Elderly Drivers

schaefferlax

We have all heard the stories of elderly folks being "responsible" for automobile accidents and that they are stereotypically not the best drivers. Should people over 70 have to take a sensory acuity test and renew their license through another driver's test?

CAVSTARR313

Tell an old person you love that they shouldn't drive anymore, then report on how you feel afterwards..

They've earned it, let 'em hit some shit!!

schaefferlax

Caveeze wrote:

Tell an old person you love that they shouldn't drive anymore, then report on how you feel afterwards..

They've earned it, let 'em hit some shit!!

yeah I see what you are saying. I'm just looking for some opinions

Cosmo

They should have to join the Army.

brianlux

Caveeze wrote:

Tell an old person you love that they shouldn't drive anymore, then report on how you feel afterwards..

They've earned it, let 'em hit some shit!!

Wheeee! Bumper cars!

Sorry, schaefferlax . Yeah, probably not a bad idea but, umm, ask me in about 8 years and I may say otherwise.

hedonist

schaefferlax wrote:

We have all heard the stories of elderly folks being "responsible" for automobile accidents and that they are stereotypically not the best drivers. Should people over 70 have to take a sensory acuity test and renew their license through another driver's test?

Absolutely. I don't think it's a stereotype either - in general, reflexes, reactions, slow with age. Our senses aren't as strong. It's nothing to be ashamed of, really...just life.

I pray this isn't the new generation to be coddled.

I'll never forget the old gentleman, can't remember his age but he was well over 70, who plowed down and took the lives of many at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica several years ago.

Might as well be DUI.

Thirty Bills Unpaid

Every time I see an old person... my spider senses begin tingling. With that said...

I used to get frustrated with them, but I don't any more: that old fella you might get short with may have hunkered down on the beaches of Normandy.

They get to drive.

Thirty Bills Unpaid

hedonist wrote:

schaefferlax wrote:

We have all heard the stories of elderly folks being "responsible" for automobile accidents and that they are stereotypically not the best drivers. Should people over 70 have to take a sensory acuity test and renew their license through another driver's test?

Absolutely. I don't think it's a stereotype either - in general, reflexes, reactions, slow with age. Our senses aren't as strong. It's nothing to be ashamed of, really...just life.

I pray this isn't the new generation to be coddled.

I'll never forget the old gentleman, can't remember his age but he was well over 70, who plowed down and took the lives of many at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica several years ago.

Might as well be DUI.

We've all heard of the young asshole street racing and killing people too.

Only middle-aged people drive?

hedonist

Thirty Bills Unpaid wrote:

hedonist wrote:

Absolutely. I don't think it's a stereotype either - in general, reflexes, reactions, slow with age. Our senses aren't as strong. It's nothing to be ashamed of, really...just life.

I pray this isn't the new generation to be coddled.

I'll never forget the old gentleman, can't remember his age but he was well over 70, who plowed down and took the lives of many at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica several years ago.

Might as well be DUI.

We've all heard of the young asshole street racing and killing people too.

Only middle-aged people drive?

Forgive me if I missed your point, but...middle-aged? I was talking the 70-range and older.

And the young asshole is just being that...an asshole. Should be held accountable.

I guess both lack judgment, though I'd blame the asshole more than the one who may not realize they shouldn't be driving anymore.

hedonist

Thirty Bills Unpaid wrote:

Every time I see an old person... my spider senses begin tingling. With that said...

I used to get frustrated with them, but I don't any more: that old fella you might get short with may have hunkered down on the beaches of Normandy.

They get to drive.

Huge difference between being a bit annoying toward your fellow drivers, vs. putting lives at risk.

Jeesh...my dad "hunkered down" in WWII but reached a point where him being in control of something that can take lives in a horrific way was just stupid and irresponsible.

I feel like I'm in bizarro world here :P

Thirty Bills Unpaid

hedonist wrote:

Thirty Bills Unpaid wrote:

hedonist wrote:

Absolutely. I don't think it's a stereotype either - in general, reflexes, reactions, slow with age. Our senses aren't as strong. It's nothing to be ashamed of, really...just life.

