Should there be a driving age limit?

[Superman]

Agreed.

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by Superman

I see people every day who shouldn't be driving and age is not a factor.

Both of my kids are in college now. Both wrecked their original vehicles, one each, to a point that we sold the cars to a breakers yard. I was mortified, mainly because I had put so much work into the cars to make them nice. The old lady, on the other hand, had the expectation the kids would wreck the cars and chalked it up to learning or whatever.

Both are now in Land Rover Discovery 2 from 2000. Nice and big and slow as a snail. It seems to have calmed them down a bit. Also my comments to both that if they F up again they will be walking may have put the fear of God in them (touch wood).

I was dumb struck at my wife's attitude toward this entire thing. I think the expectation from us should have been that no accident is permissible (edit: expected or acceptable as a matter of course). Sure we would work through it later but give them the notion that they needed to take care of their cars vice them being disposable.

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

It makes me mad when I think about how low the bar is set when it comes to issuing a license to a driver in this country.

As for licensing in this country: I had to test in Germany, albeit under the supervision of US Army Europe. The test is 2 part and not easy in the slightest. Part 1 is road signs and there are dozens of them. You could only miss a couple or you couldn't take the written test. The written test was pretty long as well and not a push over like what you get in the US.

Ditto for their annual vehicle safety inspections. They check suspension, ball joints for play, brakes with an actual device that shows load, and a bunch of other stuff. You ain't driving a POS over there.

My FIL is 88 and drives a F150 4 door. He will park that thing in the tightest of parking spaces. Drives every week to visit my MIL's grave an hour and half away in the country. His movement within the lane of travel is scary. Literally from lane line to lane line and doesn't bother him to drive right next to a semi on the interstate for a mile or so.

I don't think an arbitrary age is good but maybe re-tests. Problem is some folks are going to slip through just like they do here with our pitiful vehicle inspections.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by matthewb0051

I don't think an arbitrary age is good but maybe re-tests. Problem is some folks are going to slip through just like they do here with our pitiful vehicle inspections.

What's a 'vehicle inspection'?

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by stevej37

What's a 'vehicle inspection'?

Ours has turned into a check of lights, wipers, and horn. Nothing else unless the State DOT sends out a notice like last year when they would drive your car a few feet in the parking lot to see if it had brakes.

Virginia on the other hand is a bit more serious. My 996 failed one year bc the reverse light switch was malfunctioning. PITA. Plus they do exhaust, tires, and a bunch of other stuff.

[Deschodt]

Definitely some kind of testing (mostly on awareness, no need to make them parallel park) after a certain age or a diagnosis of cognitive impairment... Walter Rohrl is 75 and he can drive me anytime... Maybe based on a report - though I can see that being used nefariously... Still would be nice if the OP could have reported his concern to someone and a test was requested by the DMV upon renewal. These folks end up driving into restaurants or mowing down people, and their families cannot always be trusted to take away the keys and take over...

[stevej37]

^^^ Matthew
We have nothing, along with no emissions testing at all.

I think the state feels guilty because of the shape of our roads. Wouldn't be fair to inspect vehicles after having to drive through MI potholes.

No driving age limit either.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by stevej37

What's a 'vehicle inspection'?

I saw a car yesterday on the highway going 65 MPH with the front and rear bumper covers gone, and twisted metal for the bumpers, the entire side of the car was smashed in. No doubt they have to get in from the passenger side to drive. But they were driving it. And we all know if the car looked like that, the rest of the suspension and brakes are in top shape right?

Oklahoma had a "inspection" for years. Mostly to check that the turn signals, headlight and brake lights worked, as well as the horn. They did not test the brakes or suspension. Many years ago one of the legislators managed to write a bill to eliminate the inspection. He stated on the floor that everyone now had new cars and it was not needed, and there was enough support to kill it. So now it is drive whatever. The cops can in theory pull over a unsafe looking car or one with lights not functioning. I bet they don't do that more than twice per year.

[911 Rod]

Here you need to renew your driver's license every two years after the age of 80. This is both a written and an on road test.

[David]

As I drive, I'm constantly scanning the vehicles around me. Anything with dents gets a wide berth and extra attention.

I also put a strong correlation between someone's vehicle condition and their life choices. To the point that I'll check out a prospective employee's vehicle when they come to interview. It's easy to tell which vehicles in our parking lot belong to security guards, janitors, general F'ups, and highly productive employees. Of course I'm a car guy so I might be prejudice.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by matthewb0051

Both of my kids are in college now. Both wrecked their original vehicles, one each, to a point that we sold the cars to a breakers yard. I was mortified, mainly because I had put so much work into the cars to make them nice. The old lady, on the other hand, had the expectation the kids would wreck the cars and chalked it up to learning or whatever.

Both are now in Land Rover Discovery 2 from 2000. Nice and big and slow as a snail. It seems to have calmed them down a bit. Also my comments to both that if they F up again they will be walking may have put the fear of God in them (touch wood).

