Do you think that the elderly should have to take drivers tests regularly beyond a certain age?

Question

I'm thinking past the age of 65ish they should have to take road tests every other year in order to have their license renewed. About a month ago I was hit by an elderly man who admitted never even looking before he pulled out. The guy was at least 85 and clearly shouldn't have been driving. I just got my car out of the shop Thursday & came within inches of getting hit by another elderly driver only 5 minutes ago on my way back from lunch. I have a set of grandparents who I refuse to ride with because its life-endangering! An elderly couple from my church has been in the hospital for 2 months now because the man pulled out into traffic and nearly killed them. I really think its time for our government to step in and take measures to prevent these kinds of things! My feelings are if a person is capable of driving, they can pass the test and move on, but at some point I do think the license should be yanked for the protection of that person & the drivers around them. Your thoughts?

very good point sylvia, I live in a somewhat rural area and it would make life nearly impossible for some of the elderly folks, but I still didn't enjoy having the back end taken off my car....so I suppose that both need to be improved upon drastically!

Answer 1

At the very least an eye exam. My own father has been diagnosed with monacular degeneration. (in otherwords he is going blind) He can still see, but not very well at all. His doctor told him no more night driving. He doesn't but I've noticed that his daytime driving skills are really really bad. He definately cannot see. He won't listen to me however and he continues to drive. I worry not only for him but for others on the road...he absolutely should not be driving. My brother in Florida who is a cop there (and where there is a high population of elderly drivers) said it's a big BIG problem on the roads there. More than anything else. I'm all for anyone driving as long as they can - but NEVER at the risk of others on the road. It's just a life fact that nearly ALL of us start to lose our vision and even how fast we may react to something (not to mention our hearing) as we get older. I'm sorry, but if they are insulted that's a shame as they shouldn't be (since we will all eventually be in the same boat), but they they should be thinking of others first and go ahead and be tested. If all is good with their over-all health/hearing/vision - then no problem. But yes, they should be tested. At the very least as I said with vision. If you can't even SEE then the rest doesn't much matter anyway huh?

Answer 2

OMG! This is one of my pet peeves! Absolutely yes, the elderly should be tested before they are allowed to renew their driver's licenses. It should be an actual hands-on driving test. Personally, I think age 65 is an appropriate age to begin testing and then every 3 years thereafter. There was a time when I actually had to take the car keys away from my elderly mother so I do have an idea what this means to the elderly driver and their family. It does create a huge mobility problem with hair appointments, Doctor appointments, and other necessary errands. It is certainly better than living with the knowledge that you elderly parent killed someone with their car. There are only a very few states that require mandatory testing. Most do not. I researched this topic for a college speech course and the statistics are absolutely shocking...and terrifying. I sincerely hope someone will take my keys away from me when its time for me to stop driving.

Answer 3

My mother is almost 80 and let me tell you---she scares the hell out of me when behind the wheel of a car----I was recently very ill and my family called her and she came to "take care of me".... well, the first time she drove my car to a doctor appointment I thought I was going to die right there and then---NOT from my illness , but because she was only driving 20MPH, went through 3 YIELD signs and 2 RED LIGHTS----slammed on my car's brakes in the middle of an intersection with NO OTHER CARS in sight, AND, never signaled her intentions ONE TIME the entire trip....unfortunately she was here for 3 entire WEEKS and I was scared every single time she drove---and because I was SO sick, I couldn't drive----I truly thought I was going to die in a car accident... so YES, I totally agree that elderly should be tested at LEAST every 2 years after age 65... I'd go MYSELF if I had to be tested---if I can't tell that I have turned into dangerous driver, then I want some test to prove I either AM or am NOT..... I'm 56 right now and recently retired and I TRY not to have to go too many places between the hours of 9AM and 3PM---the hours when all the elderly are out making the roads VERY UNSAFE....you wouldn't BELIEVE some of the things I have watched them do ....VERY SCARY!!!

Answer 4

I absolutely agree 100%. It is a fact that as one ages, their reflexes become slow. The elerly woman or man who can barely walk will hardly have the reflexes needed to hit the break quickly if a child darts out into the road in front of them. \
After my grandfather got to a ertain age I never liked driving with him. Truth is, he couldn't see well and it was dangerous. He would swerve into another lane and cut people off because he didn't see them....


....not picking on the elderly I just think that it is a priveledge to drive, not a right. Yes, after the age of 65 a personshould take an exam every other year to make sure that they are still able to drive defiensively and safely...and not endanger the lives of others.

Answer 5

I think that not only should we have to take a test again but we should have an unbiased statement from our doctor. I was narrowly missed once by an elderly man having a seizure; he was allowed back on the road and killed someone in Sheboygan while having another seizure. It seems that a lot of accidents involving the elderly involved physical conditions and meds.
I gave up driving some months back when my cataract started thickening. At 53, I think it's better to walk or take the bus.

Answer 6

I completely agree with you. I live in SE Florida and there are lots of elderly people down and they really don't know how to drive. I'm just waiting for the day when I get hit by one of them. I don't care if I'm not allowed to drive when I get old, I don't even like to drive now.

Answer 7

I don't know if 65 yrs of age is old enough but I do think doctors should be required to notify dmv when they recognize problems.
My ex's father was about 75 yrs old and picked him up at the station and he said there was different colors of paint on either side of the old guys car. Scary.

Answer 8

I don't disagree with you - in fact, I've been saying it for years. But the truth of the matter is that public transportation has to be improved (read: made more readily available nationwide!) before you can start really taking independence away from people.

Answer 9

i totally agree. some of these folks are just as dangerous as someone under the influence of drugs or whatever. they should have tests every 6 months to a year....

Answer 10

I 100% agree! I've been saying this for a long time!
Poor old people, i'd hate to take away one of their last forms of independece, but they are gonna kill someone/themselves