I pray this isn't the new generation to be coddled.

I'll never forget the old gentleman, can't remember his age but he was well over 70, who plowed down and took the lives of many at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica several years ago.

Might as well be DUI.

We've all heard of the young asshole street racing and killing people too.

Only middle-aged people drive?

Forgive me if I missed your point, but...middle-aged? I was talking the 70-range and older.

And the young asshole is just being that...an asshole. Should be held accountable.

I guess both lack judgment, though I'd blame the asshole more than the one who may not realize they shouldn't be driving anymore.

I was asking if only middle aged people should be the people that are permitted to drive?

The blind, old Mr. Magoo and the young, wild speed demon are stereotypes. I know of several old types that limit their driving to daylight hours. I also know of several very cautious young drivers.

hedonist

Thirty Bills Unpaid wrote:

I was asking if only middle aged people should be the people that are permitted to drive?

The blind, old Mr. Magoo and the young, wild speed demon are stereotypes. I know of several old types that limit their driving to daylight hours. I also know of several very cautious young drivers.

Well, I don't think anyone implied that (and if I did, wasn't my intent at all) - I thought this was about older folks who should re-visit their ability at a certain point in their life to know they can continue to drive safely.

I'm all for responsibility, regardless of age.

Stereotypes? 'nother story, altogether.

brianlux

Thirty Bills Unpaid wrote:

Every time I see an old person... my spider senses begin tingling. With that said...

I used to get frustrated with them, but I don't any more: that old fella you might get short with may have hunkered down on the beaches of Normandy.

They get to drive.

This is a good point- one I want to back but also one not easily to totally justify. Old drivers do kill people. Of course, as you said, young drivers do as well- maybe as often.

My father served in the Navy in World War II and having heard so many of his stories and read a handful of excellent books on that war I find it very hard to picture telling someone of this generation what I think he should do. Yet at the same time, my sister has implored me to help her convince him to give up driving. This will not be easy. "Gee, Pop, thanks for taking risks that most of us today cannot even imagine, and in doing so insure the wonderful life we have enjoyed. Now hand over the keys". Hmmm.

Would I be copping out by saying us kids should not have to be the ones to do that? Yeah, I suppose so. Difficult though. Very difficult.

Thirty Bills Unpaid

hedonist wrote:

Thirty Bills Unpaid wrote:

I was asking if only middle aged people should be the people that are permitted to drive?

The blind, old Mr. Magoo and the young, wild speed demon are stereotypes. I know of several old types that limit their driving to daylight hours. I also know of several very cautious young drivers.

Well, I don't think anyone implied that (and if I did, wasn't my intent at all) - I thought this was about older folks who should re-visit their ability at a certain point in their life to know they can continue to drive safely.

I'm all for responsibility, regardless of age.

Stereotypes? 'nother story, altogether.

Regardless of the perceived need and as legitimate as it might even be for some individuals, I feel it would be a form of discrimination to demand 'mandatory' re-licensing for all older people.

Thirty Bills Unpaid

brianlux wrote:

This is a good point- one I want to back but also one not easily to totally justify. Old drivers do kill people. Of course, as you said, young drivers do as well- maybe as often.

I know there are stories of older people injuring or killing people while driving; but more often than not... when I come across an idiot on the road... they are younger or middle-aged.

Let's get real: old people tend to drive very (perhaps over) cautiously.

Without digging through the statistics, I will go out on a limb and state that young drivers kill many more people than old drivers.

Who Princess

brianlux wrote:

This is a good point- one I want to back but also one not easily to totally justify. Old drivers do kill people. Of course, as you said, young drivers do as well- maybe as often.

My father served in the Navy in World War II and having heard so many of his stories and read a handful of excellent books on that war I find it very hard to picture telling someone of this generation what I think he should do. Yet at the same time, my sister has implored me to help her convince him to give up driving. This will not be easy. "Gee, Pop, thanks for taking risks that most of us today cannot even imagine, and in doing so insure the wonderful life we have enjoyed. Now hand over the keys". Hmmm.

Would I be copping out by saying us kids should not have to be the ones to do that? Yeah, I suppose so. Difficult though. Very difficult.

