Should the elderly be allowed to drive?

One of the biggest reasons driving drunk is dangerous is that it slows your reaction times. Guess what else does and to a similar degree? That's right, being old.



We all can remember several incidents involving close calls with elderly drivers. They drive hazardously slow, they don't understand the rules of the road, they crash in to random buildings (well at least in internet videos.) I guess maybe they shouldn't have their licenses taken away automatically, but they should be subjected to frequent testing, particularly for loss of vision and senility.



Most of them don't need to drive anyway. They rarely have jobs and just endanger everyone's lives so they can take advantage of the great values at Old Country Buffet.Should the elderly be allowed to drive?
Yes--up until the moment they end up in someones pool.
Depends. What do you consider "elderly"? It would make more sense to require annual tests after a particular age. Not everyone ages at the same rate. Some 65 year olds might not be able to drive very well, some 90 year olds might be great.Should the elderly be allowed to drive?
Uh..instead of discriminitory statements based on age, why not just pull the inept off the roads; including the 18-25 year olds with no skills and too much texting to do on their way to the mall.....
I'm actually in favor of the destruction of the elderly populace... Is that OK?Should the elderly be allowed to drive?
This appears to be a question that you have already answered, however it does look as if another viewpoint may be heard.



As regards your first statement driving drunk is dangerous as it slows your reaction time and also being old. You maybe somewhat correct here - on a scale of 1-10 (being able to react) being drunk would probably rate a 3, being drunk and young maybe a 1 due to the fact they have a false sense of what they can do whereas being old maybe an 8.



Regarding "we can all remember" sentence I would assume that the "we" is specifically the young. I guess that this would be selective memory taking place because I assume that you would not remember the several incidents involving the young (I guess they do not count). "They drive hazardously slow" - maybe a few do but the most are probably just abiding by the prevailing speed limit and allowing the legal space between vehicles which usually is not suitable for the young. "They crash into random buildings" - this puzzles me what do we do pick out a building and say "you're it"? Lack of vision is usually not a problem these days with today's modern techniques for maintaining the eyesight but I suppose it could be a problem if you did not do anything about it but so with the younger group. Senility could be a problem and I, for one, would not object to any testing.



"Most of them don't need to drive anyway" - probably just as much as the high schoolers on a Saturday night (or Friday) and do not forget the underage drinking which does not appear to be uncommon in these times. I am not sure how jobs relate to driving did you not give it a thought that we could take the bus? Our reason for driving has nothing to do with anyone.



Your empathy seems to be somewhat lacking - I will mention that one day you also will be old and perhaps at that time your views will differ..
Some people consider anyone over 30 "elderly". You guess maybe (you said "maybe") their licenses shouldn't be automatically taken away. Well that's so big of you. Old Country Buffet? Stereotype much? Truthfully, it's a deadly mix; young people who have no experience and very bad judgment on the same roads with octogenarians. Add multi - ton trucks driven by young guys who just want to get done and hit the bars and you've got carnage. I think everyone should have regular testing. I drive 30K miles a year and each day that I go out I always wonder if I will ever come home.
The same could be said about teenagers, that theydon't need to drive.

In any case, what group has one of the highest accident rates? Under 25s.

What group has the second lowest accident rates? 64+
I think that elderly people should be allowed to drive, but should be re-evaluated every 6 months or each year, to be sure that they are responsive and able to see and hear properly. Of course, this would cause an uproar because of testing fees, but I think that if the fees were waived for them, then they would actually go each year, for their safety and ours!
It is the young, those between 16 and 25 that cause a disproportionate number of fatal accidents. The elderly adapt so that they don't need the reflexes because they handle problems before they arise. I suggest that it is the young who should be banned as they lack the judgment to safely drive.