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Saturday, July 16, 2011

Old People Driving

For my first real post I've got a bit of a rant for something that has big bugging me a lot lately....Old People Driving!

Why do people feel the need to drive when the can't see, hear, or comprehend a situation. The past month seems to have been really bad for me. I've almost T-boned, been ran of the road, and stuck behind old people that feel the need to drive. If there is something they can possibly do wrong, they're going to do it.

My real question is why does the government allow it?

Here in Oregon you only have to renew your license every 8 years. In Arizona it's every 20 years. That's way too much time between renewals for our elderly population. Our health can deteriorate quite rapidly when we start getting older. Your eye sight, hearing, and comprehension will all slowly disappear, making for a dangerous situation on the road. Our states need to institute more frequent testing once you reach a certain age. This would greatly help get the people off the road that should no longer be driving.

Anyways sorry for the rant, but it's something that has been frustrating me lately. It sucks to be stuck behind someone that stops for a green light, runs the next red light, and then starts to get over into your lane right as you're passing them.

So what is your opinions on elderly drivers? Should they be allowed to drive no matter what, or should we start enforcing more frequent testing once a person is over a certain age? Let me know how you feel in a comment below...

15 comments:

  1. Go ahead, rant away. It's good for the soul. It's like a good cry.

    I also believe stringent re-testing rules should apply. Although, in the future, we will have the google car around to drive people around who would have otherwise not been able to. Our problem will cease when that tech gets implemented on the large scale. Love the post!

    P.S. I've only been in wrecks with teenagers, so in my experience the opposite is true.

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  2. @Shockgrubz I agree, Google is taking over the world and teenagers can be just as bad.

    I just happen to live in a city with an extremely high number of retirees so their affect is amplified.

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  3. I don't see what is wrong with testing the elderly regularly.

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  4. I hope one day to be an elderly driver.
    However...8 years is nuts. But 20 years is frikkin' insane.

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  5. Honestly, i don't know what's worse, elderly drivers or teenagers with their faces buried in their phones. Both are terrifying in their own way.

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  6. hehe great info and amazing post :D followed :D

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  7. It also pisses me off when they say that the new generation is stupid and they should be the first in line.

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  8. Old people love to give good advice; it compensates them for their inability to set a bad example.

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  9. my great-grandfather is still alive, 94 years old, and for the most part he's not aloud to drive, except around town. I say they should be able to drive, but with limits to keep their pride because that's almost all they have left

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  10. I feel unsafe at points when I ride in a car that my grandmother is driving in.

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  11. Of course old people should be allowed to drive! If they are healthy, that is.
    Even old people can decide for themselves whether they are a danger to traffic.

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  12. Old people have to go places too! Most of the time you can just renew your license online and never have to complete another vision test/hearing. The system should be revised.

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  13. + follow. Great article with a real issue. I think that once old people reach a certain age, they should have mandatory driving tests every year.

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