "punks" or people in their 30's- 50's who recklessly drive their vehicles with a phone super glued to their head. They don't count either???

Every age group has its own collection of bad drivers and poor drivng habits, and often the acts of one individual steotype the rest.

As a younger person (31) I know its hard to be patient sometmes, but I'd also hate to have us all complain enough to change how senior drivers are regulated and really screw ourselves when we get to the same age. God willing we'll have at least half the mental and physical faculties that these people have now.

Answer 3

Because their reaction time is slowed by either age or medication (you know old people got the good stuff)

Their vision is fading (cataracts, or just plain blind)

that and they shrink soo much the lincoln they used to drive seems oddly much larger and boat-like

I think in America drivers are getting worse and worse. Old people being part of the menace. We need more rules to regulate the way people drive such as NO MORE GODD*MN CELL PHONES HELD UP TO YOUR EAR. That is the biggest problem on the roads today. Give an old person a cell phone and watch them run down children walking on the sidewalk because they cannot see over the steering wheel to begin with.

I think that when you hit a certain age you should be required to come in and take regular road and vision tests at the DPS office. Say once or twice a year.

Answer 4

Their sight deteriorates, reaction time slows, even mental agility slows. This is why you see so many driving slowly. They are driving as fast as they can process.

Still, for every old person driving badly, there are equal numbers of others driving badly, including foreigners, teenagers, people talking on cell phones, etc.

I know for a fact that when I'm on a cell phone, I mentally check out and drive on autopilot. I've done it where I've missed the turn off or street I meant to go on. All I can do is drive straight and maintain with traffic. That's why I try to limit my cell phone use when driving.

Answer 5

Define old. Today I saw an older driver stop to avoid a car that cut her off...driven by a kid obviously in his teens. Who was the bad driver then? Younger people tend to forget that some day they too will be old...think about that for a while before you start dissing on the elderly.

Answer 6

'Suck' by who's standards? If you mean they drive the speed limit and obey traffic laws, and actually stop at stop signs and use their blinkers....But my question is this, why do so many YOUNG people suck at driving???? Give a 16 year old a license and they're suddenly expert drivers!

Answer 7

People drive in accordance with their skills, and those skills require constant honing. Age has something to do with it, as reaction time, eyesight, and physical strength wane.

Paul Newman, the actor, was active in racing cars as both driver and team owner into his seventies, and holds the record for the oldest driver to participate in the winning team in a sanctioned race, the 24 hours of Daytona, at age 70. In an interview in one of the car mags, he attributed his longevity to strength conditioning in his hands and arms -- for a 24-hour race, it makes sense.

I'd lay odds he could still beat your best lap time on a given course.

It is sad, though, to see people who were enthusiastic (and skilled) drivers lose their edge. My dad drove a Carrera Panamericana-era Lincoln, MGs, Jaguar XKEs, and a Detomaso Mangusta in his prime, and us kids (all in our 50s) had to take the keys to his beautiful '95 Van Den Plas away from him when he got into his late eighties. (I should live so long, and keep as sharp!)

I was at Pebble Beach last August for the Concours, and they were giving out the Phil Hill Trophy. Phil, former Formula 1 World Champion and winner of more top tier international races than you can count, including LeMans, couldn't make it to the award stand to hand it out.

But as evidenced by P. L. Newman (as he was listed in the programs), don't judge us solely by our age. There are plenty of younger drivers who suck big time, too.

Answer 8

The first sense to go as we grow older is night vision. After that it is reaction time and hearing. As people grow older, they compensate in their driving by slowing down and being more hesitant in their actions.

What you are looking for is called a "positive reinforcement of a negative action". Older drivers who should have quit driving are allowed to continue even though the are totally beyond being a capable driver. They cause near accidents, and force other drivers to take evasive actions. But because they haven't been hit, no one takes action to get rid of their license.

What we need is mandatory road testing for people over 65 years of age. But since they vote, and young people don't, politicians don't have the guts to take the necessary actions to get them off the road.

Answer 9

It's your perspective, sunshine. Young drivers are statistically the worst and least patient.

Answer 10

They don't. Its the people driving huge suvs while talking on cell phones that are bad drivers.