Beverly – Every six months? After 55? That is absolutely discrimination. Stop trying to hide your ageism behind “common sense.” Now, talk to me about every two years after 65 and you may have something.

Beverly: I’m over 55 (59) and while my eyesight isn’t as good as it was when I was 20, it’s corrected with glasses and I’m quite a good driver. I think you’re shooting a bit low with your mandatory test.

I know 70 year olds who drive quite well, better in fact than many young people I know who while they have perfect vision have little experience behind the wheel.

I do agree, at some point we need to get drivers off the road who are losing peripheral vision, reaction time and coordination but these days the use of a cell phone or GPS can also affect those things, maybe more than an aging body. You don’t find many older folks using tools like these when they drive, mostly younger folks who, as we know can multitask and are immortal.

A few weeks ago a man in his 70s was driving his pickup truck approaching the center of our small town. He was driving the speed limit. An impatient 24 year old guy with his girlfriend in his car who was no doubt tailgating attempted to pass just as the older guy, who had his left turn signal on slowed and made a left turn. The passing car hit the truck hard and both the passing car’s driver and his passenger, not wearing seat belts were ejected. The truck ran over the driver killing him. The passenger was critically injured. The 70 year old driver of the pickup truck was wearing his seat belt and walked away from the accident. The accident was witnessed by a following car and the (young) passing driver was completely at fault.

I have a 95 year old mother who drove until she was 90. While I think she pushed it a few years too far she did pass her yearly driving test and each time I visited her during that time I let her drive so I could evaluate her driving. She wasn’t great in the last few years she was driving but I’d say a person texting is more dangerous. She has a helper who drives for her now.

My father, who has been gone for a while was a perfect example of the focus of this hour’s OnPoint: He was a lousy driver before he got old and aging made him worse. He never had an accident but he came close so many times that he should have had his license taken away in his last years. My relationship with him wasn’t one in which I could gently suggest letting my mother drive let alone him relinquishing his license. Had he lived another few years things would have become extremely difficult for all of us although I’d like to think we could have “grounded” him before people got killed.

Warren, Connecticut

“Elderly Drivers: Taking the Keys?”

Yea right, they try talking about this in Mass. and it was shot down in an instance, this elderly drivers vote more than the rest of the population and would never agree to such nor would an politician do anything about it.

I tell my kids to drive like every intersection has their 87 year old great aunt driving through it. Yes, it is a problem, but in the scale of driving problems it is several orders of magnitude less than many others. Distracted driving and exhausted and impaired drivers are more lethal. Are we willing to focus on the elderly because; it’s not us, yet?
The elderly tend to have more fender benders and fewer fatal accidents, and they tend to drive fewer miles. They have a better driving record than our youth. You can spend an hour ranting about the elderly, or just maybe we can focus on why our country is so dependent on the automobile. Good reliable public transportation will save more than lives, why shouldn’t we focus on that. Why do we allow the drunk to keep their car after they commit a crime with it? Why do we require insurance on the car instead of the driver?
Why do we have cheep fuel, and a huge deficit from war to keep access to oil?
Is this hour wasted on contempt for elderly drivers, or is it looking at solutions for all of us.
The American dream of two (or more) cars and a suburban home is turning onto a nightmare of slavery and poverty for many in this country, yes, we should look at elderly drivers, but in the scope of the big picture.
As for driving, are you doing the best you can do?
If everyone does their best, then maybe the mistakes of the elderly can be compensated for by the rest of us.

52 in Somerset, KY

As a bike rider, pedestrian and driver in my early 60′s, I am very aware of how my vision isn’t what it once was after dark and at dusk. I take precautions, but what really amazes me is how young people will ride bikes dressed in black with no lights.
The same with black dressed jaywalkers. Add rain to the mix and it is very dangerous.

I understand, having been so young so recently (yes! time moves so fast) that young people don’t understand about the loss of night vision in the not so old. But they are putting their lives on the line by doing dangerous and illegal things.

Recently an elderly man meaning to put on the brakes, pressed the gas pedal in my neighborhood. He was surprised by a 22 year old bike rider illegally running a red light. Fault on both sides. No real injuries.

But this is a complex problem, one that those at all age groups need to be part of fixing in order to be safe.

And as far as the very elderly, yes, there are those who can’t self regulate. They need the keys taken away.

