do you think elderly drivers need additional driving test?

[craigster59]

If people would use their turn signals and use the left lane for passing and move back to the right, 95% of my driving frustrations would be resolved...

[126coupe]

Well I just got a call from one of my Tenants.
An elderly women just crashed into my building.
Right through the plate glass, structural damage ect.
Enough said

[EdT82SC]

And separate licensing for large trucks and SUVs. I have personally seen a lot more accidents caused by SUV drivers who don't know how to drive a large vehicle with a high center of gravity. Several times I have seen an SUV going over 50 swerve to try to avoid hitting the guy in front of them because they were following too closely, and the guy in front hits the breaks. So the SUV loses control, and either flips, or heads sideways across the freeway out of control, causing a serious multi-car accident instead of a minor rear-ender, or nothing at all if they leave enough distance for a heavy SUV to stop.

[126coupe]

Originally posted by EdT82SC
And separate licensing for large trucks and SUVs. I have personally seen a lot more accidents caused by SUV drivers who don't know how to drive a large vehicle with a high center of gravity. Several times I have seen an SUV going over 50 swerve to try to avoid hitting the guy in front of them because they were following too closely, and the guy in front hits the breaks. So the SUV loses control, and either flips, or heads sideways across the freeway out of control, causing a serious multi-car accident instead of a minor rear-ender, or nothing at all if they leave enough distance for a heavy SUV to stop.

My Daughters best friends boyfriend has been in intensive care for a week, (internal injuries, broken collarbone, broken femer) His parents thought it would be a good idea if he drove an Expedition. He lost control hit a curb, flipped several times and wrapped the thing around a tree. He is lucky to be alive. Alcohol .12 He is 20 years old. You can sure screw up your life in a split second

[Racerbvd]

Originally posted by john70t
.

I've only seen a few examples of extreme slowness, but see the opposite extreme on a daily basis. How many thousands of people are killed every year by other people driving outside their limits?
...

Well, I have seen quite a few, here in FL we have plenty of seasoned citizens. Our former Mayor lost his wife because of an accident caused but a senile citizen entering the highway at 40mph under the posted speed, and who are the ones whose cars serge forward through crowds, at malls and other public places. When I was in 8th grade, at the small private school I went too, an old guy lost control of his car drove down the sidewalk into a tree at a high rate of speed, just missing us on the playground. Why is it mainly old people's cars whose gas pedals are the only ones that always seem to stick and the brake pedals work like gas pedals??

[porsche930dude]

i spoke with a cop once about it and he said that he gives out tickets that make you go for a retest and most of the old people he issues them to dont even bother with it and stop driving all together.

[teenerted1]

you have to at least take a vision test here to get your license renewed. no matter what your age is. they don't use a wall chart so no chance of remembering/cheating. with your glasses on just to make sure you are up to date.

but beyond that I'm not sure what is required as you get older. i wouldn't be opposed to some kind of test. but then I'm not running for office

[competentone]

Originally posted by Minkoff
My Daughters best friends boyfriend has been in intensive care for a week, (internal injuries, broken collarbone, broken femer) His parents thought it would be a good idea if he drove an Expedition. He lost control hit a curb, flipped several times and wrapped the thing around a tree. He is lucky to be alive. Alcohol .12 He is 20 years old. You can sure screw up your life in a split second

And this sort of thing happens a LOT more than old people driving into buildings.

Again, if you want the roads overall to be safer, don't waste your time ranting against old people; the young ones are the real killers.

[holtjv]

I'm sensitive to this issue because (pilots take notice) my dad is in his mid 70's and should NOT be driving. He wanders all over the road, gets aggressive with drivers who "slight" him, and generally has no situational awareness.

Now, here's the hard part: my dad was a career USAF pilot then retired to McDonnell Douglas as a test pilot, flying first F4s, then F15s, then F18s before he was grounded b/c of age from Mac.

So my dad was apparently a good stick in his day. To see him now, you'd never know it. I know I should say something but practically speaking, I don't think I'd ever get him to stop driving.

What would you all do? I know this is only slightly related to this thread but I'm flummoxed--add to the mix that I idolize my dad and telling him something like this would be very difficult for me.

Any advice?

Jack

[NICKG]

Originally posted by holtjv
I'm flummoxed--Any advice?

Jack

Can you Define "Flummoxed"
I will try to look that up in the meantime. If the PPOT is good for nothing else, it is good for vocabulary

[legion]

You could try Joe's approach...

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by Dantilla
You deserve a standing ovation for that. What a great thing to do.

The three of us kids thought about it long and hard before taking action. The girls were in the car with her on one trip to the grocery store where she simply ran another car off of the road. No one was hurt and the other driver got back on the road but the two of them were scared so badly by the experience that they were speechless for over 10 minutes after getting home.

After this we decided to disable the car. After the stepmother mentioned about getting the car fixed I came up with putting the note on the car for the mechanic.

A postscript to this is that the three of us finally were able to get with the family doctor and he contacted DMV (this was in St Louis) and got them to request that she take a special driving exam, which she failed. Her license was then revoked and we all felt a bit safer on the roads.

I still feel a bit sorry for having to do this but it turns out that she had Altzimers (sp) disease and trying to reason with her was not going to work.

[Joeaksa]

Jack,

Any other kids in the family? How is Mom doing? Does she agree with you on this point and would she agree to help you with this? If its really to this point you might as well want to discuss this with both his family doctor as well as his flight surgeon, if available.

Second thing to do would be to drop by the motor vehicle division where you live. Ask for a supervisor and then explain your problem. If you have siblings or your Mother can go along, that would be a lot better. Simply tell them the truth, that you are afraid for his safety and the safety of those around him on the road. Ask them to send him a notice requiring a drivers exam. They may ask for someone to file out a complaint against him and you may have to be the one to do this, otherwise get a friend, hopefully someone he does not know but the DMV should be able to keep this information under cover.

If your Father is to the point where he is this bad them let the DMV folks make the decision. If they say he is ok, then its in their hands but usually after something like this if he passes the first test then they re-test every year and keep an eye on the driver.

Hope this helps... it can be a sticky situation but better than having him run over by a truck or hurt another driver or car full of kids.

Joe

[Porsche_monkey]

I think a reasonable approach is to tell him he is unsafe. If he disagrees ask him to re-apply for his license and take the mandatory road test. Let a third party do the dirty work.

[holtjv]

Thanks guys--I'll let you know what happens. I truly don't know how he'd react if I were to confront him--he has such fierce pride.

Thanks again...Jack