Road testing for elderly drivers

[floridalaurie]

I'm all for testing the elderly. 4 years ago, my grandmother (91yo)pulled out of her favorite diner after breakfast with her friends and right into the path of an oncoming car. Luckily, the other driver (18yo young man) wasn't injured but my grandmother died of her injuries. She wouldn't give up her car keys but would have had too if she was re-tested. She really didn't belong on the roads. My father is 80 and we are trying to determine if he can drive safely anymore. I really don't think he would pass a road test.

 

[Kimberly]

Yes I do think elderly drivers should be tested after a certain age. Its not about stereotyping, its just that things happen when a person ages and can be dangerous behind the wheel. Loss of vision, confusion (we recently had an elderly person plow into a building because they were confused about the brake and gas pedal) slower reflex and reaction time comes to mind. I know some elderly people who took themselves off the road because they knew they were different behind the wheel than when they were younger. What scares me are the elderly people who think the are the same kind of driver they were decades ago

Agreed 110% here.

 

[Lionqueen2]

I would like to see this go much further and see ALL dangerous drivers removed from the road permanently. Drunken drivers and speeders pose a greater threat to safety than any one age group.
I do believe that AARP offers regular driving courses for seniors over 50 that are either free or low cost to sharpen their skills. I think every senior should take advantage of this and similar courses should be offered for those in other age groups. While teens may not be experienced as they begin to drive, many in their 30s and 40s also become very lax and careless and overestimate their capabilities on the road.
Road rage is also another issue that needs to be addressed. It leads to major accidents and unfortunately, serious injuries and fatalities. I also think that anyone engaged in road rage should be removed from the road until they have training to control their rage and relearn good, considerate driving habits.
Perhaps if all of us were kinder on the road instead of expecting everyone to be out of their way, the roads would be more pleasant and safer.

 

[GoldieSaysMeep]

I am an auto insurance claims adjuster and let me tell you, the vast majority of crashes I see are caused by elderly people over 70. YES. They need to be tested. Their vision and hearing is often not what it used to be. Half the time, I get people on the phone who can't even hear me or understand simple directions. It's scary. We took the keys away from my late grandma when we knew it was time, but obviously many seniors don't have family who is willing or able to do this. It's not just for our safety, it's for theirs as well.

 

[LoraJ]

I think everyone should be re-tested. The worst drivers around here are males driving BMW's.


No one around here knows basic driving laws. I asked on a local community board if anyone in the area knew who had the right of way when two cars approach a stop sign at the same time. One person replied and they had to look it up.

 

[olena]

Doesn't bother me. If they can still drive well, let them prove it. Using an arbitrary fixed age won't work, because people decline differently.

 

[Sleepy]

I do believe there comes a time when older folks need to step away from the wheel. When reflexes are no longer what they used to be and their ability to control the car properly has declined, it is time to stop. On average, I find age 70 to be about it.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I do think that elderly drivers should be re-tested. When many of these drivers got their licenses, there were no freeways and 45 was a common maximum speed to drive.

Except that most such accidents happen on local roads - or at stores, restaurants, stripmalls, etc.

A week before the fatality, a 93 year old somehow drove between the concrete posts at a local Walmart and into the store - injuring six people, including a toddler thrown out of her stroller (or the cart, I'm not sure where she was sitting).

Honestly, I wouldn't mind if everyone in this danged state needed to be retested periodically. Watching some of the really idiotic things Massachusetts drivers do...

 

[RadioNate]

I totally am for testing. Just like I am for testing of teen drivers.

There was a study by AAA a few years ago that showed if you remove the 16-18 year olds from the statistics the elderly crowd had the most accidents.

I also think we should take stronger provisions for our teen drivers. I do agree they are reckless.

However, I also know that my grandfather, who had Parkinson's was given a valid FL drivers license via mail when he couldn't even feed himself. The man was nearly bedridden and certainly couldn't walk w/out assistance yet it was legal for him to drive.

 

[ols386]

If the elderly are required to take a road test, then all drivers should be required to do so. I've seen so many really bad drivers, of ALL ages, I don't see how anyone can say that elderly drivers are worse than any other drivers, for the most part.

Of course, they wouldn't require ALL drivers to take a road test, that would be too costly and time consuming.

 

[mjkacmom]

If the elderly are required to take a road test, then all drivers should be required to do so. I've seen so many really bad drivers, of ALL ages, I don't see how anyone can say that elderly drivers are worse than any other drivers, for the most part.