Sorry. I didn’t mean to be agist, & I would much rather be driven by an older, more cautious person than a younger, reckless one. There are many more accidents caused by younger, distracted drivers, who think they are impervious to all harm.

The accidents I’ve heard about, which were caused by elderly drivers, are relatively rare, & those drivers have always been over 80. My thinking was that if problems were detected in their earliest stages, they might be treated, or corrected, before becoming insurmountable, & dangerous. Maybe 55 is too young to start. I’m probably overreacting because of the legally-blind lady I know, who is still driving. She’s only 59.

I also know drivers in their 80s, who are very alert, & are probably healthier than I am. They might also be better drivers than I am. Since we’re all so different, & age at different rates, we can’t really generalize, but I do think that elderly drivers should be checked regularly, to make sure they’re fit to drive safely, for all concerned.

What’s the answer?

My 89-year old father, a fanatic lover of cars his whole life, had just purchased a new Toyota when the news broke about a tragedy in California in which ten people were killed by an elderly driver. Dad put the keys on his bureau and never drove again.

All I ask is that the older drivers stay out of the left lane. Don’t sit there with a line of twenty cars behind you while going five miles an hour under the speed limit. Just get over.

Springdale, AR

The nation is getting older and needs to take the keys out of cars and move on into a better future by electrified high speed and light rail. In this dying age of consumerism—that stuffs the pockets of moneychangers with loot and landfills with junk— is grinding to a cancerous halt.

We cannot sustain an economy based upon buying junk on credit-card debt that has been produced in low standard of living countries and acquired in box stores, clerked by poorly paid workers, and with the stuff soon be hauled off to landfills to make room for more of the consumption of the planet and marginalization of people lives.

The nation needs to enter a new era of craft and agrarian sustenance that is made possible by building a new energy grid that accommodates so much production of electricity from dispersed generation from renewable forces that it can be licensed for free individual and business use.

The wind, sun and gravity belong to all of us, transports itself for free, leaves no waste and unlike oil, it does not have to be found, fought over, mined, transported, refined, marketed, distributed, sold, consumed and its was disposed of or ignored. Real free enterprise will give people power to greenhouse their own food, build and sell or trade what they like and be free of the rationing of opportunity by the moneychangers and entangling dependence on the world oil empire.

One way to improve safety with elderly drivers (as well as ALL drivers) is to calm traffic by enforcing maximum speed laws and introducing traffic calming devices. Speed cameras are a new means of achieving this goal without taxing law enforcement agencies. Traffic calming would also encourage elderly to get out of their cars and walk more.

I listen to the broadcast online.

Since moving to Florida in June, I have seen 3 MAJOR traffic accidents(multiple cars, and multiple ambulances to transport people to the hospital).
Every one of these accidents were the fault of an elderly driver. Driver’s licenses require notations for vision impairments or medical conditions, the medications(and their side effects) should also be considered in license issue.
I would suggest that older drivers(55+) should be required to take a vision and reflex test annually. We can make the tests free, and only carry a consequence after a failure that is confirmed by a second test.

Deborah Hersman’s agency maybe knows what my ophthalmologist has already come up with as a solution. Last time I went for a checkup I pointed out I had lost my glasses he had prescribed (almost immediately; since I don’t wear them, I don’t stay connected to them). And I wasn’t about to buy another $200 pair of glasses, again never use them, again lose them. I would like to be able to drive in an emergency, but am not likely to do so in any say five-year span.
Fine, he says, your eyes are plenty good for driving on an ad hoc basis. If you get a car and make driving a part of your life, then re-fill that prescription.
I am thinking in an emergency I wouldn’t wait for permission from my ophthalmologist, but a place where I’m renting a car from would, and the license renewal place does test my eyes. This is Massachusetts.
So I buy $200 glasses just for that test. I need the license for buying allergy medication and so on (makings for crystal meth, you know).

To anyone who is or will face this decision I would remind you it is not all about your loved ones safety or feelings. The decision should also weigh (heavily I believe) the safety of others. Be strong, and good luck!

I think we need an intelligent discussion about driving and driving safety.

I agree with Beverly, testing every 6 months is fantastic! However, I think this should be enforced for ALL drivers of ALL ages.

