Elderly drivers, what age should you stop?

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

They should be allowed to drive until you are getting indications that they're becoming dangerous.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

wrong. eyesight, reflexes etc...all play a part.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.