Road testing for elderly drivers

[Nie0214]

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?

Where I live, it doesn't happen too much, maybe we are just used to a slower life here. When I visit MA or RI though, wow! I can't believe how much a rush these people are in! Dinner / movie / mall / home / whatever is NOT going anywhere! Slow down.

 

[agnes!]

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?

I agree with everything you posted, especially the bolded parts.

Regarding being in such a hurry... I still remember the driver who blew through a red-light near me only to pull into the grocery store that was only about 100 yards beyond the light. What, the groceries were SO important that this driver just HAD to endanger everybody on the road?!?

I think it should be mandatory for every driver who gets a moving violation to re-take the teat, no matter the age. That would make it fair & we won't hear the cries of "age-ism".

And I think this situation is a matter of public safety, not anything else.

agnes!

 

[Beca]

Yes, I think there should be mandatory testing for elderly drivers. My mom will be the first to admit that she cannot see at night, but yet she still drives!!

I remember 20/20 did a show several years ago where they showed the field of vision in a 30 year-old, and the average field of vision of an 80 year-old. The difference was AMAZING!!

 

[yoopermom]

This issue caused a big hullabaloo at Xmas for my family since my 99 year old grandma (still lives alone, almost completely independent, very healthy) is still driving in her small town to the hairdresser, library, church, etc. She "only makes right turns" because she knows her reflexes aren't good enough to make a left turn across traffic. (Yes, it's that small of a town that she can make a "square" to the right and still get all her errands done!) The issue is that the family member who lives very close refuses to run grandma on her errands, and the rest of us are to far away to do so, and there is no local taxi/senior bus service. So, we'll see...

Last time she went in for license renewal, all she had to pass was an eye exam. She's very vain and was mad that she had to wear her glasses in public for the test!

Terri

 

[scrapquilter]

I think that everyone should be re-tested periodically. But that will never happen because it will cost the DMV too much $$$.

AARP will never allow the goverment to put thru a requirement for re-testing of the elderly.

 

[SandrA9810]

My g'father was only in his 50's when he mistaked the gas pedal for the brakes and drove straight through our picket fence.

Things like that happen a lot, but it usually only happens once per person. And well a driving test isn't going to predict that or stop it from happening.
My g'mother was extremly angry at my aunt for selling her car. Since that was the only way to stop her from driving. My g'mother had bad vision and poor reaction time. I tried to do most the driving for her when I could (I love driving).
My mom has also lost her DL. She let hers expire after losing her car, and my sister took her to get a new one, mostly for ID purposes. Well she failed the eye test and could only get a state ID. She complains here and there for not having one, but she also won't be affording a car any time soon.

I'll definatly be like my g'father, drive until the very end. I just hope I don't die in my 60's like he did.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I think that everyone should be re-tested periodically. But that will never happen because it will cost the DMV too much $$$.

AARP will never allow the goverment to put thru a requirement for re-testing of the elderly.

Then I guess they should retest everybody periodically, as already suggested/concurred by ols386 and Jennasis. Seriously.

 

[RC Fan]

I would love to see them test not only vision, but also reflexes, coordination and reaction time. Driving is a privilege, not a right.

 

[Diva of Dragons]

I absolutely think they need to be tested. I survived a crash, 5 weeks after high school graduation, that changed my life forever. College put off for 2 years, major injuries, 27 years later still have a lost chunk of time from amnesia, etc....

All of this could have been avoided if the woman who hit me had not been on the road. She wasn't super old, but she did have Alzheimer's and had lost her job, a couple of months earlier, due to her condition. There is no way her Dr.s and employer should not have made sure she wasn't on the road by reporting her to the DMV, or something.

My Mom has eye problems and they are tough on her! Eye test every year, driving test, every 2.

Of course there are some good things that came out the college delay, like meeting my DH! But, that's beside the point.

 

[C.Ann]

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.

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.

------------------------

I agree!

 

[snowiit]

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

Here in IL they do testing both written and driving after a certain age. My mother just turned 81 and took both this last week. (She's a go getter and a very young 81). She will now have to take both tests every two years. I think it's a good idea.

 

[tigercat]

My dm had a drivers licence but didn't drive. I think she finally let it lapse a year or 2 ago. She hadn't driven in almost 30 yrs. My df finally had his taken away after they found a brain tumor that also caused him to be almost blind. One day when driving one of my dsis to the airport he didn't see that someone had their door open and took it off. He convinced the police that it was the other persons fault. My dsis was horrified.
tigercat

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

What I found most interesting is that the people interviewed in the article (all of whom were elderly) said they had zero problem with the testing as they believed they would pass it and it would get those off the roads who couldn't and were giving elderly drivers a bad name.

The biggest issue is that most cities just do not have any kind of dependable public transportation here in America. I know in the town where I go to school, there is one stinking cab for the whole town. I had to use it when I had knee surgery. It was a horrible way to get from point A to point B. There is no bus system or any other kind of public transportation around here except maybe Oats. That's true of many small to moderate sized towns and cities. We needto start getting better public transportation so those who shouldn't or can't drive can still get around and won't be tempted to get behind the wheel.

 

[bumbershoot]

I didn't read the article but I think I get the idea.

And....in WA they want to re-check older drivers. However, that's age discrimination.

Therefore, they randomly check anyone they want to.

Hubby went to get his *every 5 years* renewal about a week before it expired (they expire on your b'day), and found out that he had been randomly selected to retake the driving and written test! Fabulous!

He took the booklet home, studied for 2 days, went back, passed the written. Then found out that the local DMVs had NO availability for the driving test for over a month...we got to drive over an hour to one with ONE appointment, and he got to take the driving test on his birthday!

He did pass, but it was a huge pain. And it continues, b/c now he knows the laws like a new driver does, and shares it all with me whenever he can.


Anyway, be careful what we wish for, b/c it might just result in "you", randomly selected to take it all again.

My license renews late next year, and I'm fully expecting to be randomly selected.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I wouldn't have a problem retaking it. I think it might be kind of fun, but I'm weird like that. It's easy to get complacent and forget all those little things that you learned when you first took the test. I think it would be interesting and probably very beneficial.

 

[teskak]

In Australia there are a set of simple rules - at age 75, 78, 80 and every year after that the driver's doctor must complete a declaration affirming the individual is OK to drive (so if there is a problem the dr will usually have heard about it from the driver's children)

At age 85 and every year after that the driver must also pass a driving test.

At all times the licence renewal takes into account accidents / warnings / tickets from the past year

 

[Lionqueen2]

In Australia there are a set of simple rules - at age 75, 78, 80 and every year after that the driver's doctor must complete a declaration affirming the individual is OK to drive (so if there is a problem the dr will usually have heard about it from the driver's children)

At age 85 and every year after that the driver must also pass a driving test.

At all times the licence renewal takes into account accidents / warnings / tickets from the past year

I agree that in everyone's life there is a time to stop driving and that a doctor caring for an older person would be in the best position to judge that. I think all people need to be treated with respect. It is hard to judge at what age a person can't drive. I think it is more individual than an arbitrary number. I've known folks in their
80s that are very physically fit and folks in their 40s who can barely move, let alone react quickly in a dangerous situation.

 

[mikehn]

Elderly dont need a driving test. They just need to be banned from the far left lane. It is a very simple solution.

 

[Diva of Dragons]

Elderly dont need a driving test. They just need to be banned from the far left lane. It is a very simple solution.

I was hit in an intersection, not the highway, so that wouldn't work.

 

[Tantor]

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.

my mom was one of those. She was never a good driver.......