Elderly Driving

zesty said:
this is a BIG SICK JOKE!! i have NEVER heard of a deaf person having a HC permit for being deaf!? MY GOD!!! WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU!!!

want another PITY SONG!? :rofl:
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:laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2: That's Ravensteven!!!!!
 
Meg said:
Recently I got off on the phone with my Nana. She told me that Papa refuse to see a doctor to inquire whether he has Alzheimers or not. Papa is afraid that the doctor will order him not to drive and give up his driving privileges. Thus, he refuses to go to his doctor.

Papa drives to his businesses 2 to 4 hours away twice a week to check on his properties. He is constantly on Los Angeles freeways. For these who live or visit LA, they will agree with me that these freeways are horrendous.

He has been getting disoriented lately, especially on Interstate 10. I am afraid that he will never return home or crash into another car, etc.

Is there a program out there where people call to report in about elderly driving?? I recall a story about a man crashing into a store somewhere in Santa Monica once, killing a few. I hear many stories like that.

I am in dilemma on whether to research if there is a such law or program that people call in to report this? I want to protect Papa and other people but I dont want Papa to get angry at me.

Your 2 cents on this?
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I understand your concern about your Grandad. Like what MsGiglz's suggestion.

It would be fine as long as he's well and healthy, if not then get him to check with doctor to make sure. Perhaps your Nana can talk with her family doctor to get any suggestion/tips.
 
Banjo said:
I disagree, a person above 65 should be tested every year to ensure that the driver is still capable of driving.
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Disagreed

The law of elderly driving would drive old people unhappy and low estrem because most I know feel young and healthy.

I cant see the reason why they should be test every year as long as they are still healthy and fit.

I'm for test for elderly driving when their healthy condition goes poor. It's logically understandable.
 
Liebling:-))) said:
Disagreed

The law of elderly driving would drive old people unhappy and low estrem because most I know feel young and healthy.

I cant see the reason why they should be test every year as long as they are still healthy and fit.

I'm for test for elderly driving when their healthy condition goes poor. It's logically understandable.
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yea good idea instead of just stripping it away from them like that whiner suggested sheesh..
 
As Zesty and others have pointed out, driving is the last of their independence. For many, losing the privledge to drive is the end of the road (sorry for the bad pun).

IMO, I think that people under 25 and over 65 should be tested regularly just to prove competence in driving. Of course, I would have disagreed with that when I was a teenager but now that I'm older, I look at some of the stupid stuff I've done behind the wheel. As for the elderly, I've seen people 55 who aren't fit to drive and people who are 80 and have no problems at all. I think a regular test after a certain age would be appropriate to determine if people can still drive.
 
Taylor said:
As Zesty and others have pointed out, driving is the last of their independence. For many, losing the privledge to drive is the end of the road (sorry for the bad pun).

IMO, I think that people under 25 and over 65 should be tested regularly just to prove competence in driving. Of course, I would have disagreed with that when I was a teenager but now that I'm older, I look at some of the stupid stuff I've done behind the wheel. As for the elderly, I've seen people 55 who aren't fit to drive and people who are 80 and have no problems at all. I think a regular test after a certain age would be appropriate to determine if people can still drive.
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While retest laws can be a slippery slope like with so many other laws, some states already have some sort of retest. It usually applies to everyone, not just the young or old. In Arkansas, a quick eyechart test, and an easy depth perception test has been used for years. Remember Reagan had alzimers even before he left office. Wasn't Janet Reno the one who was Attorney General with Parkinson's disease? So, maybe it should be like an annual or semi-annual physical exam for elderly persons. Restricted licenses could be issued like courts do with DWI offenders. Daytime, to and from work or store, that sort of thing. I have a restriction on my license that says I have to wear eye correction. I have had that restriction since I got my license at 14.

Also, if you are talking about retesting the WRITEN test, remember that many seniors have NEVER taken the written test. That is a fairly modern addition to the requirement for a license. Perhaps the test, for both young and old, could be in a driving simulator. I used one of those back in the 60's. With today's technology, it could be as accurate in measuring reaction time and hand/eye coordination, situational awareness as the military flight simulators. Just a thought.
 
Codger said:
...So, maybe it should be like an annual or semi-annual physical exam for elderly persons. . . Perhaps the test, for both young and old, could be in a driving simulator. I used one of those back in the 60's. With today's technology, it could be as accurate in measuring reaction time and hand/eye coordination, situational awareness as the military flight simulators. Just a thought.
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Physicals and simulator tests sound like good ideas. I am thinking that the cost and time factors might be a problem though. Who will pay for the physical exams and simulator tests? Will this bog down services even more at the local DMVs?