Brian, I think the problem of adult children having to tell their aging parents that they can't drive anymore could be the subject of its own thread! But I'm in the same position as you, trying to determine at what point my mom can no longer drive and how we'll handle it.

Who Princess

Thirty Bills Unpaid wrote:

brianlux wrote:

This is a good point- one I want to back but also one not easily to totally justify. Old drivers do kill people. Of course, as you said, young drivers do as well- maybe as often.

I know there are stories of older people injuring or killing people while driving; but more often than not... when I come across an idiot on the road... they are younger or middle-aged.

Let's get real: old people tend to drive very (perhaps over) cautiously.

Without digging through the statistics, I will go out on a limb and state that young drivers kill many more people than old drivers.

As I understand it, young people are responsible for most auto accidents but older adults are the next highest group. I think it's already been pointed out that older adults may have slower reflexes and vision or hearing problems that affect their ability to drive safely.

Go Beavers

I probably have a bigger issue with old drivers than younger ones. I see old drivers, more than others, act like they own the road. Pay attention to who doesn't stop at crosswalks. It's disproportionately old people. And who taught these people to drive with both feet? Thanks for driving your car into the front of the 7-11! Make them drive stick shifts, that'll weed 'em out.

hedonist

Over-cautious can be just as dangerous as under-cautious.

This, to me, has nothing to do with the quality of life previously or country served.

I just want able drivers on the road, fer fuck's sake!

rollings

schaefferlax wrote:

We have all heard the stories of elderly folks being "responsible" for automobile accidents and that they are stereotypically not the best drivers. Should people over 70 have to take a sensory acuity test and renew their license through another driver's test?

"sensory acuity". I like that. Is that vision/hearing/tactile-reactionary?

I would vote for vision testing, because then corrective action can be taken.

Old people are very slow though. I was waiting for one to back out and leave a parking space yesterday, and I almost died just waiting for them to finish the process.

riotgrl

My grandmother, who is 88, continued to drive even though she suffers from macular degeneration and cataracts and has extreme difficulty seeing. She claimed she was only driving during daylight hours and only a couple of miles from her house so she couldn't possibly hurt anyone. I think it is irresponsible for families to not have that talk with family members (of ANY age) about continuing to drive even though they could kill someone. I don't understand the mentaility - they earned it? there awesome people? My grandmother is a good person who would never want to hurt someone and I understand not giving up that freedom to come and go as you please, but my mom did have that really hard talk with her and my grandmother basically told her to shut the f up because nobody was gonna tell her she couldn't drive. We finally got her opthamologist to state (after much prodding on our parts) that while she could drive she should not be driving. She has quit driving long distances and tries to get rides when she can but she does still have her car and will drive when she can't get a ride elsewhere.

even flow - question mark

Yes there should be an age where you have to go and get retested for your drivers license.

Jeanwah

Thirty Bills Unpaid wrote:

Every time I see an old person... my spider senses begin tingling. With that said...

I used to get frustrated with them, but I don't any more: that old fella you might get short with may have hunkered down on the beaches of Normandy.

They get to drive.

Every time I see a teenager behind the wheel, my spider senses begin tingling. In fact, I think the teenagers are more frightening than the elderly. At least we KNOW that the elderly are not distracted by the incoming text on their phone...

That said, being retested for the elderly isn't a bad idea, but they're not the ones I'm afraid of.

Jeanwah

rollings wrote:

"sensory acuity". I like that. Is that vision/hearing/tactile-reactionary?

I would vote for vision testing, because then corrective action can be taken.

Old people are very slow though. I was waiting for one to back out and leave a parking space yesterday, and I almost died just waiting for them to finish the process.

Typically they are very slow. Personally, I think being stuck behind a slow driver is a lot safer than being in the vicinity of a distracted young driver.

Jeanwah

Thirty Bills Unpaid wrote:

Without digging through the statistics, I will go out on a limb and state that young drivers kill many more people than old drivers.

I think you're right on this.

