Driving while elderly has become a hot topic in the media in my area. Every time a senior citizen is involved in a car accident, it makes the headlines. Most newspaper stories include related accidents involving senior citizen drivers going back several years. Within the contents of the article, the reporter will mention a growing concern for increased driver testing for senior drivers. What is you opinion on this subject? Statistically, senior drivers are much safer drivers than young, teenage drivers, and they really do not contribute to additional accidents than drivers of any age group. Yet, when a ninety plus year old driver knocks a child off a bicycle, or an octogenarian drives through a store front window hitting the gas pedal instead of the break pedal, the media has a field day on the stories. Many politicians fear enacting any legislation that targets retired voters as they are the largest voting demographic in most areas with AARP backing many powerful and influential lobbying groups. Many judges who preside over state law are senior drivers themselves and are highly critical of any legislation that would limit their own independence and ability to be mobile.
Many of the retired friends that I know could easily pass a drivers test and pass with flying colors. Yet, these same people are very angry about the tests and believe that senior drivers are being unfairly singled out. What is your opinion on this?
Many of the retired friends that I know could easily pass a drivers test and pass with flying colors. Yet, these same people are very angry about the tests and believe that senior drivers are being unfairly singled out. What is your opinion on this?