The biggest problem I find while driving is drivers who regularly ignore traffic laws and safe driving practices. Just the other day, I was at a four way start and watched a soccer mom pull up to the stop sign and continue her right turn in front of me cutting me off. I also just had someone who clearly ran a red light making a turn in front of me while I clearly had the right of way.

I don’t think we have enough information about the effects of aging on driving. I think the real issue again is just bad driving.

This question would be less difficult if there were better options for alternative transportation. Giving up driving is so frightening for many drivers because they feel they will be so isolated. But this need not be the case. Public transportation and services designed with elders in mind can make it possible for them to go where they want to. And actually, everyone would benefit from improved public transportation.

Today’s News: Courtesy of NBC TV 30 affiliate in West Hartford, CT.

A 73-year-old New Britain man is dead after he was struck by an SUV at the Bristol ShopRite on Route 6.
The victim of has been identified as Angelo MacCarone Police said he was pushing a shopping cart in the parking lot of the Shop Rite Plaza when he was hit by the car driven by 75-year-old Bristol resident.
MacCarone died after being pinned under the vehicle, which police said was moving slowly at the time of the accident.
No charges have been filed but the investigation is continuing.

http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local-beat/New-Britain-Man-Struck-Killed-in-Parking-Lot-108652839.html

Safety is the key issue with older drivers.

My father is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, he is in denial about this (at 65 years old) and we are working him out of the car this year, which is difficult in a rural community without other transportation options.

Most likely, he is not the only one with undiagnosed Alzheimer’s on the road.

Boston, Ma

From Driver’s Ed 101, driving is a privilege, not a right. Someone said that we all need to plan to retire from driving someday, just as many of us do from work. Wake up America, we will all get old, and you don’t have the right to put anyone at risk.

A very useful article Appeared in the November 3rd edition of JAMA (Journal of the Medical Association) which begins with a doctor’s quote: ”

I WOULD RATHER TELL A PATIENT HE
has cancer than tell him he should
no longer drive. At least with a cancer
diagnosis there is hope.” Joanne G.
Schwartzberg, MD, director of Aging
and Community Health at the American
Medical Association (AMA), in Chicago,
was not surprised to hear that remark
from a physician during an AMA
training session on identifying older patients
with driving impairments.

The article Older Patients: Safte Behind the Wheel” details resources for assessment, including some inoffice assessments “primary care physicians can use to
screen elderly patients for problems in cognition,
vision, and motor/somatosensory
functions that may affect driving. Called
Assessment of Driving-Related Skills
(ADReS), the test battery is designed to
take about 10 minutes to administer during
a separate office visit. ADReS uses a
Snellen chart to measure a patient’s far visual
acuity and confrontation testing to
assess visual fields. Thetrail-making test,
part B, evaluates working memory,visual
processing, visuospatial skills, selective
and divided attention, and psychomotor
coordination,andthe clock-drawing test
assesses long- and short-term memory,
visual perception, abstract thinking, and
executiveskills.Therapid-pace walk provides
a measure of lower limb strength,
endurance,range of motion,and balance.”

Slomski, A. Older Patients: Safe Behind the Wheel?November 3, 2010—Vol 304, No. 17

Boston, MA

I drove from Colorado to Boston this summer. I was often stuck behind geezers blocking both lanes driving side by side at exactly speed limit.
Or they would overtake at a minimally faster speed, taking 4 minutes to pass.
This kind of behavior leads to accidents.

I think the nationwide policy to pass one test (often on a closed course) and never have to take another re-certification for the life of the privilege to drive is the core of the problem. I think the rules around getting a license in the first place needs to be scaled up and made much more difficult and perhaps retesting every 10 years for everyone wouldn’t hurt, either.

Driving may be a privilege but we designed a transportation system that makes it a necessity. I find politicians who advocate action against the elderly to be hypocrites. We kill 40000 people a year in road accidents and have come to accept this number as an acceptable loss. We can’t even pass a law to restrict cellphone use while driving.

From Boston,

I had dinner with friends and they mentioned “dropping a dime” on her elderly father in Virginia because he was a “dangerous driver”. The state required medical forms to prove that he was able to drive. So he gave up driving and her mother took over. Now she’s planning to do the same for the mother. Is it possible to do that in Massachusetts or New Hampshire?

What about Mr. Magoo?

