My grandmother Thelma is 88 years old and I do not believe she is capable of driving any longer. She is not a highly functioning 88 either, as she has dementia (why hasn't her doctor told her to stop driving?!). Our family pleas with her to stop driving, and offers to drive her anywhere she needs to go, but she refuses to give up her independence. We ask her to only drive in the day time if she insists on driving, but she drives at night anyway. I refuse to ride in the car when she drives because I know it's not safe, but I can't do anything to help the people in other cars! She gets confused often at 4-way stops, forgets what some signals mean (like flashing red or yellow lights), and does not have a quick reaction time. I know there is no way that she would pass if she had to retake a driving test.
I understand that older people want the freedom to drive just as much as I do, and that some are quite capable. Others, like my grandmother, are not. My grandmother is a terrible driver, but as long as she is legally permitted to drive, she refuses to give up her keys.
My grandma's not alone, either. Just yesterday I was exiting the freeway on a one-way off ramp when an elderly driver got confused and attempted to enter the freeway using my off ramp! Fortunately, we were both driving pretty slowly, but at higher speeds their mistake could have been deadly.
I think we would be better off if we make elderly drivers (70+) retake their driving and visions tests every few years. No, it's not much fun to do, but it takes less than an hour and could save a lot of lives. Hopefully I too will be an elderly person someday, and will be happy to retest even if I'm still an excellent driver, knowing that retesting will weed out others (and possibly myself) who shouldn't be behind the wheel.
Obviously, there are plenty of drivers who should not be licensed. If you drive under the influence, text or make phone calls, put on makeup, or do anything else that causes you to be distracted, you're not a great driver (even if you feel you're good at doing these things while driving). The reason I don't demand more driving tests for these people is that they know very well they shouldn't be doing these things and know how to behave during a driving test, so retesting this group would be of little benefit. The elderly, on the other hand, often pay close attention while driving, but don't always understand their surroundings. Enforced retesting after 70 would help weed out the older people who are no longer fit to drive. As for the others, they already face penalties when caught by the police, but should face even harsher penalties when they cause an accident (licence removal, inprisonment). This may sould extreme, but we all take a small gamble every time we go out for a drive. Minimizing the risks makes it a little easier for me to buckle my daughter into the back seat of my car.
GET MY GRANDMA OFF THE ROAD!
My grandmother Thelma is 88 years old and I do not believe she is capable of driving any longer. She is not a highly functioning 88 either, as she has dementia (why hasn't her doctor told her to stop driving?!). Our family pleas with her to stop driving, and offers to drive her anywhere she needs to go, but she refuses to give up her independence. We ask her to only drive in the day time if she insists on driving, but she drives at night anyway. I refuse to ride in the car when she drives because I know it's not safe, but I can't do anything to help the people in other cars! She gets confused often at 4-way stops, forgets what some signals mean (like flashing red or yellow lights), and does not have a quick reaction time. I know there is no way that she would pass if she had to retake a driving test.
I understand that older people want the freedom to drive just as much as I do, and that some are quite capable. Others, like my grandmother, are not. My grandmother is a terrible driver, but as long as she is legally permitted to drive, she refuses to give up her keys.
My grandma's not alone, either. Just yesterday I was exiting the freeway on a one-way off ramp when an elderly driver got confused and attempted to enter the freeway using my off ramp! Fortunately, we were both driving pretty slowly, but at higher speeds their mistake could have been deadly.
I think we would be better off if we make elderly drivers (70+) retake their driving and visions tests every few years. No, it's not much fun to do, but it takes less than an hour and could save a lot of lives. Hopefully I too will be an elderly person someday, and will be happy to retest even if I'm still an excellent driver, knowing that retesting will weed out others (and possibly myself) who shouldn't be behind the wheel.
Obviously, there are plenty of drivers who should not be licensed. If you drive under the influence, text or make phone calls, put on makeup, or do anything else that causes you to be distracted, you're not a great driver (even if you feel you're good at doing these things while driving). The reason I don't demand more driving tests for these people is that they know very well they shouldn't be doing these things and know how to behave during a driving test, so retesting this group would be of little benefit. The elderly, on the other hand, often pay close attention while driving, but don't always understand their surroundings. Enforced retesting after 70 would help weed out the older people who are no longer fit to drive. As for the others, they already face penalties when caught by the police, but should face even harsher penalties when they cause an accident (licence removal, inprisonment). This may sould extreme, but we all take a small gamble every time we go out for a drive. Minimizing the risks makes it a little easier for me to buckle my daughter into the back seat of my car.