Should there be an age limit on driving?
I can remember my cousin Richard taking my uncle’s car out for a spin around the neighborhood when he was 12. But according to the law, a person has to be at least 16 years of age to get a learner’s permit and start taking driving lessons. Most people are at least 16 and a half before they get their license and then you have to drive for several years, with a good driving record until you get a regular, adult license.
Then you have the other side of the coin. I have been hearing and reading about reports about elderly drivers and car accidents. A four year old girl was mowed down by an elderly woman in my area. Now she is being brought up on vehicular homicide charges. The woman is 89 years old and lives in an assisted living, retirement community. But she still drives on her own, and the accident happened at night.
New legislation is pending to test the elderly every year for driving. I believe it is for 85 years of age and over. Many legislators think the age on that should be more like 80 or 75 years of age. Hey, if a person at that age can pass the tests, they are safe drivers. If not, get your family to take you to the doctors and pick up your prescriptions. Many of these seniors, like the drunk drivers, are repeat offenders. They have been involved in accidents that have harmed and even killed people. But because of their age, and the political sway they have in the voting booth, the long arm of the law has been very lenient upon them, until now. Is it time for a change? Should there be an age limit on driving? I know 90 year olds that are out alone driving at night. They need a cane or a walker to get to their cars and SUVs. Should these people be driving at that age?
My point of starting the question with the young kid driving is that some people can drive safely way below the age of 16. But states set a limit as to when a person reaches an age when they can start driving. Why can’t states set an age limit on when a person can no longer drive? Or could we at least have an age at which the priviledge of driving after a certain age needs to be tested annually or periodically?
There is also more danger with elderly people driving at night. My mother and father in law(80 and 85) do not like driving at night and do not do so unless they have to. My mother and stepfather (75 and 77) also limit night driving. They also have diminished periforil (side vision) vision. Not sure if any test simulator can test for that. Also most driving tests would be done during the daytime. All these state run places shut down after 4pm in area at least.
Dimo, I am well aware that statistics show that many more young people are in accidents. They are just learning to drive and many think that once they learn to drive sober they can also drive under the influence of alcohol and drugs. There is also pending legislation to raise the driving age from 16 to either 18 or 21 years of age considering the stats that you mentioned. That is a separate issue. I might add that unlike people between 16 and 18 who are too young to vote, the elderly and retired persons are one of the greatest demographic voting regularly and have the time to pester law makers. Many politicians fear making legislation that might impact elder voting negatively. However, in this instance, is popular opinion and majority rule jeopardizing public safety here?
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A age limit is fine as long as retesting is involved. And like wise there should be retesting for every one under 25 every year. Theres should be some other driving laws like permanent suspension for driving and texting or talking on phone. Permeate suspension for speeding , blocking the road to talk to friends or loud radios, Driving ugly cars with unsafe mods to them.
November 30th, 2009 at 7:04 pmyes!lets say 55
November 30th, 2009 at 7:04 pmi think there should because elderly tend to drive carelessly and slow but also live by themselves usually so how would they go places?
November 30th, 2009 at 7:04 pmI do think that all people regardless of age should be retested every two years and if they can pass the vision, written and driving tests then yes they should be driving……..but if they have an accident or cause injury to another person then at that time their license should be suspended until a later time…..no exceptions to this rule.
November 30th, 2009 at 7:04 pmi believe that every 5 or 10 year all people should be re-tested for their driver’s license. many people (not just the elderly) are unfit to drive. I also believe that on certain days, policemen should go out and stop cars to do random checks to see if they know general car knowledge (like you would find on an exam to get your license). so, to answer your question, some people are fit to drive at that age, while others are not. it is also the responsibility of their family members to keep them safe. if you see another family member who is not driving safely, you should tell them to refrain from driving.
November 30th, 2009 at 7:04 pmI think there should be very thourough testing when it comes to the elderly. They should be checked for any serious conditions that would cause them to go hysterical behind the wheel, and for vision(no-brainer). Also, I think they should do something about the size of the car they drive. A 85 year old woman has no buisness driving a 89 cadillac fleetwood if he can’t read the top letter on a vision chart. I knew a man that was 102, and drove just like any other safe driver, following the laws, wearing his seat belt, and going the speed limit.
November 30th, 2009 at 7:04 pmGood Lord, good question. I believe there should be an age limit on driving. Many times, relatives (children particularly, sometimes grandchildren) will take the keys away from their elderly relation, but often times this does not happen. My grandfather was still driving into his 90’s, and it was the equivalent of driving with a 5 year old on a soap box and stilts to reach the pedals….in other words, he was having difficulty following the rules of the road. Old age is a pain the butt, and it effects you both physically and mentally, both integral requirements to safe driving. I believe that once you decide to collect social security (generally in your 60’s), you should be required to take a driving test to collect. In order to continue to collect social security, you should be required to send in a ‘doctor’s note’. These doctors will be trained and certified in identifying the signs of potentially unsafe doctors. This works for two reasons: 1) Once you know how to drive, you will always know how to drive, the elderly merely struggle to abide by these rules because of their mental/physical health. A doctor will no-doubt be able to gauge this better than a driving instructor, and 2) All elderly people visit the doctor, so it should not be out of their way.
November 30th, 2009 at 7:04 pm"Man Bites Dog!" makes the news because it is unusual.
"Dog bites man" is ignored because it happens so often.
An old person running off the road and killing someone is newsworthy because it is such a rare occurance.
People under the age of 25 have so many accidents and kill so many people that it is not newsworthy.
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/09s1073.pdf
In 2006 there were 11,483,000 licensed drivers 75 years of age and older, who were involved in 560,000 accidents — that is 4.9 accidents per 100 drivers.
In 2006 there were 10,682,000 licensed drivers 16-19 years of age, who were involved in 2,160,000 accidents — that is 20.2 accidents per 100 drivers.
Teenagers are crashing their vehicles at over FOUR TIMES the rate of those over age 74.
……………….
How about, instead of Agist Bigotry, we simply take the people off the road who show they are incapable of driving as evidenced by mulitple traffic tickets? Oh! Wait. What am I thinking. You don’t want common sense, you just want to rant about old people.
November 30th, 2009 at 7:04 pmit has nothing to do with age, people just need to pay attention to what there doing. crashes are caused by unfocused, distracted people.
November 30th, 2009 at 7:04 pmthe driving test is a joke, left turn, right turn, park you pass. recovering a car from a 80mph skid should be on the test.