Greg @ 10:22 you said-
“Besides which, those cameras are a violation of basic human rights. A machine has no business judging what I do. That’s the proper job of another qualified human being.”
Posted by Greg Camp, on November 17th, 2010 at 10:22 AM

It is not a violation of basic human rights. A policeman uses a radar gun to detect your speed. Cameras at intersections record facts which are then applied or judged by a human.

My suggestion is chill out and slow down. As a former school bus driver on the road six hours plus per day I observed tens of thousands of dangerous situations and the vast majority were caused by impatience, not slowness.

My boyfriend’s grandparents were killed last year when his 86 year-old grandfather pulled out in front of a semi-truck. Both were killed upon impact.

They lived in a very rural community, with nothing but their church within walking distance. Even though apparently there had been some worrisome incidences before, nobody among family and friends had the courage to suggest they not drive anymore, since it would have meant complete loss of their independence.

Having some kind of system of evaluating drivers’ physical and cognitive in place would help both elderly drivers and their families evaluate their driving skills and would probably safe lives. But as other people have said on the show, people will need alternative means of transportation, so that giving up their driver’s license doesn’t mean giving up their independence and social life.

Tom, Google is testing self-driving cars right now. And DARPA (military research funding) has been sponsoring contests for self-driving cars for some time. It’s definitely in the works. Also, as someone who rides a bicycle to commute, I’ve often felt, with as poorly as people drive, that it would be so much safer to ride on roads where I knew cars were driving themselves and not being driven by people.

In my senior year of high school, I was sitting in my parked car that was parallel parked when my car was sideswiped by an elderly driver. I got out of the car to check on the damage, and the condition of the other driver–she emerged from the car in full habit! While the nun was very nice, she seemed confused. She asked me what happened, and when I told her that she had hit me and that I had been parked, she replied: “Well. I’ve never hit anything that was parked before!”

The police arrived a few minutes later and called her convent, who said they had been planning to take away her license later that month, but would take it away immediately. Even though we were both okay, I do wish that they had taken her license away before that happened. Obviously–based on her comments alone–she’d already had several accidents. Thankfully, she was okay.

My parents live in a city with poor public transportation options and I have talked with my mother on more than one occasion about having a “transportation plan”. Both of them have failing eyesight from injuries and surgeries. I’m nervous in the car with my mother and feel uncomfortable with her driving my children. She’s had several “fender benders”..mostly backing into objects rather than people, but still. She thinks she’s fine and that because she doesn’t drive over 35 miles per hour nothing bad can happen. Thoughts?

Memphis, TN

My 95-year-old grandma took her driving test in Illinois, and she had a difficult time even finding her insurance card. It took about 10 minutes at the counter to find it, and she barely passed her eye test. When it came time to take the driving test, I was certain she would fail, but she returned from the road test with a big smile. I have absolutely no idea how she managed to pass it, but the state of Illinois issued her another driver’s license for another year. She should not be on the road, and my mom (her daughter) won’t do the hard thing to take away her keys. She is a danger on the road and has no business driving.

(Nashville, Tennessee)

Five years ago my 32 year old husband was killed by an 87 year old elderly driver. They have made some dramatic changes in the way teenage drivers are licensed, and yet nothing has been done for the aging population. For starters, I wish Doctors would contact the DMV to have a lisc. revoked when necessary. I also feel re-road testing should begin at 75. Maybe taking a license is taking a lot from a person. But the woman who killed my husband took a lot more from me and the people who loved him.

If we’re going to discriminate on the basis of age, as a general rule, I’d get the hormone crazed, cell phoning & texting kids off the road before the “hormone challenged” aged ones -ask an actuary. I know too many people in their 70′s who are good and safe drivers. After 75… I don’t care how healthy a person is… there capacity to drive is diminished. Sorry hand in your licenses.

In rural areas with limited services, removing a car from an elderly person is the beginning of the end.

Couldn’t we design and ‘elderly’ auto more in tune with the needs of an older body? Larger windshields, automatic speed caps. Automatic breaking if the car senses it’s near something? Automatic shut off it the car senses overly rough terrain (going over a curb?) It doesn’t matter if a 20 minute grocery run takes an hour. It matters that they can get to the grocery store.

My nieces took my sisters keys away after she got lost and couldn’t remember where the car was. I agree with their decision because she was a danger to herself and others. However, taking the keys away from someone elderly is not as simple as it sounds.

