Elderly drivers, what age should you stop?

ldrosophila

Gender, My *kitten*! What a crass, sexist thing to say. I know you meant to agree with the myth that women are inferior drivers. If you checked your facts, you would know that young men are more likely to kill themselves and their friends in a motor vehicle accident. Also, most of the elderly drivers who get into trouble are men as well. You are an idiot.

shhhh it's ok he's just jealous because women, in general, enjoy paying 10% less in insurance premiums

What I pay in a year, my brother pays in a month. Pays to be a woman.

but then you factor in that men make more money and they come out way ahead.

ooo got me there .78/1? I think it is now

twinketta

So would you report the relative and feel bad for doing so, or would you just think that if the licence was still in place then let them carry on?

Pixi_Rex

I think a test every few years might be a good idea, rather than age. Some people in their '70s should probably stop driving, and some people in their '90s are still good drivers.

Also there are some 20 year olds that should NEVER be behind the wheel EVER.

Seriously age doesn't matter.

My grandmother is 84 and still has her license and has no problems. Although she doesn't do any highway driving anymore (she lives in a small town) and only drives the car when it is REALLY cold out. She told me it is safer for her and everyone else if she just walks, so every weekend I make a 40 minute drive so she can get her groceries, without having to stress.

apedeb09

I agree about testing drivers every few years... My grandpa used to be an excellent driver and he drove everywhere. Then a couple years ago he started getting increasingly worse while driving, until he just completely stopped altogether. That is, until he went with my grandma an hour away for an appointment and my grandma had him drive. He ended up getting in an accident and hitting 6 cars. He passed away 2 or 3 days later in March of this year :-/ I'm not blaming it completely on the accident but it definitely didn't help him. I wish he would've had his license taken away or something.

ldrosophila

So would you report the relative and feel bad for doing so, or would you just think that if the licence was still in place then let them carry on?

i would report if you feel it's that risky, and paying that much in insurance is ridiculous poor guy

stillnot2late

UGHHH I've been saying this for years.

I wouldn't necessarily make a cut-off age, but they should be re-tested every couple of years once they get into the gray years. And even before that if they develop issues with walking/sitting/seeing/living in general.

It scares the *kitten* out of me sometimes seeing someone in WalMart who can't even push a buggy in a straight line (or not run into shelves) walk out to a car and drive away. :huh:

yes, test them

renatewolfe

Age has nothing to do with it. Much younger people get into far more serious accidents. I think that if the person is mentally competent, then his family can certainly suggest giving up the license, but they can't force it. I have a lot of sympathy for older people. I work with them, and they get so much independence taken away. Young people think that they will live forever and never be in a position where the freedom to go where you want, when you want will be taken away. That doesn't mean that I think people should be able to drive no matter what. My father stopped driving about 6 months before he died. My aunt stopped about 5 years before she passed. My mother in law still drives, and has an excellent record, but only to her kids houses or the restaurant she frequents in our small town.

salladeve

After 70 they should be required to take a driving and written test before renewing their license EVERY YEAR! I know of an elderly person that is in a nursing home and can not even feed herself, but she has a valid drivers license! She renewed by mail a few years ago, so she basically will have a license for 8 years after actually visiting the SOS office. She is 88.

dbanks80

When elders start running into Sh$t then yes take the license away before they become a danger to themselves and others. Or if they start showing signs of forgetfulness or mental instability like my mother-in-law who has Alzheimers but refused to get tested for it.

Serah87

Age has nothing to do with whether a person is competent to drive or not.

Whilst I agree there are a lot of incompetent drivers, surely old age can play a big part?

There is a lot of incompetent drivers at ALL ages!!!!

vtmoon

You need a test every 3 years regardless of age, that way no one can complain about age discrimination. As we get older our muscles don't function as well or as fast. But the decay is different from person to person. There is an 82 year old who plays racquetball at our gym, there are people in their 20s who don't have the reflexes for that.