Thirty Bills Unpaid

For our consideration... let me introduce the 2009 Canadian traffic collisions statistics (source is from the government of Canada):

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/tp-t ... 173.htm#t2

2009 Fatalities and injuries by age group:

Age 16-19: 240 deaths and 1,400 serious injuries
Age 25-34: 364 deaths and 1,946 serious injuries
Age 55-64: 252 deaths and 1,089 serious injuries
Age 65+: 389 deaths and 1,116 serious injuries

2009 Number of licensed drivers:

Age 16-19: 1,096,437
Age 25-34: 3,999,556
Age: 55-64: 3,652,594
Age: 65+: 3,254,110


When one combines deaths and serious injuries... the 25-34 age class kicks ass.

The statistics do not lay blame to any particular group so it is tough to ascertain which age class is responsible for deaths and fatalities. I guiess I would suggest that the only prudent way to dissect such data without knowing exact proof of fault is to attribute blame evenly across the board.

* Included the young daredevil class. I revise my earlier statement: the young ones are the most dangerous group by far comparatively speaking.

** Edited twice. Sorry.

brianlux

Go Beavers wrote:

I probably have a bigger issue with old drivers than younger ones. I see old drivers, more than others, act like they own the road. Pay attention to who doesn't stop at crosswalks. It's disproportionately old people. And who taught these people to drive with both feet? Thanks for driving your car into the front of the 7-11! Make them drive stick shifts, that'll weed 'em out.

Years ago I knew a woman who drove through the front of a 7-11. She hit the gas instead of the brake, crashed through the front of the store and came to rest right next to the counter. She rolled her window down and said, "A pack of Winston Lights, please." She didn't know what else to say. She was in her early twenties at the time.

lukin2006

Thirty Bills Unpaid wrote:

For our consideration... let me introduce the 2009 Canadian traffic collisions statistics (source is from the government of Canada):

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/tp-t ... 173.htm#t2

2009 Fatalities and injuries by age group:

Age 16-19: 240 deaths and 1,400 serious injuries
Age 25-34: 364 deaths and 1,946 serious injuries
Age 55-64: 252 deaths and 1,089 serious injuries
Age 65+: 389 deaths and 1,116 serious injuries

2009 Number of licensed drivers:

Age 16-19: 1,096,437
Age 25-34: 3,999,556
Age: 55-64: 3,652,594
Age: 65+: 3,254,110


When one combines deaths and serious injuries... the 25-34 age class kicks ass.

The statistics do not lay blame to any particular group so it is tough to ascertain which age class is responsible for deaths and fatalities. I guiess I would suggest that the only prudent way to dissect such data without knowing exact proof of fault is to attribute blame evenly across the board.

* Included the young daredevil class. I revise my earlier statement: the young ones are the most dangerous group by far comparatively speaking.

** Edited twice. Sorry.

Drivers over the age of 75 should have to have a medical and an eye exam by the appropriate professionals every 2-3 years after that. I see no problem road testing drivers after 80 ... the test doesn't have to be as complete as when people first get their licence ... imo.

I don't think you can just go by stats alone ... most drivers 65 and under are driving a lot more than over 65 and the older you get the less your driving.

Wobbie

if you don't like the way I drive, stay off the fucking sidewalk.

hedonist

I in no way dismiss distracted young drivers (although I've seen more than my fair share of not-so-young drivers sitting at a green light chatting away or looking down at their phone)...but the point - I thought - of the thread was about OLDER drivers being re-tested.

It's not discriminatory, it's common sense and safety. And that applies to any generation.

*edit to imalive -

Thirty Bills Unpaid

lukin2006 wrote:

Drivers over the age of 75 should have to have a medical and an eye exam by the appropriate professionals every 2-3 years after that. I see no problem road testing drivers after 80 ... the test doesn't have to be as complete as when people first get their licence ... imo.

I don't think you can just go by stats alone ... most drivers 65 and under are driving a lot more than over 65 and the older you get the less your driving.

Nope.

That is an unsubstantiated claim. One could easily say that the 25-34 age class- the working class- is doing less driving: they are at work most of the time.

The retirees are driving big motor homes and beetling about town during the day going for coffee with their friends, playing cards and whatever else suits their fancy. They are typically not just sitting on their asses all day waiting to die.