Being mobil is sometimes the only independence they have left, the only way they connect to the world outside of their home. If the keys are going to be taken, then family and friends have to rally to make sure that person has transportation and company and a connection to society.

Guest is right about observation being important. I would suggest you not just ride with them, but also follow them without their knowledge (best behavior and all you know).

To the professional drivers who called in, what do you think about the three rules I tell every new driver I meet.
1)Don’t use your brakes
2)DON’T USE YOUR BRAKES!
3)Use your brains.

Northfield Vermont -

My elderly mother had an accident in her late 80′s – was required to be re-tested. She was motivated to re-learn to drive safely, and as a result she practiced, was retested, and passed. Afterward, she was a markedly better driver but often would ask others to drive her in her car – and often they were worse drivers than she!

One of a half dozen movies I’ve seen, Sound of Music, has an example of how to stop someone from driving without having the keys: the Nazis chasing the Austrian officer and his family. The nuns disabled the car. That worked.

We should conduct written and road tests every 10 years.

How about a bit of courtesy from “able drivers” exercising some defensive driving when they realize that are around elderly drivers?
How about “requiring” the car makers to create smaller models of cars “customized” to help the elderly drive safely maintain independent lives?

There are two related but separate issues. Senior quality of life and public safety. Public safety has to be the priority. A senior who falls down with a tragic result doesn’t kill other people.

While I have no problem whatsoever requiring more frequent eyesight tests of older drivers, we need to be extremely careful not to simply single out elderly drivers as the younger and more aggressive drivers are the most dangerous using any fact based statistical analysis as Zeno noted above. A simple solution might be requiring eye exams as part of the driver’s license renewal process. Perhaps, every two years after a person reaches the age of 60 or whatever age where vision deteriorates faster. Another unrelated common sense reform might be to replace street and highway exit signs with larger and more visible wording. This can probably be done at minimal cost and as part of standard maintenance as street signs are replaced.

As noted above, I am far more worried about these young morons who drive aggressively, particularly where there is a higher volume of pedestrians (e.g. residential streets, NYC avenues and streets) often at speeds in excess of 50 or 60mph where the speed limit is 30 mph. As an example, the NYC speed limit on non highways is 30 mph for a reason. The fact is that if a pedestrian is hit by a car traveling 40 m.p.h. or faster, there’s a 70% chance that a struck pedestrian will be killed; At 30 m.p.h., there’s an 80% chance that the pedestrian will live. The message to aggressive (e.g. younger) drivers should be that another person’s life is more valuable than 10 minutes of your precious day.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/pr2010/pr10_053.shtml

I believe England has an on-line ride-sharing system. It did about five years ago. It seemed to be flourishing, and I believe there was some government sponsorship involved.

And where I live, someone tried to start such a thing, and I signed up I would like a ride from X to Y on Sunday morning, any week. And that was four years ago or so. No offers so far.

Another thought other than accidents. My grandfather started getting lost … he was in early stages of Alzheimer’s and hid some of these problems from my mom and uncle – who did not live in the same town. He lived in a large city and would go to the mall to eat and couldn’t find his way back to his car…the mall cops found him wandering around the lot late at night, they got his driver’s license and started the process of contacting us. He could have ended up on the wrong side of town and been murdered. Anything could have happened to him, there are so many other dangers beyond accidents.

John. Rural and suburban communities/public transportation.
This is much on my mind. Where I live, gentrification has set in, and apartments are costly. It’s at the top of the charts for retirees who can live close to all sorts of attractions, within an easy walk. However, I look to move out into the hills someday when I don’t need to be so central for business reasons. Unfortunately, there are not apartment buildings in the boonies. A few senior housing complexes have evolved, trying to attract wealthy retirees. But tenants are not seen as desirables, and thus, designing a centralized, walkable little hilltown village does not transpire. For that matter, broadband doesn’t transpire either. But I’m pretty sure this will happen. Some cute apartment will open up. And I’ll pay $50 every few weeks for a taxi to town and back. That or hope they’ll design not just a Smart car but what I’ll call a Genius car. Mite size. We’ll see.

Ruby @ 10:51, November 17th, 2010

My father passed away three years ago after having suffered with dementia for four or more years.

I hope our experience will aid you, your family members and your father if you are able to realize that your father no longer has the same memory and cognitive abilities you do. What this translated to in my family is that it took months and months before I was able to get my well-meaning but somewhat clueless brother to realize that it was better for our fathers heart and spirit to be told that “Mom wasn’t here now”, instead of “Mom died”. With the dementia he accepted she wasn’t there and didn’t have to go through the grieving all over again.