So retesting everyone is the way to go.

ashleyisgreat

I think they are fine, they make them do test yearly after a certain age (in my area at least..)
So if you can still pass then you're safe to drive

lol it is a gender issue, young men drive wreckless

I love the irony of this. :laugh:

rduhlir

My father has Parkinson's Disease so this ways on my mind all the time. Sucks when roles reverse, and you become the person who puts their foot down.

vtmoon

I think they are fine, they make them do test yearly after a certain age (in my area at least..)
So if you can still pass then you're safe to drive

lol it is a gender issue, young men drive wreckless

I love the irony of this. :laugh:

I laughed at that too. :laugh:

marsellient

I believe here in Ontario, anyone 80 or older has to write a test. If they pass, fine. If not, they have to repeat and I think do a road test. It's probably not enough, but it's a start. I'm planning to move somewhere where I don't need a car before I get to that stage. Of course, I may forget I said that.????

luckyshilling

Sad story.
My Mom is now 65 and lives at a 55+ only appartment complex. There was a gentleman there that kept hitting the cars in the parking spaces on either side of his (asigned parking) these people complained to management and their insurance agents. The management reported this man to his kids, DMV, and local police. His kids agreed that it was time for him to lose his license because he had had a string of fender benders too and also made contact with DMV and local police.

The elderly man did not want to give up his license and put up a fight.

Unfortunately, before the process to remove his license against his will could be completed he killed someone. He was pulling into his parking space and hit the accelerator instead of the brake. He flew through the patio door of the apt. unit in front of his parking space and killed a woman watching TV in her living room. Her little dog on her lap was also killed. His parking spot was facing the building, but they were not close he had lots of time to stop, but instead accelled even more.

The man has to live with that and the womans family sued and pressed charges against him and his family. I don't know what the results of the wrongful death and negligence lawsuits were but I do know the man went jail for a little bit.

So many lives ruined. Just so sad.

eric_sg61

If I can run faster than you drive, it is time to stop

ninerbuff

Age has nothing to do with whether a person is competent to drive or not.

Agreed. It's gender.

Bwahahaha! Next thing you know it's ethnicity!!!!

My mom is 87 years old and still drives. She's the Asian lady that everyone screams at who signals but doesn't turn. We're at the point now that we may need a officer to take the keys from her.


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ashleyisgreat

It's definitely shocking how many elderly people are approved by their doctors to continue driving. My grandfather got into two major accidents (one in which he ran his car into a mobile home) and his doctor still approved his driving. He said "one more accident and we'll talk about taking away his license." Really? Two accidents aren't enough? Let's give him one more chance to kill someone!

It's a sad thing to have to do, but at some point it is completely irresponsible to let someone continue to endanger lives on the road. I'm not sure there's an age where we should begin to look at a driver, but definitely after an incident where the driver is clearly at fault and where it seems like it could relate to their vision/hearing/etc.

dbanks80

Sad story.
My Mom is now 65 and lives at a 55+ only appartment complex. There was a gentleman there that kept hitting the cars in the parking spaces on either side of his (asigned parking) these people complained to management and their insurance agents. The management reported this man to his kids, DMV, and local police. His kids agreed that it was time for him to lose his license because he had had a string of fender benders too and also made contact with DMV and local police.

The elderly man did not want to give up his license and put up a fight.

Unfortunately, before the process to remove his license against his will could be completed he killed someone. He was pulling into his parking space and hit the accelerator instead of the brake. He flew through the patio door of the apt. unit in front of his parking space and killed a woman watching TV in her living room. Her little dog on her lap was also killed. His parking spot was facing the building, but they were not close he had lots of time to stop, but instead accelled even more.

The man has to live with that and the womans family sued and pressed charges against him and his family. I don't know what the results of the wrongful death and negligence lawsuits were but I do know the man went jail for a little bit.

So many lives ruined. Just so sad.

That is sooooo sad! They should have taken his license LONG ago I don't care how much he fought it! It makes me so angry when they are so independent that they lose all sensibilty. I think that is very selfish!