Elderly Drivers

[Jazzy]

Fatality rates for drivers begin to climb after age 65. From ages 75 to 84, the rate of about three deaths per 100 million miles driven is equal to the death rate of teenage drivers. For drivers 85 and older, the fatality rate skyrockets to nearly four times higher than that for teens.



Debates over how to prepare for a boom in elderly drivers are resonating in statehouses across the nation.



The only measure scientifically proven to lower the rate of fatal crashes involving elderly drivers is forcing the seniors to appear at motor vehicle departments in person to renew their licenses, says the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), citing a 1995 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.



But most states do not require older drivers to renew licenses in person, and only two — Illinois and New Hampshire — require them to pass road tests, which can be crucial in identifying drivers whose physical ability or mental awareness has diminished.



(Taken from: http://www.usatoday....rs-usat1a_N.htm)



Questions: Do you think elderly drivers should be forced to appear at motor vehicle departments in person?



Should they be required to pass a road test after a certain age?

 

[Fatal Dawn]

There is not much more I can say after what Smooth explained. As you age your attention, memory, muscle control, and response time change. Those things are all crucial to driving. However not because someone reaches a certain age means they have lost those skills. They should however be tested for those things at some point.

 

[Jazzy]

Wouldn't it be considered discrimination to test only the elderly? At what age do you think the testing should be mandatory?

 

[Fatal Dawn]

I agree. Not because someone reaches a certain age means they have their mind etc.

But I think that every so often licenses should be renewed. That way there is no discrimination against a person of a certain age.

 

[Evil Eye]

Yes and yes.

That's a lot of lives to throw away for no good reason.

Wouldn't it be considered discrimination to test only the elderly?

Sure, but do you really want to pay for everyone to get re-evaluated each year or so?

 

[Jazzy]

I think that EVERYONE who has a license regardless of age should have to take and pass a road test when it's time to renew their license. There are people out there behind the wheel of a car/truck that aren't fit to drive regardless of their age.

 

[Fatal Dawn]

To renew your license, do you need a physical or not? Age does matter, it's just shouldn't be the only thing that matters.

 

[Jazzy]

To renew your license, do you need a physical or not?

You get a notice in the mail that it's time to renew your license. You simply mail it back with a check or do it online using a credit/debit card. They wouldn't know if I'm dead and someone else is renewing for me.

 

[Bluezone777]

I imagine most would not want to have to take a test that they probably get stuck paying for even if it meant safer roads. People would rather save a little in order to lose a lot if the cost is definite and the savings are a possibility that is likely.



It's not like any of us thinks the voting electorate at large is very smart.