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Post by Peanut on Jan 24, 2019 15:23:26 GMT -5
Link to the very generic article. How old is too old to be behind the wheel? Should the government regulate elderly drivers the same way younger/new drivers are restricted? Many of us have aging parents, and may be seeing signs they are no longer as sharp a driver as they were in their prime. Have you discussed the issue with your parents or elderly friends?
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Post by Mamapalooza on Jan 24, 2019 15:38:26 GMT -5
Our drivers have to take a road test every two years once they reach 80, or sooner if there's a concern. I think that's reasonable.
My dad took his first one last spring on his birthday. He wasn't really happy about it, as it marked a significant milestone I'm sure. Losing a licence due to old age erodes one's freedom and independence, even the potential for that has to be depressing for anyone who drives. My grandfather lost his in his 80s because he suffered from narcolepsy and finally fell asleep at the wheel on the freeway. That was a hard pill to swallow, as he'd been a professional truck driver for much of his life.
Philip should hang up his keys I think. It's time.
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mare
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Post by mare on Jan 24, 2019 22:08:30 GMT -5
I think there should be mandatory testing past a certain age.
I'm not sure the protocol if an elderly person flat out refuses to give up driving. I hope there is some sort of way law enforcement can do an evaluation.
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Post by katy on Jan 25, 2019 5:11:04 GMT -5
My father (83 I think) made me nervous when I saw him. He was doing things like making left turns from the right lane.
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Post by realcranky on Jan 25, 2019 7:36:18 GMT -5
They made my mom take an eye test more often for her license in Florida, and her insurance really jumped when she hit 80. She went on driving until we hauled her out of Florida when she was 89, though she didn't go very far - the grocery store was about 6 blocks away. She definitely drove for years longer than she should have.
I don't know how you enforce that. For one thing, plenty of people drive without a license, and for another, we don't offer a lot of clear alternatives to people who can't drive. (Ask me how I know this.)
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Post by shaena on Jan 25, 2019 9:10:50 GMT -5
My coworkers 95 year old mother drives better than a lot of people I know of!
I live in an area of limited public transportation that is grant funded. It is always teetering on the chopping block.
Prince Phillip does not HAVE to drive his own vehicle, or he can drive on his own private lands. Most seniors don't have those luxuries when they get their licenses taken.
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Post by lizziebeth on Jan 25, 2019 16:10:09 GMT -5
My granddad stopped the second he crashed into the bank. š¬ Luckily he dated a string of younger āgalsā who were happy to drive him places so it didnāt inhibit his social life.
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Post by marianparoo on Jan 26, 2019 6:54:00 GMT -5
If there is a minimum age, it makes sense that there can be a maximum age.
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emmjay
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Post by emmjay on Jan 26, 2019 8:22:37 GMT -5
My grandmother had to take a driving and vision test every year once she hit a certain age (this was in Illinois. She was 97 the last time she passed.  After that she moved to VA to be closer to my parents and she stopped driving. The Queen still drives AND rides horses. I have heard stories from a few people about almost being run over by her in Windsor. And Harry has had a few fender benders locally so it isnāt only the elderly royals who are menaces on the roads. |
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Post by justthinking on Jan 26, 2019 8:27:03 GMT -5
My grandmother had to take a driving and vision test every year once she hit a certain age (this was in Illinois. She was 97 the last time she passed. After that she moved to VA to be closer to my parents and she stopped driving. The Queen still drives AND rides horses. I have heard stories from a few people about almost being run over by her in Windsor. And Harry has had a few fender benders locally so it isnāt only the elderly royals who are menaces on the roads. Maybe the whole lot of them should just use chauffeurs! My mom is in Illinois and wiuld have had to take a driving test when she turns 84 this year. She has developed chronic vertigo, though, so thinks she is done driving. She was only driving in town by now anyway, but she did enjoy that freedom. |
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Post by TapToTalk on Jan 26, 2019 18:37:16 GMT -5
Rather than an age test, which you know will get held up in courts, just regularly retest drivers once every 10 years. Some people are very capable in their 80s and some shouldn't still be on the road in their 40s.
Telling my Mom that she shouldn't drive any more was a very difficult conversation. She's an example of someone who was never a very good driver and may have failed the test in her 50s.
By the time laws are actually written, self-driving cars will be here.
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Post by justthinking on Jan 26, 2019 18:50:53 GMT -5
My MIL fought tooth and nail. Fortunately, she made the mistake of venturing out in her car without her home health aide (whose shift she canceled), got lost multiple times so she was gone for an entire day while we thought she was safe in her home with her aide, and as she was nearing home drove down a steep embankment into the middle of a field where she sat uninjured blaring her horn until some angel foolish enough to be out running in zero degree temps saw her and called the EMTs. After that, the police took away her license until she could be cleared medically. She failed the medical clearance test with one doc, so she fired him and tried another one. She was unsuccessful in her attempts to find someone who would medically clear her so she got her license taken away before she injured or killed herself or some innocent person.
Up to that point she wouldn't accept our suggestion she quit driving. We made arrangements to be available pretty much at her beck and call so she would have a chauffeur, and kept her car "broken down" as much as we could get away with.
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Post by maurinsky on Jan 27, 2019 20:06:07 GMT -5
Since I drive on the road every day, I think EVERYONE should have to retake a driving test every 5-10 years or so.
I am assuming that at some point in my early 70s, I will no longer be able to see over the wheel of the car, and that will be my sign that it's time to give up the car. I live in an area with fairly good walkability and adequate transit (not anywhere near as good as it could be, but sufficient for about 85% of the things I do).
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Post by realcranky on Jan 27, 2019 21:12:55 GMT -5
I would like to see everyone have to take a road test every few years, too, because there are some really awful drivers and they are not all 90 years old! My not driving has really confused people lately - when I insist that I really, really need to be able to walk because I donāt drive, they are just flummoxed.  |
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Post by Andee on Jan 31, 2019 12:59:00 GMT -5
I have ridden with drivers of all ages that need to be retested!!
I watched my mom's driving decline and she was only 68. I would not ride with her anymore and insisted on driving. One day she came to pick me up for a cousin family reunion and instead of getting in the passenger seat like she usually did she insisted she would drive. We had a huge argument in my driveway. I ended up getting in the passenger seat. We had 3 close calls and almost caused some accidents. I never said a word. When we arrived at our destination she turned the car off and handed me the keys. We didn't talk about it at all but she knew that she shouldn't be driving.
It was a major blow for her because she was such an independent person.
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Post by coachgrrl on Feb 2, 2019 21:10:59 GMT -5
My dad died from Alzheimerās complications at 71. We took his keys and car away 2 years before that. He would go to the grocery store .25 mile away and be gone for 3 hours. So everyone testing every 10 years or so works for me.
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Post by Yogagirl on Feb 8, 2019 15:08:19 GMT -5
DH's FIL just turned 98 and got his license renewed. I am not aware of any issues other than forgetting how to get back home a few times. He also "disagrees"with their insistence that he wears his glasses when he drives. A friend had to take the keys from his mom recently after a trip to the bank a mile away resulted in her driving off the road an hour away from home. Some how she negotiated getting on one major highway and exiting onto another major highway before just slowly coming to a stop on the side of the road.
So yeah repeat testing, MD notes, something.
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joyw
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Post by joyw on Feb 11, 2019 21:55:18 GMT -5
My grandmother failed her eye exam at the DMV and they still renewed her license because they felt sorry for her. That gave us the job of taking away her keys, which was extremely difficult. This was 20 years ago. I can only hope things have gotten better since then.
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