Cracking down on older drivers

USA Today cites the case of George Weller when editorializing for tougher regulations on older drivers. Weller was 86 when he lost control of his car and killed 10 at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market:

Elderly drivers are more likely to be involved in fatal crashes at traffic intersections than are younger drivers, according to a report issued last month by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. By 2030, the number of licensed drivers ages 65 and older will nearly double to about 57 million — about one in five drivers. Yet efforts by states to evaluate the abilities of older motorists aren't nearly as stringent as new limits being placed on teens, who increasingly face restrictions on night driving, the number of passengers they can carry and other matters.

What do you think? Do we need tighter rules for older drivers? Even if it insults them? Hit COMMENT and speak out!

Comments

[Marco]

If this is going to get down we better move on it fast. AARP is a very powerful lobby. Recently I was summarizing a transportation survey conducted at a retirement community, and a number of respondents said they did not use public transportation but figured they would need it when the got older. These respondents were often 75-85 years old. If you have spent a lifetime driving you are hardly going to give up the convenience easily.

[John M]

My mother's dearest friend is slipping into dementia. She's lived in the same county all of her life - and it's not heavily populated - and last week she asked my mother what road to take (the only major road north) to get to my mother's house.

She forgets her keys, gets lost, and nobody in her family is taking any action. The next step is letting the water run or forgetting to turn off a gas stove burner. My mother-in-law went through this and the experience was terrible for everybody. With that in mind, I could call her state's DMV and ask them to have her come in for a test, I suppose, and let them judge her ability for themselves.

In my conversations with my mother about this, she's said that driving means so much to her friend:

She likes to go to the farmers' market.

[SteveC]

I was involved in a head on collision with an elderly driver who had apparently stepped on the gas instead of the brake, running a stop sign, getting broadsided, jumping the median and going against traffic on the wrong side of the street. One person was killed and I've had persistent pain for over a decade. The driver, who was in her late 70s or older, didn't know what happened to her when it was over. Simple fact -- she shouldn't have been driving. Yes, it's time that older drivers take rigorous tests -- for reflexes, vision, cognition, not to mention driving skill.

[George Hale]

Vision, specifically, peripheral vision is one issue affecting older drivers followed closely, I believe, by reduced reaction times. The U.S. air force tested for both sometime during my basic training. I suppose all services do. Go find out how they do it and test all who are over retirement age annually. A Federal subsidy should pay for it. The Driver's License as means of formal identification should remain in place. Issue "valid" licenses for qualified driver's and "invalid" (ID Only) licenses.