Of course, they wouldn't require ALL drivers to take a road test, that would be too costly and time consuming.

I see a big difference. The older you get, the worse your reaction time gets, the worse your vision gets, etc. It's a fact of life. I wish they had to take a test - I'm dreading taking dad's keys away when the time comes.

 

[Jennasis]

How about mandatory retesting for everyone every 10 years or so?

 

[ead79]

I see a big difference. The older you get, the worse your reaction time gets, the worse your vision gets, etc. It's a fact of life. I wish they had to take a test - I'm dreading taking dad's keys away when the time comes.

Me too. While there are absolutely some people of all ages that drive recklessly and endanger others (and I live in Atlanta, so I've seen some doozies of bad drivers in our crazy traffic), many elderly drivers simply refuse to quit driving. Some refuse to quit even when their vision is terrible, they can't hear anymore, etc. My husband's great-grandfather refused to drive above 40 mph on the freeway (which he had no business being on in the first place). He would also drive slightly off the side of the road all the time. Mandatory testing could have helped with this problem (and yes, his family did try to take the keys away).

 

[Golf4food]

If teens have to take a test then why not the elderly - if those are the two groups that cause the most accidents?

I've seen an old woman flat out run a stop sign at full speed and plow into the side of a giant red wrecker (the kind that can pull a semi-truck) and total both vehicles (nobody was hurt) - she said she never saw him or the stop sign - over 80 years old and just kept renewing her license by mail each time (in south Florida, btw).

After a certain point nobody should be allowed to just renew their license without some form of testing to make sure they are still capable of handling a vehicle safely in traffic. At least every 5 years or something.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

4 years ago, my grandmother (91yo)pulled out of her favorite diner after breakfast with her friends and right into the path of an oncoming car. Luckily, the other driver (18yo young man) wasn't injured but my grandmother died of her injuries.

OMG, I'm sorry about your grandmother.

 

[Nie0214]

As someone with fine perfect straight on vision but compromised peripherial vision who was cruising around with my 3 kids and friends and neighbors kids legally blind I am all for more testing. I could of gotten any of us killed at any time and not have had a clue as to why.

This is exactly why I think people should be retested as they age. There are people that should not be driving at night because they are nearly blind, but they still have their license and are not mature enough to police themselves. My mother has an eye disease (RP) that makes driving at night extremely dangerous. She doesn't do it anymore, but I don't know if I trust everyone to be able to self-police and make the right choice over having their "independence" to drive whenever!

People can say teens are the worst drivers, elderly, etc. I have come across many moms in minivans swerving all along the highway trying to reach something at the bottom of the passenger side. Does this mean I think all moms / minivans = bad drivers? No. I think everyone should be required to take some sort of online reminder course prior to renewing their license.

 

[luvmy3]

If the elderly are required to take a road test, then all drivers should be required to do so. I've seen so many really bad drivers, of ALL ages, I don't see how anyone can say that elderly drivers are worse than any other drivers, for the most part.

Of course, they wouldn't require ALL drivers to take a road test, that would be too costly and time consuming.

I think if you take a look at accident statistics you will find that elderly drivers are second to teen drivers when it comes to accidents. Teen drivers are already tested, nothing wrong with the second highest risk group be re-tested.
Its not about just being a bad driver, there are plenty of bad drivers in every age group, its about being in a higher risk group.

 

[ols386]

How about mandatory retesting for everyone every 10 years or so?

That's a thought.

 

[mjantz]

I have no problem with testing eldery drivers. Unfortunately the AARP fights against it tooth & nail. Teen drivers don't have lobbyists.

For those who have said you couldn't get the keys away from an elderly loved one, don't take the keys, take the vehicle. Then it doesn't matter how many sets of keys they have.

 

[Feralpeg]

I am 57 years old. I would have no problem with testing every couple of years. I think yearly might be a bit much.

I think anyone who receives a moving violation should have to be retested or attending driving school. Will they learn anything from it? Probably not, but if it becomes a big enough pain to receive a violation, maybe people will start behaving and drive responsibly to avoid having to attend driving school.

I see such bad driving by folks of all ages. DD just got her drivers license about a month ago. She is still a very careful driver. She actually drives the speed limit. I can't tell you how many people cut her off and zip around her. People have honked at her. She is obeying the law. I was with her and I could see that she was driving the speed limit in the far right lane. Amazing. What has life become that people have to be in such a hurry?