Should Driving Tests Be Required for Older Drivers to Renew Their Licenses?

If they are driving 15 in a 35 zone, something is wrong.

I think it would be a good idea since stats show an uptick in auto problems (accidents,
tickets, etc.) as folks age.

Are you an insurance industry employee? I ask because of your comment that "stats show..."
In a certain town the men had twice as many accidents as the women. These figures alone show that a male in this town is a higher risk than a female. But there were 400 men and only 50 women and of that group, 4 men and 2 women had an accident. This additional information indicates that the women are the higher risk (4 times as many men but they had only twice as many accidents). But of the 400 male drivers, 200 were out of town during the period of the study.

In Saudi Arabia, stats show that the accident rate among female drivers is virtually non existant. Statistically true, but in Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to drive.

At a certain College Campus with over 10,000 students in the class of 1990, 25% of the female students married one of their Professors. Sound like a lot of fraternization? But there were only 4 female students in the class of 1990.

These stories are told to illustrate that statistics can be manipulated to support either side of an argument, or in layman's language, "figures don't lie, liars figure!"

QUOTING "STATISTICS" FOR THE PURPOSE OF SETTING AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE RATES SHOULD BE A FIRST CLASS FELONY PUNISHABLE BY 30 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON WITHOUT PAROLE!

Statistics DO show that as folks age their response time slows, their sight is often
poorer and their hearing is often impaired...simply a part of the life process. Given
these statistics, I would be willing to sit for a new drivers license check in a few years.
I do not see what this has to do with insurance, since the folks who were deemed unfit
to drive, would not be any longer be insured. In effect, this should lower premiums.

all relatives should be concerned

Lets just make it when anyone has a wreck - they have to retake their the driving test when they come due.

Yes, they should! There is not only a question about their eyesight, but also their ability to cope with driving stress, making a split second decisions, evaluating situation etc. Some older folks are forgetful, they panic, or they are simply too sick to drive or are taking powerful meds that could influence their reaction and comprehension. They might make a sense when you talk to them, are independent and functioning on a daily basis, but they feel lost in the traffic, and have a hard time coping with their own and other drivers ways to drive. Many know that something is wrong with them, but are afraid to admit it and lose independence.

I am 60 and I wouldn't mind taking the test again every 4 years. I think it is more important that we need to take a physical exam to ensure that we are still physically capable of operating a motor vehicle.

Just one quick question here: Are you an insurance industry employee? I ask because of your comment that "...Just as there are the young men who break every speed limit on the planet, drive with music turned up loud and show off in car parks doing handbrake turns and powerslides..."

There are just as many young women who "break every speed limit on the planet, drive with music turned up loud and show off in car parks doing handbrake turns and powerslides..."!

Fact: Men of all ages have more accidents than women because they drive more miles than women. Number of miles driven is already a factor in setting rates, a factor which would not be affected by prohibiting sex discrimination!

"Young males have more accidents than young females" is a half truth which the insurance companies use to breed the very popular myth that "young males have more accidents because they show off!"

Check out my question here:

http://www.sodahead.com/unite...

QUOTING "STATISTICS" FOR THE PURPOSE OF SETTING AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE RATES SHOULD BE A FIRST CLASS FELONY PUNISHABLE BY 30 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON WITHOUT PAROLE!

There are so many terrible elderly drivers out there. I'm not saying this to offend anyone but I'm saying it because that is a FACT. Most of my near accidents have been because an individual that was above the age of 50 or 60 (or appeared to be) was involved. Motor skills and attention to detail diminish with age, making operating a vehicle a more dangerous occupation.

That's age discrimination ! Plus the fact we vote,and anyone pushing for it will be voted out of office.

This is a ridiculous and plain stupid statement. If this is an age discrimination , then why 15 or 16 is not an age discrimination to get a drivers license, or 21 to buy and drink alcohol?

Hardly a intelligent comparison,i will agree 21 to buy alcohol is discrimination.

ABSOLUTELY! for their own safety and ours......

