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Do you believe she and others her age should be road-tested?
If she should, then everyone of every age should. Just basic common sense... But probably too expensive to actually put into practice. Right?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Annie53
As I pointed out, why should epileptics, diabetics and heart patients, etc. be given the benefit of a doubt, but not seniors?
Exactly. You can't single out everyone over a certain age, when there are people of all ages with actual conditions that are a lot more likely to cause accidents.
In my family, the seniors decide on their own to stop driving - we've never had to take the key away from anyone - they all decided on their own that it was time. And there were no minor accidents or anything that led up to it, most of them just decided they didn't like driving at night, and then they started driving less, and then one day they decided it was time to stop entirely. And they did it all on their own.
If someone has dementia, or some other reason why they can't be relied on to make a responsible decision about when to stop driving, then yes, the family or the state should step in. But if the person is in good health, and makes all their other decisions on their own, I am perfectly fine with allowing them the right to decide on their own how long they will keep driving.
In my family, the seniors decide on their own to stop driving - we've never had to take the key away from anyone - they all decided on their own that it was time. And there were no minor accidents or anything that led up to it, most of them just decided they didn't like driving at night, and then they started driving less, and then one day they decided it was time to stop entirely. And they did it all on their own.
If someone has dementia, or some other reason why they can't be relied on to make a responsible decision about when to stop driving, then yes, the family or the state should step in. But if the person is in good health, and makes all their other decisions on their own, I am perfectly fine with allowing them the right to decide on their own how long they will keep driving.
It does not matter because in most cases there is no alternative. As there is no high school kid wanting to mow my lawn there is no one wanting to drive me around.
Working EMS, our ambulance was returning from a call when we found ourselves behind what appeared to be a VERRRY drunk driver. He was straddling the middle line, weaving over to his side just before oncoming traffic and going off of the road, then right back in the middle again. We called it in on the radio. The cops stopped him before he got to the next town. We were stting at the station and the cop came by to tell us what had happened. The guy wasn't drunk at all, he was in his 80s and was going to see his eye doc - in the town 30 miles south of the town he was stopped in. The cop - let him go on his way. "He wasn't drunk," was the cop's defense. "he was just blind". WHUUUUT?
My mother refused to give up her license, kept insisting that she was fine - she would run red lights, sit at green ones until someone honked, make 3-lane-crossing turns, you name it. Finally she moved across the border into another state, and they made her take a test. She failed the vision test. She screamed and ranted and raved at the DMV personnel; I got her out of there and suggested she see an eye doc. She had cateracts on both eyes, and the doc said she was legally blind. Unfortunately after the cateracts were removed, she finally got her license and kept on driving, still a terror on the road, until she passed. How she avoided killing herself or others I have NO idea. We wouldn't ride with her, and neither would anyone else. Except she was FAST, not slow - she'd take corners on two wheels and see nothing wrong with it.
Me, I HOPE I have the common sense and decency to admit when I can't drive. I had problems with my eyes awhile back - the lens tore in one - and I refused to get behind the wheel until the lens was replaced. I hope when it gets bad I quit.
Sigh. I guess we just can't stick to the issue of very old seniors on the road. That is what the OP is about. We are not comparing apples with oranges. Let us rant on....
Sorry, I understand where you are coming from. To discuss older drivers who may not belong on the road, to me, can't be done without comparing the oldsters to other groups.
I've always wished that there was an extended class for older drivers, taught by profession drivers, with a similator. It would be excellent to have one's skills, perception, reaction time, night vision, foot strength, etc analyzed, and then have the professionals tailor a driving program to teach how to make up for the deficits of old age. Rather like a Bondurant Driving Course 55 DEAD or Alive!
As I pointed out, why should epileptics, diabetics and heart patients, etc. be given the benefit of a doubt, but not seniors?
I don't think they necessarily should. Anyone with significant health problems or at an advanced age, imho, should not only be required to have the vision test but also the road test on a regular basis. It is not only for the safety of other drivers, but primarily for their own. I don't see anything unreasonable about this. If my mobility problem should worsen I have no problem whatsoever taking a road test, not only for others' safety, but for my own. I would never let my vanity or life conveniences get in the way of safety. If my license were taken away and I lived rural, naturally I would move into town.
Last edited by RiverBird; 08-29-2011 at 02:11 PM..
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WHUUUUT?
I guess we just can't stick to the issue of very old seniors on the road. That is what the OP is about. We are not comparing apples with oranges. Let us rant on....
