Elderly people driving

Why do you have this under cooking? People, cars, etc., would make more sense and you'd get more responses. I think 70 would be a good time to start having tests. But then the question would be should they be yearly or every few years? Some elderly people drive great for their entire lives, but some their vision is going, their reflexes, and even their reasoning are less than they should have for driving. I don't know how many elderly people we've had drive into buildings because they put their car in the wrong gear or because they hit the excellerator harder instead of the break. I've seen many that don't take the signal light off for many miles, so you never know when they're going to turn. Where I live, it's not that they aren't capable of enjoying anything else, it's our public transportation system. You have to go at a certain time, come back at a certain time, and you must stay all day inbetween. That's hard on lots of elderly people. Their relatives work and can't drive them places. Also taxis are too expensive and buses are hard to get on with high steps.

Hi there. When elderly people in New Zealand, there are tests they have to sit... The system currently requires a driver aged 75 to undergo a medical test, and drivers aged 80 or over need to renew their licence every two years with a driving test and medical examination... http://www.winnie.org.nz/updates/older_people_will_get_option_

Why is it that no one talks about the younger people That forget to turn off their blinker or turn signals, run stop sign, and drive on the side of the road? It seems that these thing are seen as being exclusive to the elderly. Yet I have seen this in much younger drivers as well as older people. Turn signal are supposed to turn them selves off. Do you always check to see that yours is working properly? How many time have you come to a yellow light and have plenty of time to stop before it turns red but you hurry to get though before the side traffic starts through the intersection? How many time have you been adjusting your radio or cd player and swerved on the side of the road? A young neighbor boy was killed last summer because the driver was reaching to the floor to get or adjust his cd player? I agree that as we get older our reflexes slow down but we compensate for that by avoiding the heavy traffic area and driving to new areas at night. Most of us know our limitations. Do you? How many red lights or stop signs have you ran through this year? How many time have you turned with out using your turn signal or waited until you are at the corner to turn. Please stop assuming that it is just us older drivers that run stop signs or red lights, forget to turn on our turn signals or to turn them off. Please stop assuming that we older drivers are more dangerous because of the one or two that get into the news. every one should have to take a driver's test every 5 years or so and not just have a drivers lisence handed to them because they have one.

I also think that this would be a good idea. My brother and sister and I are having concerns about our mother still driving at 76. She does not seem to see as well as she used to, and she has run over some curbs while my son was in the car with her. I think there are some people who drive fine over the age of 70, but some don't. If it was a requirement to be tested again at 70 it would help out a lot, I think. But, we also feel bad for trying to take her independence and freedom away. Right now her car broke down and is not being able to be repaired, so we have been looking to buy her a car. If we wait long enough, maybe she will forget about it! LOL!

I think elderly drivers should be tested as the scary fact is that the majority have NEVER taken a formal test as this didn't come into force until quite late - around the 50s I think. So the majority of older drivers started out on quiet roads with basic models that didn't do more than 40mph and think they can drive a souped up Astra with power steering because they have been driving for 40 years!! They are not just a menace to other car drivers but a hazard for pedestrians too as I have had far too many sail through zebra crossings or pull out of side streets without indicating. Yes, it is a pleasure for many people but the bald facts are that as we age our reactions are slower and eyesight poorer. Is it not better to take these people off the road than lament the next accident?

Yep, absolutely. Give them a test every few years after a certain age such as 70, for example. Far too many elderly drivers on British (and other countries I presume) have no idea what they are doing, haven't picked up a Highway Code for 40+ years and are simply wreckless. Something needs to be done!