I was dumb struck at my wife's attitude toward this entire thing. I think the expectation from us should have been that no accident is permissible (edit: expected or acceptable as a matter of course). Sure we would work through it later but give them the notion that they needed to take care of their cars vice them being disposable.

While not EVERY kid is going to have an accident, I think the vast majority of them are. I think the issue is related mostly to a lack of experience. Could you get enough experience via more training, sure, but that would probably require at least hundreds of hours of real world experience in all sorts of traffic and environments, and I don't think many folks are prepared or capable of providing that sort of training.

And even then, once they are on their own or worse yet, with peers in their car, all bets are off and things are likely to change.

And if you change the driving age to something later than 16, maybe 18 or 20 or even 25, you're just pushing the time for folks to gain experience back to a later date. A 40 year old who has never driven may be just or nearly as dangerous as a 16 year old with no experience.

[GH85Carrera]

I started driving in 1972. In 1973 the mini skirt was at very distracting shortness, especially for a hormone filled high school kid boy. I was carefully studying the legs and backside of a hottie walking in front of the school. Of course the 25 MPH speed limit was in effect, and traffic was moving at legal speeds. I was really enjoying the spectacle of the co-ed in her miniskirt, and the car in front stopped. The rather underwhelming stopping power of a 1960 VW bug on bias ply recapped tires made my stopping in time impossible. It was totally my fault, and it is the only wreck I have ever had that was my fault. A lady did run into my 914 in 1979 but I was at a stop and had no where to go. I have not had any sort of wreck since. Well there was a suicidal California deer that tried to come through my windshield, but she just came out of nowhere.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by URY914

Pelican should have an age limit for posting.

Like maybe a minimum age of 55?...lol
To keep the whippersnappers out?

[ramonesfreak]

Something needs to be done but not sure what.

30 years ago I was a college kid and locked my keys in my car. Parents were out of town so I called my grandpa to come get me so I could retrieve a spare. On the way to get my keys, grandpa joe turned in to the one-way exit ramp of the expressway almost killing us. He brushed it off like it was nothing…..he also crapped his pants at the grocery store and laughed it off, so….

Now my mother is exhibiting similar behavior. The last time i drove with her at the wheel was 15 years ago and she blew threw a red light going 50 and laughed it off. She’s 100x worse now, though rarely ever drives

The final straw before I sold my motorcycles was a lady must have been 100 made a left in front of me at an intersection. I stared her in the eyes as I barely made it by her (her head a few centimeters above the wheel), she looked right through me like I was a ghost. Came within an inch of death

[ramonesfreak]

Another issue…not age related, is the medicated

I used to represent people appealing SSD claims, along with other injury type cases. The people would sit across the desk from me drooling and slurring from the pain meds, or Xanax or whatever they were prescribed. Then ide watch them stumble to their car and drive off. Terrifying. I just assume everyone around me on the road is wasted or has dementia

[herr_oberst]

We don't need an age limit, we need a minimum skill level.

Until we have that, things will just get worse.
The idea that 'kids will get in wrecks, it's all part of the learning process" just makes me mad.

[flipper35]

Put a dashcam and driver cam in the car for a week. All those kids with phones would fail on day one. The elderly would fail only when they are not competent any longer.

My pet peeve is all the people making a left turn, coming from my right, and want to cut through my lane at the intersection.

[stevej37]

^^^ I've always wondered ...who would be ticketed if a driver pulled up to the line and the left turner cut the corner resulting in an accident. Doesn't the straight through driver have the right to that spot?

(meaning the straight through driver arrives last and hits the 'cutting corner' car in the drivers side.)

[Abigail]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

Or testing at 70 or 75...

I was at Home Depot, parked and walking in the parking lot saw two very elderly people, husband & wife, separated, looking for their car. I would guess 90s. I thought they'd find their car so kept walking into the store.

10 minutes later I'm out and see them still shuffling around aimlessly looking everywhere with some despair on their faces. I go over to the woman and ask if she's looking for her car and what kind is it. Honda Accord. Color? Grey. I look around and there's one 20 feet away in a handicap space out front. I ask her if that's it. She says no. I ask her for her keys and she gives them to me and I hit the lock/unlock button and the lights go on and off on the car.

We walk over to it, she calls to her husband, it's their car.

I could see them causing a serious accident to be honest.

Many individuals their generation don't want to drive, but they must because when they have no one else to do it for them. That just doesn't make it better, but it does make it more understandable.

[Tervuren]

I'd say the 40 year old with no driving experience would be worse.

Originally Posted by masraum

A 40 year old who has never driven may be just or nearly as dangerous as a 16 year old with no experience.

[Superman]

I was the Drug Testing Coordinator on a large ($3 billion) construction program. A drug test was failed if a worker tested positive and could not produce a valid prescription. More significantly, a drug test was passed if the worker tested positive and could produce a valid prescription. And so....I could not stop workers from operating cranes while under the influence of oxycodone, and I could not share their positive test information with their employer.