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The driver test. Those of us who have a license, had to take it. We had to pass that test to get that piece of plastic that echoed freedom in our minds!
My question is....... what about these sweet older folk of our community? Bless their souls... most of them, in my experience are a hazard to the road. I've been in quite a few situations where I've brushed death, then speeding past the giant boatsized buick, I raise my fist in anger, when I realize the person driving is a 5'1 old lady who can hardly see the road, I calm down, feeling bad.
Should our senior citizens lose their license at a certain age? Do you think it would be fair to have to take another driving test once to hit, lets say 80? And pass, in order to keep your license?
Personally I think it is the responsibility of every driver to be as good as they can.
Here in the UK your driving licence entitlement will expire when you reach the age of 70 and you have to reapply. The new licence needs to be renewed every three years.
Personally I think it is the responsibility of every driver to be as good as they can.
Here in the UK your driving licence entitlement will expire when you reach the age of 70 and you have to reapply. The new licence needs to be renewed every three years.
Hmm, thats interesting. So, do they actually have to take the driving portion again?
Ah driving .....a dying sport (considering exploding gas prices). Well, my experiences trump all training and age group related worthiness. Nearing 60 I'm at the top of the driving world. I'm not taking up for an 80+ yr old that can barely see over the steering wheel. Nor will I suffer at the inabilities of the young. I started very young and have done it all. I still believe seeing the young drivers in school still...driving isn't for teenagers. Not that some can't handle it well. But, with all going on in that age group driving is just an added responsibility. I would make 18 the minimum driving age. I think there has never been a sufficiently rigid and real driving test. Driver licenses are simply too easy to obtain. There are plenty of drivers (loose interpretation) out there who should be tested regularly. Many more licenses should be taken away.
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My question is....... what about these sweet older folk of our community? Bless their souls... most of them, in my experience are a hazard to the road. I've been in quite a few situations where I've brushed death, then speeding past the giant boatsized buick, I raise my fist in anger, when I realize the person driving is a 5'1 old lady who can hardly see the road, I calm down, feeling bad.
Perhaps some driving education classes or anger management classes would help you.
My aunt was a little old sweet woman with failing eye sight. She passed the drivers test and still has her license... Now we took her keys and her car.... but old folk aint out the race yet...
I definintely don't think that a driver should automatically lose his/her license at a certain age. I know a lot of elderly people. Some of them are still excellent drivers. Some are terrible drivers. I DO think that after a certain age - say, 65 or 70 - drivers should be required to take a road test yearly in order to keep their licenses. Unfortunately, stuff like this usually comes down to money. States probably can't afford the staff to test so many people.
My 86-year-old aunt was a rotten driver when she was 40. Imagine how bad she is now, since she has macular degenation and very slow reflexes! On Thursday of last week, her ophthalmologist asked her how she got to her appointment. When she told him she drove there, he said, "I don't want you to ever drive again. You have no peripheral vision and could easily hit a pedestrian crossing the street, or drive up on a sidewalk . . .." Thank God, my aunt agreed with the doctor. She did drive herself home that day, but has promised to never drive again. She is taking the news surprisingly well. I'm now looking for a buyer for her car.
What scares the heck out of me is that just a year and a half ago the state renewed her license, with no road test required.
Something more definitely needs to be done to keep inept drivers off the road.
Who is the worse driver, the 80 year olds or the 16~25 year olds who seem to be involved in more accidents or cause more accidents?
Age is not a factor, only a competent qualified driver both mentally and physically should be on the road.
You're right, of course, Aks. As a paralegal who has investigated thousands of accidents over the years, I have see it all as far as car crashes go. The very young and the very old seem to be fairly equal as to who causes the most accidents. However, the youngest drivers often have worse crashes, with more severe injuries, because higher speeds are involved.
One of the big problems with teen drivers is that when you get more than one teen in a car, the driver's distractions are multiplied exponentially. Indiana now has a law (though I don't know the details of it since it doesn't directly affect me) which does not allow a new teen driver to have other underage passengers with him/her until X number of months after the new driver gets his/her license. I think this is a great idea. It gives the new driver an opportunity to get some experience under his/her belt before taking on the distractions of having teen passengers.
Personally I think it is the responsibility of every driver to be as good as they can.
Here in the UK your driving licence entitlement will expire when you reach the age of 70 and you have to reapply. The new licence needs to be renewed every three years.
I wish they did that here. And every single year after age 80.
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On Thursday of last week, her ophthalmologist asked her how she got to her appointment. When she told him she drove there, he said, "I don't want you to ever drive again. You have no peripheral vision and could easily hit a pedestrian crossing the street, or drive up on a sidewalk . . .." Thank God, my aunt agreed with the doctor. She did drive herself home that day, but has promised to never drive again. She is taking the news surprisingly well. I'm now looking for a buyer for her car.
