Road testing for elderly drivers

[Pea-n-Me]

MA is considering this in light of several recent serious accidents involving elderly drivers.

What do you think?

Older drivers bridle at blanket criticism

 

[Hercules10]

I'd prefer they allow Doctors, Insurance agents (who see accident patterns) and Law Enforcements Officials determine who needs extra scrutiny. The same pattern of bad driving could be seen in teen drivers too.

 

[mjkacmom]

We have a lot of seniors here, and some of them are scary! When you no longer feel comfortable going over 15 MPH, or need to come to a complete stop at each turn, it's time to hand over the license. We do have a lot of senior busses here, that will pick seniors at home, and take them places.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I'm all for it. I know my grandpa drove well after he shouldn't have and there was nothing we could do about it. My great uncle who just celebrated his 95th birthday is in the same situation. He is sharp as a tack, but his reflexes stink and there is no way he should be on the road. His kids have tried taking away the keys, but there's erally not much they can do. I actually wouldn't mind if drivers had to retake the test every 10 years, if nothing else to brush up on their skills and refamiliarize themselves with the regulations. It would also help weed out those people who should not be driving.

 

[JESW]

I can stereotype and say that the worst drivers "I" have seen lately are teenage/young adult females - should we make them take more tests too?? (and that includes the young "lady" who gave me the one finger salute as she passed me the other day - in a no-passing zone I might add)

Jill

 

[kelleigh1]

I honestly think that everyone should be re-tested at regular intervals. Any number of things could happen in your lifetime which could impair your driving skills.

My sister had brain surgery when she was 18 (the first of several) and has almost no feeling in the bottom of her feet now. She's never had to re-take a driving test. Thankfully, she's never been in an accident either, but something like that could really affect your ability to drive. So why not get tested again?

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Actually, the teen drivers had to take a test to get their license to begin with. Many states also have the graduated licensing system and require driver's education, so that group is already being targeted. Nothing the states do will catch every bad driver, but hopefully they it will help get some people off the road who shouldn't be.

 

[EthansMom]

There needs to be some system requiring more scrutiny for at-risk drivers. DH's uncle had cataracts and was legally blind but would still drive. Certainly, a system that either required his Dr. to report his status change to the DMV or that automatically required annual or bi-annual testing for the elderly would have helped keep him off the road. (And he had reliable drivers available to drive him too.)

 

[DawnCt1]

I'd prefer they allow Doctors, Insurance agents (who see accident patterns) and Law Enforcements Officials determine who needs extra scrutiny. The same pattern of bad driving could be seen in teen drivers too.

Sometimes a tragedy happens before the bad driving or limited abilities come to the attention of others. While the same pattern may be seen with some teen drivers, teen drivers eventually improve. The impaired elderly driver only gets worse. Note the jump on the last two measurements, from 6.3 to 14.5. How does it compare to actual miles driven? I would guess that the teens are driving more miles in their 7.5 group than the elderly in the 6.3 group. Some elderly keep their licenses for identification. If that is the case, have it noted on the license, for ID purposes ONLY. If an elderly person needs assisted living, maybe that should trigger a driver's ability test. The latest tragedy I heard about was the 4 year old girl killed in a cross walk by an 89 year old woman. She is being charge with manslaughter. I heard one elderly caller call into a local radio program last week and talk about the difficulty in coordinating 'driving with both feet". One for the brake and the other for the gas. He described having to slam on your brake and having your right foot go down on the gas peddle at the same time. If the elderly are sure they will ace the test. More power to them. Let them ace it and I will be happy to be proven wrong. (and I am no fan of teen drivers.)

 

[Feralpeg]

I do think there is an age at which older drivers should be road tested. Oddly, in Florida, one would assume that more accidents would involve older drivers since we have such a large population of retired individuals. That is not the case. More accidents involve the 18 to 35 year old age group. They drive too fast and too reckless.

 

[penguin087]

I think its time to do something. There are some scary seniors on the road. My exes grandmother used to actually take her hands off the wheel and use them to help lift her leg over to the brake pedal. Im not kidding.
The family finally had to disable her car. She would not have cared if they took her license away. She would have driven anyway.

