Should Seniors over a Certain Age take Driver Competency Tests: Yes or No?
JMCC
2012/08/30 10:11:47
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8 votes
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It has been frequently suggested that seniors over 70 should take periodic driver competency tests to ensure that they are still capable of driving safely. In the light of this recent incident, you you believe that there should be a test, how often and what should it include?
A 100-year-old man reversed his car on to a pavement and hit 11 people, including nine children from a primary school, in Los Angeles, California.
Four children were in critical condition when firemen arrived on the scene but are all expected to survive.
Parents and children were buying snacks from a stall after school finished on Wednesday when Preston Carter backed a powder blue Cadillac towards them.
Some of the children ended up trapped under the car.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
I'm sorry about that”
Preston Carter Driver
People tried to get the driver's attention, but it was too late.
A fire captain said the four children who were badly hurt were now stable, in serious condition in hospital.
Mr Carter told a local news station: "My brakes failed. It was out of control." He also said he had a driving licence and would be 101 on 5 September.
When asked about hitting the children, he said: "You know I'm sorry about that. I wouldn't do that for nothing on earth. My sympathies for them."
Police believe he was driving out of the car park of a grocery shop, but drove on to the pavement instead of pulling into the street.A 100-year-old man reversed his car on to a pavement and hit 11 people, including nine children from a primary school, in Los Angeles, California.
Four children were in critical condition when firemen arrived on the scene but are all expected to survive.
Parents and children were buying snacks from a stall after school finished on Wednesday when Preston Carter backed a powder blue Cadillac towards them.
Some of the children ended up trapped under the car.
People tried to get the driver's attention, but it was too late.
A fire captain said the four children who were badly hurt were now stable, in serious condition in hospital.
Mr Carter told a local news station: "My brakes failed. It was out of control." He also said he had a driving licence and would be 101 on 5 September.
When asked about hitting the children, he said: "You know I'm sorry about that. I wouldn't do that for nothing on earth. My sympathies for them."
Police believe he was driving out of the car park of a grocery shop, but drove on to the pavement instead of pulling into the street.
A 100-year-old man reversed his car on to a pavement and hit 11 people, including nine children from a primary school, in Los Angeles, California.
Four children were in critical condition when firemen arrived on the scene but are all expected to survive.
Parents and children were buying snacks from a stall after school finished on Wednesday when Preston Carter backed a powder blue Cadillac towards them.
Some of the children ended up trapped under the car.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
I'm sorry about that”
Preston Carter Driver
People tried to get the driver's attention, but it was too late.
A fire captain said the four children who were badly hurt were now stable, in serious condition in hospital.
Mr Carter told a local news station: "My brakes failed. It was out of control." He also said he had a driving licence and would be 101 on 5 September.
When asked about hitting the children, he said: "You know I'm sorry about that. I wouldn't do that for nothing on earth. My sympathies for them."
Police believe he was driving out of the car park of a grocery shop, but drove on to the pavement instead of pulling into the street.A 100-year-old man reversed his car on to a pavement and hit 11 people, including nine children from a primary school, in Los Angeles, California.
Four children were in critical condition when firemen arrived on the scene but are all expected to survive.
Parents and children were buying snacks from a stall after school finished on Wednesday when Preston Carter backed a powder blue Cadillac towards them.
Some of the children ended up trapped under the car.
People tried to get the driver's attention, but it was too late.
A fire captain said the four children who were badly hurt were now stable, in serious condition in hospital.
Mr Carter told a local news station: "My brakes failed. It was out of control." He also said he had a driving licence and would be 101 on 5 September.
When asked about hitting the children, he said: "You know I'm sorry about that. I wouldn't do that for nothing on earth. My sympathies for them."
Police believe he was driving out of the car park of a grocery shop, but drove on to the pavement instead of pulling into the street.
Read More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19419495
Anything stricter would be too costly for the states to afford in today's economy, and would be discriminatory.
No child is born able to drive nor mature enough to make split second decisions in traffic,
That is why we have tests and a minimum age requirements. Although I would agree that some kids as young as 13 might possess the maturity to be safe drivers, the vast majority are not and it would be unreasonably expensive for states to issue learning permits and to test them when most would just fail.
(One of my past jobs was giving drivers' tests)
After all it is not as though we are talking about pulling all licenses at that age...
If the senior has an accident and no officer ever saw him driving badly then he has a new condition that would not have prevented him from passing a test just previous to coming down with the new condition. And now that he was "just retested" and "passed", how will you keep him off the road?.
In the end, it was only when (bending under pressure) she asked her eye specialist if she should be and he replied "Good Lord no, you should have stopped doing that several years ago when you were first diagnosed..."
You know that you guys drive on the wrong side of the road, don't you? LOL
If you pass someone on the left you present your sword arm, if you pass someone on the right, you can shoot more steadily over the saddle and across the body...
(Or so I have heard :)
Everybody has to renew their licenses and unsafe drivers should be found then or when they start to become unsafe.
Some people slow down as they get older, some lose the ability to drive, but nobody becomes a non-person.
Getting old is difficult enough, don't single out people due to age (or maybe young adults, who have the highest accident rate, should be monitored 24/7 as they drive with audio, video, and breathalyser testing).
You don't generalize any group and hope to have freedom.
A 100 year old driver has an accident so immediately older drivers are unsafe? 100 year old driver has an accident so there is a call to test drivers over 70? Come on use some common sense. Today's 70 is yesterdays 50. 70 year old people today are much healthier, more active and much more alert than they were just a few years ago. Use some common sense here.
The danger is when people are unprepared to acknowledge their limitations, because to do so is perceived as a loss of independence.
how about retesting people of every age every 10 years? after all, I know I can make the case that there are 75-y-o people who drive more safely than many 30-y-o's. if we're going to test people, why not make everyone prove they can drive safely?
jfwiw - I know a number of elderly people who have voluntarily surrendered their car keys. do you know of any 19-y-o who regularly plays leap-frog on the freeway to do the same?
Seriously, how do you know?
What we do know is that age can impair function in eyesight, mobility and reaction times - all factors that lead to roadside sobriety tests in cases of alcohol or drug intoxication.
Is it not prudent to ensure that these seniors are still capable? As much for their own sakes as much for others?
Incompetence may increase with age, but it is not exclusive to it.
The facts hold that young drivers cause more and more serious accidents than seniors (who generally piss people off because they go slower)...to be fair, you'd have to at least monitor drivers into their 30's (married with children).
Men killed during memorial ride for fallen soldier
Police said Aaron Robar, 41, and Gary Champney, 59, were killed when a car crossed over the center line on Route 12 in Westmoreland on Saturday. Investigators said the 87-year-old driver couldn't explain why he crossed the line, and police have not said whether he will face charges.
The Division of Motor Vehicles said the driver of the car has a valid license and a clean driving record. New Hampshire no longer has a law requiring regular testing of drivers older than 75.
Both men killed in the crash were members of a New Hampshire Rolling Thunder group, an organization that rides for veterans.
Read more: http://www.wmur.com/news/nh-n...
"Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group.1 In 2009, eight teens ages 16 to 19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries. Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash."
"In 2009, there were 33 million licensed drivers ages 65 and older in the United States. Driving helps older adults stay mobile and independent. But the risk of being injured or killed in a motor vehicle crash increases as you age. An average of 500 older adults are injured every day in crashes. Young people ages 15-24 represent only 14% of the U.S. population. However, they account for 30% ($19 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among males and 28% ($7 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among females."