[devane617]

And the 35 million member AARP goes wild!!!!!

[pnh102]

Testing for old drivers will never happen. They are too reliable of a voting bloc.

[Dominnae]

Advocates for the elderly have sharply opposed age-based oversight as discriminatory, and noted that the state prohibits age discrimination in licensing.

*Most* older drivers lack the vision and response time for driving int traffic. My Dad was one of them.

We tried to get his license revoked, and couldn't. His eye doctor said Dad's vision had deteriorated and that he'd have to send a letter to the state, but he never did.

His driving was so erratic, I can't even tell you how many fender scrapes he had, or curbs he hit. The damage would show up on his Outback, and he'd shrug and say "I don't know when that happened." or ask me what *I* did to his car.

My daughter and I moved in with him when he was 80 years old, soon after my mother passed away, because my other sisters would have put him in a nursing home: I drove him everywhere he wanted to go, and got him to all his doctor appointments, but he would sneak out as often as he could on his own.

It was his last semblance of independence (in his eyes- I could understand that much) but he had macular degeneration and funky blood sugar from his diabetes - and his mind wandered a lot.

In 2007, a month after being diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, he decided to "make the rounds", I knew he couldn't see, he was depressed, he didn't just care if anything happened to him anymore.

I went to the police department in my town, and had the Sgt at the desk put a "stop & hold" on him.. we called the state police in case he went farther afield, but luckily we found him a town away sitting in a diner flirting wit his favorite waitress.

I took his keys away, (including any spares) and he was SO angry. It hurt me to have the roles switched and have to be the hard-ass parent to him, but he was a danger to his own and other lives on the road. He said "I'm going to be dead in six months anyway."

The argument that finally got to him was: "It's bad enough you don't care if your own daughter has to go and identify you in a morgue - what about some other family or small children you hit because you can't see.. do they deserve that, because you don't care?"

His driver's license wasn't set to expire until 2008. Six months after he passed away. He wouldn't have even had to have another eye test, he could have had it renewed online if he knew that was an option.

The states have to do something about the older drivers, not just to protect them from themselves, but the other families out there that face a tragedy because they refuse to surrender their "rights" to drive as long as they have a valid license.

[RexBeach]

My grandfather gave up license in MA when he was 91.

But, in nearly 70 years of driving in the Bay State, he NEVER had an accident! Nothing. Zippo. Nada.

I couldn’t say that. I couldn’t even lie about it well.

[svcw]

It is interesting but hardly ever brought up, during these conversations, that most accidents are caused by people under 25.

[keepitreal]

I hear of by far more fatalities caused by illegal aliens on the nation’s roads than by the elderly.

[JenB987]

I think they should retest everyone every 10 years.

It’s ridiculous to think that once you get your license at 16 years old, you’re set for life.

Too many traffic laws change, people move to other areas, changes in health...

[Gay State Conservative]

It’ll never happen.Not here,at least.Seniors vote.And they vote RAT.And Massachusetts RAT office holders have to be dragged out of their offices feet first.And that’s *exactly* the way they want it.

[TornadoAlley3]

*

[VeniVidiVici]

Mass. wants to check your eyes and mental faculties once every 5 years after age 85? Why bother?

[GreenHornet]

Every now and then, a story will turn up on the local news (no matter where you live) about an elderly driver who drove their car onto the sidewalk and into a store front. Invariably, the driver gives the same explanation: “the accelerator got stuck.” It's funny how the accelerator never gets stuck on younger drivers.

[Joann37]

Yes, it’s a good idea to test these people, but it’s not just the elderly that are inept.

What about all these cell phone yakkers? If they insist on driving with one hand while they yack, why aren’t THEY subjected to a competency test, to see whether they can actually hold a phone and drive at the same time?

[stentorian conservative]

There was a deadly car crash on the interstate yesterday. An 89 y/o woman was killed. Her 47 y/o daughter was driving. Maybe if Mom was driving. . .

http://newzjunky.com/police/coplog090608jcso3.htm

Just goes to show that you never can tell.