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So you are saying we should allow younger but bad drivers to continue to drive but the old folks should be taken off the road because their skills might be deteriorating
Reread my post...slowly. I did not say that "old folks should be taken off the road because their skills might be deteriorating."
How about this solution,
If you have a bad driving record which includes traffic tickets and or crashes then you must be tested every renewal period.
In my state, renewal is every 5 years. However, the MVA will immediately suspend a driver's license depending on the infraction.
Doesn't matter if you are 22 or 72 if you are a bad driver you should be tested.
To suggest that we should allow young drivers to mature at the expense of other drivers is ridiculous.
Ridiculous? What the heck do you think we have been doing for the past 60 or so years? Inexperienced drivers need on-the-road experience. Youthful drivers who pick up speeding tickets get their license suspended and may have to attend classes. How many older drivers actually get ticketed for driving 20 mph on the interstate and are ordered to attend driving classes?
The reasons older drivers, as a group, tend to have fewer accidents than those under the age of 25 include fewer miles driven and self regulation, i.e., no night time driving, limit their driving to familiar roads, etc.
The problem lies with those older drivers who refuse to self regulate.
Ridiculous? What the heck do you think we have been doing for the past 60 or so years? Inexperienced drivers need on-the-road experience. Youthful drivers who pick up speeding tickets get their license suspended and may have to attend classes. How many older drivers actually get ticketed for driving 20 mph on the interstate and are ordered to attend driving classes?
The reasons older drivers, as a group, tend to have fewer accidents than those under the age of 25 include fewer miles driven and self regulation, i.e., no night time driving, limit their driving to familiar roads, etc.
The problem lies with those older drivers who refuse to self regulate.
One of the main problems with the MV Dept. is they allow unqualified people to have a drivers license.
A trained monkey can make a car go forward/backward and turn, it takes common sense to be a good driver. How may people under 25 have common sense? Ask any young person and they will tell you that fender benders are part of the learning experience.
I am constantly reading about people who have to take the license test multiple times because they just can't learn how to operate a motor vehicle properly. Plus the ones who can't read English.
Then I remember the comment from some woman I knew who said she doesn't worry about having a crash because she has ABS in her car.
The MV Dept. actually let's her drive.
I have never seen anybody driving 20 MPH on the Interstate. Maybe a drunk person driving real slow being too careful, probably not a senior citizen.
We have a LOT of "old people" around here but very few traffic accidents. Most of the accidents here are young people, for whatever reason.
Same here. I live in an area with a lot of senior citizens, and they do cause some accidents - but the really young drivers cause just as many, if not more.
The worst I can say about older drivers is that some of them drive too slow and too cautiously, which can cause a backup at intersections at times! All in all, not too bad of a complaint...
A lot of people have opined that all drivers should be subject to regular mandatory re-testing for a driver's license. This is fine in theory, but it begs certain realities. These are:
1. States have a limited staff and budget to manage driver licensing. If every driver were subject to re-testing say every 3 years this would necessitate a substantial increase in the staff at DMV offices. Someone has to pay for this. Are we going to raise taxes, increase license fees, or expect the employees to work extra hours for free?
2. The most effective way of testing a bad driver is probably a roadtest. This type of testing is the most expensive because it requires a DMV employee to be present in every vehicle with every applicant being tested. Other types of testing such as a written test may not do the trick. Its one thing to understand the theory of safe driving (what shape is a stop sign?) its another to put those principles into effect.
3. Issuing drivers licenses is done not only for safety purposes, but to raise revenue for government. This seems backwards, but its a fact that one of the purposes of the state issuing driver's license was a simple revenue and taxation reason.
Ideally, it probably would make sense to re-test every driver regularly. However, this can't be done for free and if we want to go this direction, we'd better prepare for substantial increases in licensing fees.
This is all true. I live in a fairly small town and our DMV office is ALWAYS busy but they are organized enough that it usually doesn't take too long to get through. Large cities, like Phoenix are horrible and I've heard that people can spend 8 hours in one of their offices just waiting to get to the head of the line. The joke...or not...used to be to bring a book and lunch! I think that was one of the reasons they went with MUCH longer times between renewals. Multiply that by all the 'other cities' surrounding Phoenix and I can see why it would be a mess.
Same here. I live in an area with a lot of senior citizens, and they do cause some accidents - but the really young drivers cause just as many, if not more.
The worst I can say about older drivers is that some of them drive too slow and too cautiously, which can cause a backup at intersections at times! All in all, not too bad of a complaint...
I remember when the last auto accident happened here in town. It was right near where I work at a traffic light about six weeks ago. Two young girls in one car pulled out in front of another car and got creamed. There are times of the day when it gets pretty busy but traffic seems to flow well. We have two lanes and a turn lane on the main streets, of which there are only two. I do live in a fairly small town and people seem to be good drivers, in general. I think the majority of accidents are rear enders...at traffic lights. Luckily I never actually SEE one or get involved in one. I've never seen a backup at an intersection here. Can't say about drivers in the 'big city' 'cause I stay away from those places!
My mom drives me nuts when I'm a passenger. She drives 25-30 MPH no matter where she's at, even in the 35-45 zones, but she always stays to the right so people don't get held up by her. She's never had an accident or a ticket in her entire life and she's 84.
Neither. You are presenting a false dichotomy. In general, the youngster will mature and gain good driving skills. OTOH, the older driver with a good driving record will continue to deteriorate both mentally and physically, albeit at different degrees. It is the latter that needs to be monitored.
I'm not as concerned about vision changes that accompany old age as I am about cognitive decline.
But like getting other dangers off the roadway it will not work because people its shown will break the laws as they always do.What are we to do jial them ;now that is a real joke in this coutnry.There are tons of people on drugs alone that should prevent them from driving that are perfectly leagal besides the illegal ones. Take their drivers licanse away and they will get ticket then not pay them.
Also there are problems with someone's decreasing response times....ie needing to brake quickly etc.
Let's don't mark off someone due to age....young or old....it is a highly individual issue that can be assessed by a "professional" at the license bureau.
This is a serious issue. One that I am directly concerned with for many reasons...and end up being in the thick of it most of the time. Currently I am on a group that meets with the state regarding this issue.
Older adults are the number one consumers of prescription medication, many of which have warnings against driving with the use of that medication. And the consumers, ignore that information.
Older adults are also the fastest growing group for Age Related Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Retinapathy, and Glaucoma. Many of our seniors have had their licenses taken away for being visually impaired, are told by their doctor that they cannot legally drive any longer, and yet continue to do so...risking not only their lives, but the lives of other people.
There is no justification for driving under the influence of prescription medication that can cause drowsiness, or driving with a severe visual impairment. These are just two reasons why senior driving needs to be monitored, more closely than it currently is...I did not even discuss the issues of cognitive problems, lack of fine and gross motor control issues, and slower rate of response time due to slower central processing issues...The list could go on...and on...
The problem is that even when licenses are taken away, seniors continue to drive...that is the main issue....the family needs to step in, take the keys away, sell the vehicle...or just keep the elder person away from driving.
I'm trying to figure our if some people have a low tolerance for and opinion of the elderly or if they're just frightened about reaching geezerdom or cronedom.
I'm an official senior citizen, well seasoned, whatever. I fear neither and am still a good and very defensive driver.
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