Elderly drivers, what age should you stop?

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twinketta
twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
in Chit-Chat
I have a relative that that is 78yo. Last year he drove his automatic car into a van in a supermarket car park (mistaking the accelerator pedal for the brake) the poor guy was sitting eating his sammies in his van.

The same relative wanted to reverse his car off his driveway so the window cleaner could get to do his cleaning, and he drove into the bin and luckily it cushioned the impact of him driving into the front of the house!

If going on a long journey he only drives maybe 2 miles to get a bus, or he drives to the doctors, but I am seriously worried about him causing a major accident.

The relative has recently been passed by his doctor to carry on driving :noway:

I see many old people trudging along in cars, people overtaking because they are stuck behind them.

In your opinion, should there be an age limit on when your licence should finish, pretty much the same as the one when you are allowed to drive?
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Replies

  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,788 Member
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    Age has nothing to do with whether a person is competent to drive or not.
  • bennysammysofie
    bennysammysofie Posts: 331
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    Age has nothing to do with whether a person is competent to drive or not.
    Agreed. It's gender.
  • jollyjoe321
    jollyjoe321 Posts: 529 Member
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    They should be allowed to drive until you are getting indications that they're becoming dangerous.
  • bcf7683
    bcf7683 Posts: 1,653 Member
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    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:
  • CollegiateGrief
    CollegiateGrief Posts: 552 Member
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    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.
  • twinketta
    twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
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    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?
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    Age has nothing to do with whether a person is competent to drive or not.
    Agreed. It's gender.

    totally wreckless young male drivers are the worst. Just ask the bean counters of insurance companies.

    PS-OP it really depends on many conditions, and we can all pray that when we get that age we dont lose our mobility.

    Oh and to add to this, this is the reason elderly people pay the lowest in insurance premiums. They are generally safe drivers and have the lowest rate of claims.
  • twinketta
    twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
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    Age has nothing to do with whether a person is competent to drive or not.
    Agreed. It's gender.

    I don`t think `agender` people are any less likely to be able to drive? :tongue:
  • Popsing
    Popsing Posts: 23 Member
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    While I agree that there are plenty of younger drivers on the road who are not fit to drive, not to mention impaired drivers leaving bars and clubs in the middle of the night, I believe there is an age at which drivers need to consider giving up the keys. My dad is 84 and my brothers who live closer to him told me of their fears for him a few years ago when he had had a couple of "minor" accidents close together. At that time he was unwilling to stop driving. However, partially because he has Parkinson's Disease, this summer he sold his car to my sister and became a non-driver. He's clear-headed and has a better memory than I do, but his driving skills had deteriorated, and he no longer felt safe to drive.
    I will give up my keys some day, but I know that my husband will NEVER willingly part with his independence. He's a stubborn man, and thinks he's always right, so some day in the future one of our kids will have to pry the car keys from his cold, dead fingers.
  • stephanieross1
    stephanieross1 Posts: 388 Member
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    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
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
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    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:
    This. And a real test. If you have something like this, it should be an automatic removal. My mom had to get my grandma to give up her car because she was beyond being able to drive safely. At least she didn't fight it.
  • Popsing
    Popsing Posts: 23 Member
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    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.
  • Laces_0ut
    Laces_0ut Posts: 3,750 Member
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    Age has nothing to do with whether a person is competent to drive or not.

    wrong. eyesight, reflexes etc...all play a part.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    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

    per carsdirect.com
  • stephanieross1
    stephanieross1 Posts: 388 Member
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    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.
  • Laces_0ut
    Laces_0ut Posts: 3,750 Member
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    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. :)
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    agree with most. I know plenty of drivers who are completely fine to drive and they are in their 80s. I know others in their 60s who shouldn't be allowed to drive.

    Age just isn't a factor. Health, reflexes, eye sight....many things play a role in whether a driver is road worthy. Hell, I know 30 year olds who shouldn't be behind a wheel.

    I do think at some point, there needs to be tests retaken on a annual/bi-annual basis or something like that, but to cut someone off just on age alone isn't realistic.
  • myprana
    myprana Posts: 66
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    My husband and I get the feeling that his mother (she's nearly 90) should give up driving. She's showing signs of senility. But at her last driver's license renewal, she failed the eye exam and they still renewed her license. Just told her she should probably make an eye appointment. Since the state isn't concerned, I can't really say anything to her though.
  • twinketta
    twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
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    Age has nothing to do with whether a person is competent to drive or not.
    Agreed. It's gender.

    totally wreckless young male drivers are the worst. Just ask the bean counters of insurance companies.

    PS-OP it really depends on many conditions, and we can all pray that when we get that age we dont lose our mobility.

    Oh and to add to this, this is the reason elderly people pay the lowest in insurance premiums. They are generally safe drivers and have the lowest rate of claims.

    This relative pays 700 a year more that I pay because of his age and his `near misses`
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    Age has nothing to do with whether a person is competent to drive or not.
    Agreed. It's gender.

    I think your obvious joke struck a nerve with some.

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