They should be made to take a driver's competence test, at a certain age well after 60-years old.

I'm not worried about older drivers. I'm worried about all the illegal Mexican Aliens driving on our streets, highways and interstates and not knowing what a Stop, Yield, Lane ends, Merge, School zone, One way only signs, and all other signposting are telling them.

You're kidding, right?

^^^ Probably not! Just not the brightest crayon in the box...

This is a racist comment and has NOTHING to do with the topic!

You didn't have the right # of choices. Yes the test should be taken after ~ 5 years of driving for all drivers. Why? Because of all the bad habits people pick up. That way the congestion might get better and also it might be easier to get Sr citizens to take the test if they see other people taking it.

I can see having an eye exam every 2 or 3 years !! If a relative or police, doctor & family show concern DEFINITELY !! Be aware that some "relatives" want to cause problems with a "noncompliant" family member !! In my mothers' family their is no "real" concern for each other JUST REVENGE for "past slights" from childhood !!

We know that sight and hearing, vital attributes to have if you are going to operate a motor vehicle, begin to fail as we age and at some point we do not have the ability to operate a motor vehicle safely. Better to catch this before someone gets hurt.

Yes, this goes against our idea of individual freedom, but when you are behind the wheel of a 4,000 pound chunk of metal you need to be able to tell where the road ends and the sidewalk begins.

I see SO MANY bad drivers on the road... EVERYONE should be tested before renewal... and a question added about it is OK TO BACK UP on the expressway if you miss your exit?

lmao Are your serious? I feel like taking the bus now!

i think around 80 is where i notice old people's cheese start sliding off the cracker. 80 is when i would definitely without a doubt retest a driver.

the problem with the eye exam is doctors who are treating seniors for many years just rubber stamp pass them sometimes without an exam,i knew a man who failed the eye test lost his liccense and was killed the same day crossing a street one that he had driven for over 40 years,i live in florida and it is a huge issue here.

The answer there is to have the Medical license board and the DMV initiate an investigation of the MD if He/She signed a form and then let their unexamined patient on the roads with the rest of us and our families.

just what we need more bearuacracy,they cant handle the volume now.

I have fond memories of hoping I wouldn't die in this car with this driver.

Yes. I can't stand old drivers. They drive so damn slow, and hesitate/pause when maneuvering their vehicles through lanes and intersections.

My paternal Grandmother was 84 when she died. Before she got sick (which was about a year before she died) she was in great health and drove fine. When I was 15 and she was 76 I even got some of my driving hours driving with her and when she drove I was never afraid for my life. My maternal grandmother on the other hand is the exact opposite. She is currently 73 and my mother does not let her drive anymore. When I was younger and had to ride with her I was actually scared of her driving it didn't get bad until she approached 60. She drives way under the speed limit, stops at every intersection that does not have a light regardless of the lack of a stop sign or yield sign and swerves on the road a lot. The last time she drove she drove into a ditch. And she still has her license and she hasn't had to take a driving test in years.

Yes

I've been in 4 accidents since I started driving and in 3 of them I was rear ended by an old man. I see confused old drivers all the time. Some stop in the middle of the road because they missed their turns and some even drive on the wrong side of the road. I've even seen them do 35 going down the highway.

Is it ageist to say that an 8 year old shouldn't drive a car? NO
The fact of the matter is, older people loose some of their alertness. It's a fact of life, get over it and make the road safer!

Maybe they should require everyone age 16 to 36 to sit on an electric seat pad that gives a shock when the driver goes more than 10mph over the speed limit. Bet that would slow 'em down!

Maybe they should require insurance industry employees who work for an insurance company that uses any combination of sex age and marital status in setting rates to pay "high greed insurance industry employee" income tax rates which allow them to take home no more than the poverty level income for their families!

http://www.sodahead.com/unite...

QUOTING STATISTICS FOR THE PURPOSE OF SETTING AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE RATES SHOULD BE A FIRST CLASS FELONY PUNISHABLE BY 30 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON WITHOUT PAROLE!