Remember how much they loved you, be patient with them, be patient with yourself, get some relief every once in while and remember to laugh. You are in my prayers.

Hi Rob in NY.

Sorry, I couldn’t help it. We talk about politics alot here.

Beverly, as far as I can tell, the resistance to the Genius car is the American car companies who think they can’t make a profit on something designed for such efficiency. And probably the NTSB doesn’t like to think in terms of LESS powerful and LESS fast. Bicycles are enough of a problem in terms of city planning. (Devil’s advocate here.) If every other person was using a mite-sized vehicle, whether speedy or more 19th century in energy, the roadways would have to adjust.
IMO infrastructure should start to reflect that. We should be living nearer to things we need. We shouldn’t ALL have to zip around at 65-mph. And older people won’t be blasting through the side of this house and that business if they are driving the butterfly-equivalent vehicle.
Choices like that are available in Japan, where people will stuff a microvehicle in the trunk of a larger vehicle, and use the micro auto when it serves. I believe India is building and selling that sort of vehicle, because the idea is Indians can’t afford anything more — and because Indian city streets are so crowded, with sacred cows and milling masses, that no one wants to go faster than a reasonable speed.
But if everybody had a car that went a third as fast and cost a third as much, wouldn’t Ford go out of business?

Hi Dennis in Omaha,

I was being sarcastic and just busting on you. I enjoy our political debates. By the way, I think you violated one of your own earlier discussion guideline rules with the reference to “illegal” immigrants. I have no problem using the word illegal, although I harbor no ill will towards the majority of law abiding illegal immigrants. I freely admit that I would probably break US immigration laws to support my family if I were living in Mexico where this is little economic opportunity.

Liberal politics has nothing to do “taking the keys”?

Hey, the lefties are the ones who have brought up the intersection of livability, walkability, and the convenience some people would enjoy of getting somewhere without having to drive 5 miles one way, on the only road, or through residential neighborhoods. And, yes, subsidizing the external costs of building suburbia and autodom plays into this in a big way. Just go back to any David Brooks column celebrating “Patio Man” and “Realtor Woman” in those now-bankrupt, now-decaying, never-paid-for, foreclosed-upon exurbs to find out what passes for conventional wisdom.

Automobiles = independence, right up to the point we become too dependent on them, and we’ve passed that point ages ago.

(PS Didn’t hear the complete show. Disclaimer: I don’t have kids. Any evidence of the effect of gradiated licensing of young drivers on accident rates I hope will be addressed in the podcast. Any idea of how to do that, in reverse, for elder drivers?)

Listening on ksfc – Spokane, WA

No one in my family likes driving with my grandfather, because he is a reckless driver with poor vision. He is Hispanic. I’ve read about cultural barriers when it comes to preventative medicine, specifically that Hispanics have difficulty following such practices. Should we be looking at the culteral differances with our elderly drivers, and self regulation?

One partial solution to the problem of unfit drivers at any age would be a truly comprehensive public transit system in densely populated states. Here in Ohio we could have had state-of-the-art passenger rail linking Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati had our lame duck governor been savvy about funding and selling it or our governor-elect less intent on resolutely leading Ohio into the 19th century. For the present we are forced to hope for public bus transit 24/7/365 in the state capitol in the very state that gave the world the Wright Brothers, John Glen, and Neil Armstrong.

The salient question is not how and when to screen out unfit drivers when there are no viable alternatives for them to live their lives without driving. The real question is how to promote, build, and maintain public transit (short haul, medium haul, and long haul) that will make it not only possible but preferrable to forgo driving for most people at least some of the time throughout their lives.

It’s not rocket science, it’s surface transit technology. State-of-the-art rail transit could have been a stimulus package expenditure that would have brought real benefits to Ohio but for the lack of vision afflicting both major political parties in Ohio. But then the only thing either of them is capable of engineering these days is attack ads financed by unknown sponsors.

Ohio as a bell weather state? Wear your crash helmets, dearies, because being side-swiped is the least you’re in for.

My dad is pushing 70. He has his competition driving license. I’ve raced him on track and he’s quick. Real quick. Some people can hold it together, some can’t. There should be an every 2 year thing after 70…my dad thinks it, I think it.