Enforcing restricted licenses is another problem. It kind of depends on the driver's integrity and "honor system". Unless someone is pulled over for a moving violation, involved in an accident, or as part of a general traffic stop (like New Year's Eve DUI stops), the police/HP won't know if someone is violating their restriction.

South Carolina dropped vehicle safety inspection requirements because of the cost and hassle. Drivers here are already upset about the law upgrading seat belt offense from a secondary to primary offense. The big driving controversy here is whether or not to allow illegal aliens to get state driver's licenses. I don't know if our state legislature is ready to tackle another driving controversy.
 
Reba said:
Physicals and simulator tests sound like good ideas. I am thinking that the cost and time factors might be a problem though. Who will pay for the physical exams and simulator tests? Will this bog down services even more at the local DMVs?

Enforcing restricted licenses is another problem. It kind of depends on the driver's integrity and "honor system". Unless someone is pulled over for a moving violation, involved in an accident, or as part of a general traffic stop (like New Year's Eve DUI stops), the police/HP won't know if someone is violating their restriction.

South Carolina dropped vehicle safety inspection requirements because of the cost and hassle. Drivers here are already upset about the law upgrading seat belt offense from a secondary to primary offense. The big driving controversy here is whether or not to allow illegal aliens to get state driver's licenses. I don't know if our state legislature is ready to tackle another driving controversy.
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Very sound points Reba. Seatbelt and helmet laws are generally "for your own good" laws. Retesting comes more under the heading of general public safety. Let me see if I can address the questions one at a time.

1. Cost and time factors: The tests already done in states like Arkansas for depth perception/hand-eye coodination are done at the counter in less than a minute while the clerk is looking up your info on the computer. The photo takes more time. The clerk then looks at the back of the device to see pass/fail without missing a beat.

2. Simulator tests are only a bit more time consumptive, and we already have driving schools and DWI schools that people attend as an alternative to paying certain tickets and license suspension. The test does not require constant monitoring, as the results are printed out at the end of the session, usually a ten minute "drive". The participants in driving courses are asessed a predetermined fee to offset the costs of the class.

3. Most, if not all seniors already have an annual checkup or physical. It would only be a matter of the physician filling in a blank, noting restrictions, and adding their signature on the recertification form. My kids are required to have a physical for signing up for sports. It is not much different.

4. Enforcing restricted licenses is already an issue. Normally, ticketing only becomes a factor when an accident becomes a factor, or an officer observes erratic driving behavior. We now have roadblocks for sobrity checks, and those have been extended to seatbelt checks. Who enforces the law about driving with NO license?
Did any of this make sense?
 
Meg, try something like this in the morning... When your Papa comes out of his room, say, "Good morning! You look great! Give it a spin and let me see around you! If he smiles and starts spinning, then suddenly he has trouble standing up, then you can say, "Aw, Papa! You're in no position to be driving today." LOL :rofl:
 
Rickcares said:
Meg, try something like this in the morning... When your Papa comes out of his room, say, "Good morning! You look great! Give it a spin and let me see around you! If he smiles and starts spinning, then suddenly he has trouble standing up, then you can say, "Aw, Papa! You're in no position to be driving today." LOL :rofl:
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Hahahahahaha but unfortunately he lives in Los Angeles and Im 1000 miles away :(

However, good news are that we convinced him to sell his biz. So he sold his businesses and bought 3 businesses here in Portland so that my mom and stepdad can tend to his properties so my Papa does not have to make long drives anymore through the maze of freeways in Los Angeles/San Bernardino counties!

:ty: for your funny suggestion!
 
Older drivers

My own father is 91 years old and still driving. We 3 kids have done everything we can to get him off the highway, but it does no good. Dad has been picked up by the police several times and they always send him home without charging him.

It is alot more difficult than you think to get these people off the road. For myself, I will know when the time comes for me to stop driving. So far, so good. My husband is nervous about driving, so I do most of it, even tho I am older than he is.
 
My father in law is in serious stages of Alzheimers, his dr gave us permission to revoke his dr license, he kept on driving, we just confiscated the car keys...soon will be selling the car. he needs to stay home rather on road that can end up killing innocent lives.
 
I think In the State of Alabama, they already made a law that after 65, they're forced to take a driving test annually.

my point is I've read some things some of you have said.. about my grandmother is 66 and my grandfather is 71 and they're perfectly healthy.. but you have to think about the facts that their eyesights do fade, their concentrations fade, they don't have the fast pace to be looking around quickly, they respond slower. Correct me if I'm wrong..

Also.. for teens that are 16 to 20 (my guess) years of age, They get too excited ended up speeding, reckless driving, thinking that nothing would ever happen to them. I've been there and done that.. so I know what that's like with teenagers. They ought to get tested too.

that's just my opinion... :dunno:
 
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