Controversial : When are you too old to drive a car?

[Carsman]

Elderly drivers now account for nearly 20 percent of all motorists, according to the Government Accountability Office.

And that number will increase, because those who make up the first wave of the huge baby-boom generation turned 65 this year.

Are Older Drivers Putting Themselves (And Others) At Risk?

The data on elder-driver safety is a mixed bag.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that the nation's senior citizens are actually getting into fewer serious car accidents.

However, another study of intersection crashes found that 58 percent of drivers 80 and older failed to yield at intersections, while the number for drivers 70-79 was 37 percent.

By comparison, 26 percent of drivers 35-54 failed to yield.

The increase in the number of elderly drivers, have prompted discussions by government agencies, insurance companies and university researchers about how to address this issue.

Obviously, there is no specific age at which an older person should stop driving – it all depends on the individual, their health, and their driving skills.

Driver's license renewal procedures for older drivers vary from state to state. Twenty-six states have special license-renewal requirements for senior-citizen drivers. Some states require that drivers over a certain age renew their licenses in person rather than electronically or by mail.

Judging If Someone Is Fit For Driving, and when it's time to hang up the keys!

Warning Signs: 20 Things To Look For In Eldely Drivers

• Decrease in confidence while driving
• Difficulty turning to see when backing up
• Easily distracted while driving
• Other drivers often honk horns
• Hitting curbs
• Scrapes or dents on the car, mailbox or garage
• Increased agitation or irritation when driving
• Failure to notice traffic signs or important activity on the side of the road
• Trouble navigating turns
• Driving at inappropriate speeds
• Uses a "copilot"
• Bad judgment making left turns
• Delayed response to unexpected situations
• Moving into wrong lane or difficulty maintaining lane position
• Confusion at exits
• Ticketed moving violations or warnings
• Getting lost in familiar places
• Car accident
• Failure to stop at stop sign or red light
• Stopping in traffic for no apparent reason

So how would you handle getting elder drivers not wanting to hang up their car keys problem?

[Lady Cop]

i'll make it simple. you're too old when your vision is poor, you cannot hear even with aids, you are on meds that affect you, and your reflexes are shot to hell.
Cars, being where you are, you KNOW the serious problem of elder/infirm drivers. i am happy some states are taking steps to get them off the road with testing.

i don't think it's controversial at all, but common sense. the problem in florida is that elders form a huge part of the tax base and so the pols don't want to hurt their widdle feewings about hanging up the keys i.e. the perceived loss of independence/autonomy.

[Maggot]

65 and older a test every 2 years.
A: It is good for the circulation
B: It saves money on an eye test
C: Widowers & Widows get to meet people their own age
D: Drive-ins may make a comeback.
E: Grandchildren might get free lolli-pops
F: Go Fuck yourself maggot!

[sally]

The old folks are out of control here, just the other day I saw an old man driving on the wrong side of the road straight into oncoming traffic.

[Maggot]

I saw an old lady driving with only her knee...........dont ask me what her hands were doing. Hell... I do that at 80 mph, who the fuck am I kidding. I see kids texting like that. Where does it end?

[Lady Cop]

Maggot: Where does it end?

in the cemetery.

[Maggot]

Shit..........Now a bunch of spirits will be all over the place and shit.

[IMaDick]

I think they should be given a limit of ten gang members before they lose their license.

Old people could take the edge off the violence in this world if they were allowed to.

[Carsman]

i'll make it simple. you're too old when your [b]vision is poor, you cannot hear even with aids, you are on meds that affect you, and your reflexes are shot to hell. Cars, being where you are, you KNOW the serious problem of elder/infirm drivers. i am happy some states are taking steps to get them off the road with testing.

i don't think it's controversial at all, but common sense. the problem in florida is that elders form a huge part of the tax base and so the pols don't want to hurt their widdle feewings about hanging up the keys i.e. the perceived loss of independence/autonomy. [/b]

The controversial part will be trying to convince the elderly drivers to hang up their car keys. They are losing their independence. Yes here you need eyes in the back of your head, and you need to drive 100% "defensively"! Any type of "offensive" driving puts you at greater risk of mishaps.
Further controversial part in my opinion, is that for safety reasons, not only the elderly drivers should be required to be eye tested & physically tested every couple years, but all drivers S/B equally tested. Just because drivers are young, doesn't mean they can't fall victim to injuries that impair their driving ability. That's why there S/B a law on the books, where doctor's have to report a patient to the DVM, young or old, that has an impairment which makes them unsafe to drive a car.

[pyropappy]

Driving privileges should be based on IQ not age.

[IMaDick]

Driving privileges should be based on IQ not age.

How smart was it when you got your DUI?

[sally]

Driving privileges should be based on IQ not age.

So it's ok if old Lester is blind as a bat with a defective hearing aid as long as his IQ is 130 or over?

[Maggot]

Driving privileges should be based on IQ not age.

So it's ok if old Lester is blind as a bat with a defective hearing aid as long as his IQ is 130 or over?

I'm not sure if I would like to be on the same street as Steven Hawkings.

[Lady Cop]

clearly if IQ tests were required, many of the people out there would not be driving legally. they only have to be able to read the written test and street signs.


damn it Maggot, you read my mind!

[Carsman]

Driving privileges should be based on IQ not age.

So it's ok if old Lester is blind as a bat with a defective hearing aid as long as his IQ is 130 or over?

By that train of thought, people with high IQ's will definitely know that they hit something!