Should old people be allowed to drive 80+

[yetgdhfgh]

Should old people be allowed to drive 80+

So if anyone has seen the news Prince Phillip who is married to the Queen and who is 97 crashed his Range Rover and was lucky to walk away but this asks the question should old people be forced to give up driving when they reach a certain age?

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-46918039

Now i said 80+ as a reasonable age for us to start asking cause i know the retirement age is 60 and i certainly wouldnt advocate 60-70 years bared from driving but when you hit that 80+ age then is it time to force them off the roads for everyones including there own safety?

[Captain N]

As I've said in previous threads with this question: I have to re-test both written and with a certified instructor on the rails every three years to maintain my locomotive engineer's license. Whether you're 21 or 91 the same should apply. Simply retaking a vision test every so many years is not the same as knowing how to be a good driver.

[Appelgren]

After you reach 70 years of age (maybe earlier) your license should need to be refreshed with a new driving test every year to see how well you can fit into traffic.

This could probably be enforced from 40 or 50 too every 5 years or so just to maintain a higher standard on the road.

Don't really see any problems with this since it's for everyone's safety

[jackofwind]

As I've said in previous threads with this question: I have to re-test both written and with a certified instructor on the rails every three years to maintain my locomotive engineer's license. Whether you're 21 or 91 the same should apply. Simply retaking a vision test every so many years is not the same as knowing how to be a good driver.

Yeah apart from the inconvenience of having to take a road test I think this would be the best route to take to get bad drivers off the road.

[yetgdhfgh]

Its not just eye test i would demand its driver awareness and reflexes too and for them to know the fact you are allowed to go faster than 30 mph on the freeway/motorway!!

[Seranthor]

Should old people be allowed to drive 80+

So if anyone has seen the news Prince Phillip who is married to the Queen and who is 97 crashed his Range Rover and was lucky to walk away but this asks the question should old people be forced to give up driving when they reach a certain age?

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-46918039

Now i said 80+ as a reasonable age for us to start asking cause i know the retirement age is 60 and i certainly wouldnt advocate 60-70 years bared from driving but when you hit that 80+ age then is it time to force them off the roads for everyones including there own safety?

12.2% of car accidents are caused by teens (16-19)... 7.5% of car accidents are caused by people 65 and over. If you really are interested in safety then perhaps you should also advocate for raising the minimum driving age to be 20. For everyone's safety of course.

[Boricha]

Many areas of the US don't have strong public transportation, so driving is a must for those elderly who still wish to function in society.

[PACOX]

After you reach 70 years of age (maybe earlier) your license should need to be refreshed with a new driving test every year to see how well you can fit into traffic.

This could probably be enforced from 40 or 50 too every 5 years or so just to maintain a higher standard on the road.

Don't really see any problems with this since it's for everyone's safety

In FL you have to renew in person every few renewals, which means an eye and hearing test. Seniors are renewed every 6 years instead of eight. It's not much but it's something.

[Appelgren]

12.2% of car accidents are caused by teens (16-19)... 7.5% of car accidents are caused by people 65 and over. If you really are interested in safety then perhaps you should also advocate for raising the minimum driving age to be 20. For everyone's safety of course.

This is the equivalent of people saying "but white men rape too" when people talk about sending foreign rapists home...

[yetgdhfgh]

12.2% of car accidents are caused by teens (16-19)... 7.5% of car accidents are caused by people 65 and over. If you really are interested in safety then perhaps you should also advocate for raising the minimum driving age to be 20. For everyone's safety of course.

I would more than welcome that! Thing is though most of those accidents are caused by stupidity and not by failing health and eyesight plus does it take into account that there is prolly lesser old people on the road and more younger people?

[Kelathos]

Unless they come up with a cure or treatment for aging, I think 80 is a good time to check out.

[Piglord]

I think every person should have to periodically prove ability to safely operate a vehicle, and lose their license if they can't. Multiple accidents, or violations should all play into that. In the US, the 16-29 age bracket is responsible for more accidents then all the others combined.

[Adapter]

Young drivers cause way more accidents than old drivers.
So if you want to improve safety, raise the legal driving age to 25.
End of thread.

[Teaklog]

12.2% of car accidents are caused by teens (16-19)... 7.5% of car accidents are caused by people 65 and over. If you really are interested in safety then perhaps you should also advocate for raising the minimum driving age to be 20. For everyone's safety of course.

Except you could easily make the argument that the higher % caused by teens is largely because they're unexperienced drivers (this is, if you raise it to 20, you will see an increase in the number of accidents for people aged 20-23)

[freezion]

the whole argument about raising the age is borderline BS.
It essentially boils down to ''No new people, they do more mistakes than people with experience''
If you raise the age, the statistics will just shift. if you want to lower the accident rate for young drivers, elongate the course for the license, and require more driving hours before you can take your test.

Old people doesn't necessarily mean more accidents, but on the other hand more inconvenience/reason for more dangerous situations.
there's a tendency where i live, where it's the old people who drive in the wrong direction, driving WAAAY under the limit, swerve, drunk driving, do last second turns etc.

For that sake my grandmother managed to drive around for 45 minutes when she had to drive 300 meters because she's turning senile and couldn't remember where her friend lived, despite going there weekly for the past 5 years.

There comes an age where you need regular health checks and a doctors approval on whether you can renew your license or not.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

A lot of times it isn't allowed. I know before all my grandparents passed most of them just had a hardship licences which allowed them to go to medical appointments, the store, and that was about it. But over all I think it is becoming more a thing of the past to have them driving around. These days a lot more things come to you instead of you having to go to them.

[Velerios]

Why? In a few years nobody will still drive a car. Also one of the best driver i know is 84 and drives like always. Still: Instead of something stupid like make them rewrite the written test (and sorry, after a few years nobody can answer this crap); i would instead simply make them a check up at the doctor.

Is he still able to drive a car? Can he remember things? AND maybe the most important thing: can he still see well enough. Often old people simply don't buy new glasses, even through they really need it. A vision test and if necessary new glasses; i think these things are enough of a hassle.

[cityguy193]

12.2% of car accidents are caused by teens (16-19)... 7.5% of car accidents are caused by people 65 and over. If you really are interested in safety then perhaps you should also advocate for raising the minimum driving age to be 20. For everyone's safety of course.

Raise the minimum age as long as you only lower the maximum age.

The better thing is to just have a retest every couple of years.

[Adapter]

the whole argument about raising the age is borderline BS.
It essentially boils down to ''No new people, they do more mistakes than people with experience''
If you raise the age, the statistics will just shift.

Cool theory.
While in reality young drivers cause accidents due to driving too fast and beign reckless.

[nymphetsss]

So my Great grandfather (87 at the time) fell asleep at the wheel ran a red light and smashed into oncoming traffic. No charges were laid because it was a side effect of his new medication and the doctor didn't say he couldn't drive, the fucker kept his license