My Dad was diabetic and after he lost sight in one eye continued to drive himself to dialysis appointments 25 minutes away, in another town. His attitude was that the other drivers could see him coming and get out of the way. We found out his license was about to expire, and decided that he probably would not be able to renew it with one eye and our problem would be solved. We were quite surprised when his local Mississippi station renewed his license without any limitations. He continued to drive until one morning when he started out for his dialysis appointment and could not see the road—he came in and gave the keys to my Mom and stopped driving. I am not sure more testing will be helpful, unless it is more stringent and enforced nationwide. We need better mass transportation so the elderly can a least get to grocery stores.

Thank you, folks, for the kind words.

We quickly learned when we needed to just let my dad talk and not try to reason or argue with him, as it was futile and ended up with everyone feeling agitated. We also learned that at times he says things only to try to stir up a reaction in us or to pit one sibling vs. another.

Again, the disease of dementia talking.

However, after being in the car with him behind the wheel as recently as 18 months ago, I was scared for my own safety but more importantly, the safety of other motorists and pedestrians. In the space of a few minutes, he almost hit someone in a crosswalk and then stopped suddenly in the middle of a busy local road because he forgot something at home, and we were almost rear-ended by a car going at least 35mph. His eyesight was failing and worse, his judgment was severely impaired.

The family sought help from his doctor who filed the form with the NY State DMV to get his license suspended. I’m sorry he is hurt by this, but I do not feel guilty one bit, I would rather him be angry at the family than guilty of killing himself or others in a tragic accident. I am convinced it was only a matter of time before something very bad happened.

Charlotte, Zeno et al — now reading second half of comments; you all get it!

Ellen D — Sorry, this is going to sound nasty, I know but surely SOMEone could fit Dear Mother into their travel (and social?) plans, some how?! If that is truly impossible, I have a suggestion: hire a known, good driver to bring her (in her car if that works) to the home she will stay for holidays. If one of her kids cannot drive her back, how about a grandchild accompanying her on the bus/train? There is evidently enough gas money among her children they can chip in for the costs to get Mom some company for holidays??

Again, sorry in advance; am sure I know far too little, but that just sounds tragic she will be alone b/c family could not figure this out…

Young drivers are dangerous, old people have the money.

Game over.

Paul — so true. but that is not going to change overnight. What we can do s/t is loosen up zoning and planning boards for more dense develop in the heart of suburban towns. Many communities have allowed McMansionization to gut the smaller abode inventory, and (God Forbid) put the nix on apartment complexes, condo villages or other space-efficient development which is tailored to older residents. We need to make those changes quickly — so long time residents can stay in their home community longer without the physical and financial burdens of large homes no longer needed by older singles or couples.

And our generation (my parents are late 80s) need to take the lead on helping guide our parents to move into residential/graduate care facilities, or at very leat be closer to us (or us to them!), or knit together a quilt of services and support if they refuse. That is our job. Hopefully government planners and social services leaders will assist us with good transportation options…

This obsession with elderly drivers reflects aging, which is prejudice against older persons. The data indicate that it is the teenage drivers who really constitute the danger on the roads. Older drivers do not text, or sext, while driving. They aren’t mentally in the home of their friend with a cell phone. The truth is that young and middle aged drivers are zooming around corners at excessive speed while chatting, eating, or otherwise absorbed, while the senior citizens are paying attention and turning carefully. It is the careless behavior of the young and middle aged drivers who create danger by not slowing down to the speed limit that we seniors are usually adhering to. Stop obsessing about how to humanely take my license away. Pay attention and stop running into law abiding seniors.

Rob @ 11:45 You said “I have no problem using the word illegal, although I harbor no ill will towards the majority of law abiding illegal immigrants.”

I know it may be splitting hairs but I wince uncontrollably every time I hear someone refer to an illegal immigrant as “law-abiding”. It is simply not true. They have broken the law coming here so that should not be glossed over. We need to fix our system so that they can be here in the open and not illegally. I am typically a kind-hearted person, in favor of others bettering themselves, but immigration is my Achilles heel if you will. It seems to me that any illegal immigrant who is not willing to come out of the shadows and stand in line is continually breaking the law. Our immigration system sucks and it is obvious that congress is incapable of fixing it.