I don't see the harm in having to retest every few years after a certain age. Of course we would need programs to make sure they had ample access to other forms of transportation too.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I know someone whose husband was killed in a similar accident not very long ago, so my gut reaction is kind of biased toward the testing - at least vision, if nothing else.

But I think we'd all have to step up and offer rides to people. Not everyone has family close by, and I can understand that anyone would be scared to be without that freedom.

 

[JR6ooo4]

In my 30 years working on roadways... some old folks can not see a 200 pound man standing in front of their car until they are within 50 feet or so. not good at any speed (except stopped).

we had to take the keys from my 92YO great aunt. she refused to wear her glasses. Her reactions were fine but she would not wear her glasses. it was very hard and I was not even the one who did it.

I think government testing will only remove about 30-50% of what is really needed.

Mikeeee

 

[Cool-Beans]

Not that it matters, but I wouldn't support it.

I DO think they should do a better job with the vision tests, though. They do them, but they don't do them well.

Of course, anything the government does is not done well, but spreads like cancer and costs people a lot of money...which is why I don't support this. First it'll be the old people, then it'll be everyone and it'll turn into a headache for all and cost us money. And the bad drivers will STILL be on the road.

 

[luvmy3]

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

 

[SundancePass]

In our family, my brother took the car keys from my 83YOMom when we moved her. He told her that the Senior apartment bus would take her anywhere she wanted to go and that he was selling her Lincoln and putting the $$$ in her account. So didn't mind as she still had "wheels" - the bus. And she kept her license for ID.

Sometimes "old people" are relieved to not have the responsibility of a car and driving. For others it represents their entire independence. It's a tough thing for a family to take the keys permanently.

And yes, I believe everyone should be tested for everything every 10 years when they renew a Dirver's License.

BTW, in MN one can get an Identification Card. No driving of course.

 

[ead79]

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. I have seen so many elderly drivers nearly cause accidents simply because they cannot properly handle a car anymore. I don't see how a re-test is unfair since anyone who is elderly but can still drive well would pass. That being said, I think they need to test people for real-world driving conditions, not whether or not a person can parallel park.

 

[ajk912]

I absolutely think the elderly should be retested every 5 years. If they want to cry discrimination, fine, then retest everyone. It would be a PITA, but those who have nothing to hide, hide nothing. I have nothing to hide, I know I can pass the test.

 

[MoniqueU]

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. I was blowing through stop signs and lights but could pass the vision test at the drs. My grandparents and my dh's grandparents and my MIL on the road are much scarieer then I was. And here they do have stricter standards on teen drivers as they should. But my teen driver is still a better driver then my MIL!! I don't have to pray when I get in the car with him.

ETA it was hoth a relief and a loss of independence to lose my license at age 30 but it is far better to deal with that then the russian roulette of something happening to me or others.

 

[freckles and boo]

I guess we need to define elderly. Here in Illinois anyone renewing their license over the age of 74 has to take the behind the wheel exam at renewal. Here are the rules for my state.

Illinois drivers can renew their licenses for 4 years between ages 69 and 80; up to the age of 86, they can renew for 2 years; after 87 years the license needs to be renewed annually. Illinois drivers who are under 74 years can opt for the Safe Driver Renewal. Drivers who are 74 years of age or older at the time their current driver license expires are generally required to renew their license in person at a local VSD office. All drivers have to take a vision test (see below). All drivers will be asked to take a written knowledge test every 8 years, unless they have no traffic violations. If your driving records indicate an accident, then you will need to pass a written and/or driving test. Drivers over 75 years have to take a road test at the time of renewal. In preparation for this, you can review the Illinois Drivers Handbook, popularly known as Illinois Rules of the Road and take practice tests before going for your license renewal. The Super Seniors Program also helps to improve driving skills of seniors. Senior drivers who are deaf and hard of hearing can call (888) 261-5280 for queries

My concern is that some folks decline quickly. My grandfather's keys were recently repossessed. He is 84, but the state only requires a behind-the-wheel test every two years for him. What about those people who don't have loved ones to step in and convince them it is time to stop driving?