I keep wishing I could yell “Shenannigans!” like the kids do in Southpark and get the adults (I’m 54!) to straighten up and fly right! “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one”.

John P. @12:41 I went to the site and had a great time with the first test (2 out of 5 {not so good) but I got 48 out of 62). Thanks. I bookmarked it for later. I highly recommend it to anyone else.
http://www.positscience.com/our-products/drivesharp/faq
Posted by John P., on November 17th, 2010 at 12:41 PM

Better roads and more public transportation! More communities designed to promote walking/riding public transportation!

I contracted a virus in my eyes about ten or so years ago. Very quickly I lost about 35% of my peripheral vision, had damage to the optic nerve in one eye, lost considerable depth perception and developed fast-growing cataracts (as well as secondary cataracts after the initial surgeries). I also developed glaucoma, for which I take medication. I went from 20/10 vision in each eye to 20/200 in one and 20/400 in the other within a very short period of time…after cataract surgery and surgery to repair optic nerve damage (which, the latter had limited results), my eyes corrected, with glasses, to 20/30 in one and close to 20/20 in the other, thankfully. I put away my car keys for about six months during the ordeal.

I now drive sparingly, and my depth perception has improved, as I have re-learned to perceive depth. I don’t drive at night, as I have issues with perceiving light and shadow properly within that context, as well as have trouble seeing street lamps, headlights, etc., without an annoying array of halos and beams of refracted light coming from them. The only negotiation is that I perform music for money and need to get from place to place at night. I usually have one of my accompanists (usually violin, mandolin or second guitar players) drive to gigs. I drive my truck to do local landscaping jobs during the season (although I try to get one of my workers to do the driving). I teach music in my home. If I go to jam somewhere, I get someone else to pick me up. Otherwise, I only drive to the grocery store (four miles away and in 25MPH zones the whole way) and walk to the pharmacy (about two or so miles away). I also walk to the farmers’ market, which is about a mile away. My friends who have farms bring me eggs, yogurt and cheeses made from goats’ milk, as well as the occasional organic chicken, etc.; I feel fortunate in that respect. Unfortunately, I do have to drive to our local CSA. Our community garden is in my neighborhood. I work in a MH group home during the day on weekends (walking distance). I either take the train (I love trains) or fly if I have to travel far away. This is how I cope. I gave up riding a bike outside of bike paths long ago, as my limitations become magnified on a bike.

If I ever in future feel I am a driving danger to myself or others, I will gladly forgo any driving whatsoever. I don’t really care for driving—didn’t care for it before my vision changed.

I’ve learned more to rely on others and to embrace my community; and, actually, the whole experience (limitations in the amount of time I can read without extreme eye strain notwithstanding) has overall been a positive one. I am also glad that I live in the times that I do; if I had lived a hundred years ago, I would be blind now.

My parents are in their mid-eighties, and the issue has moved more into the foreground for them. They have been smart about their limitations, though; they don’t drive at night, they don’t take long trips, and they stay away from interstates. We have had some discussions about the “if” and when of the whole matter. I try to emphasize how keeping relationships well oiled within their community will make the transition into non-driving a much more fluid one. They seem to think this is a reasonable approach, and they’ve seen how I cope with my own issues with driving. Still, there will come a time when they will have to hang up their car keys for good, and I hope I can continue to encourage smart self-monitoring and proactive strategizing in preparation for that time. They are fiercely independent in many ways, and I admire that in them, but I also emphasize to them how independence can mean utilizing others to assist in certain ways. (I can’t cut my own hair, but it doesn’t mean I am not independent because I get a hairstylist to do that for me, that sort of thinking.) Their health has deteriorated in the past two years, but their conditions, thankfully, don’t affect things like coordination and vision. My mom has to travel about 20 miles each way to receive treatment for cancer; my father has to travel about 3 miles each way to receive rehab from hip replacement and recovery from heart bypass surgery. They seem to still drive well, but I would like them to employ their friends and neighbors more…

P.S.–No one has the right-of-way, really, only the power to yield the right-of-way. This is a good way to think about driving defensively.

not to mention: hey, do we need to drive faster than 50 mph? if we all slowed down a bit we’d have way fewer accidents.
And as for tests: as a biker I’d like to suggest ALL drivers need tests every 5 years! How many reckless drivers who can’t even remember stuff like look both ways, etc. have I almost been hit by?