Comments on: Should Seniors Drive?

By: Bob Wilson

Bob Wilson — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:13:08 +0000

Hello,
I am 76 years young now. Plan to give up driving at 80.
I have been trying to get ITN Independent Transportation Network for the greater Franklin, Mass area and hopefully all of Massachusetts. I have been emailing Ernie Ott at
Ernie.Ott@itnamerica.org The idea is to have good options for getting around after giving up driving. I have emailed Karen Alves at the Franklin Senior Center and my State Rep James Vallee.
13 places in USA have ITN.
What can you do to help. I’m not smart enough to talk to the people who would be very helpful.

By: MICHAEL DOHERTY

MICHAEL DOHERTY — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:52:01 +0000

I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT ABOUT S.C.M. TRANSPORTATION . I HAD PRIVILEGE TO WORK FOR S.C.M. TRANSPORTATION FOR MANY YEARS AND CAN TELL YOU FIRST HAND, THE SERVICE AND TRAINING ARE SECOND TO NONE! THE EMPLOYEE’S ARE DEDICATED TO THE SAFETY AND NEEDS OF THE SENIORS THEY TRANSPORT. ALTHOUGH I HAVE NOT WORKED FOR THE COMPANY IN OVER THREE YEARS,I CONSIDER ALL THE EMPLOYEE’S AND THE CLIENTS SOMEWHAT OF AN EXTENDED FAMILY… THAT IS WHAT A CLOSE KNIT ORGANIZATION S.C.M. IS AND I AM PROUD TO HAVE BEEN A PART OF IT……

By: kat stewart

kat stewart — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:40:48 +0000

Excellent show. As i listened to it today, I heard a loud bang outside. I live on a very busy rural road in Dracut, MA. I checked and sure enough a confused looking 80-something man had driven OVER THE CENTER LINE and collided nearly head-on into an oncoming car. fortunately no one was injured.

i could not believe it happened while i was listening to this show!

By: Peter Lake

Peter Lake — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:03:04 +0000

I’m 65, licensed to fly twin-engine airplanes in zero visibility with lightning outside, tooth-loosening turbulence, people screaming for God and throwing up in the cockpit. Not that I like to do that, but I can.

I get tested every two years by an instructor and have to maintain my proficiency at a certain level.

Testing in cars should start around 80, since that’s when skills seem to deteriorate the sharpest.

My mother lost her license — unfairly — at age 88 and cannot retest in her own car, since it has no center handbrake.
The RMV in this state is totally screwed up, so don’t expect it to do anything intelligent.

By: Sue

Sue — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:31:42 +0000

I believe re-testing should begin at age 50, for everyone, and no relicensing over the computer. But also, please ENFORCE existing laws, such as no passing on the right to jump long lines of traffic. Please publish widely the rules regarding RIGHT OF WAY, which are laxly observed. And, please pass laws regarding NO HANDHELD DEVICES BE USED at any age while drivng. One’s total attention needs to be devoted to the task of driving.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:14:41 +0000

I agree with Gloria. Everyone over 85 should be tested automatically every year (every 6 months? Better yet, everyone over 65 could be tested once a year. Who cares? I am a 67 year old active working DRIVER with no problems – so far! However, I am in favor of testing . Who could live with himself if he were the cause of a terrible road tragedy?

I must add, however, that i think ALL drivers, whatever their age, should be tested more often than they are now. It is the sick, slow, befuddled, distracted, immature (not to mention DRUNK drivers!) who are the hazards, not ALL the old. Please.

By: Aging and driving « Boston Boomer News

Aging and driving « Boston Boomer News — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:51:41 +0000

[...] and driving June 27, 2009 — by Tinker Ready Nice piece on WBUR’s Radio Boston on the current debate in the state over testing older [...]

By: Bruce

Bruce — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:07:14 +0000

Selma is the perfect example of why we need to change the current system. How can anyone think that straddling the yellow line and completely ignoring honking makes her a safe driver? I’ll grant that there are a lot of impatient drivers who honk for the slightest reason but if she’s constantly hearing horns maybe she should try to determine what it is she does that provokes the ire of other drivers? I just hope it doesn’t take a serious accident before she realizes her driving is impaired.

By: Marsha Frankel

Marsha Frankel — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:10:57 +0000

Encouraging older adults to do what a retired social worker friend of mine did might be helpful. She calculated the monthly expenses involved in keeping a car in Brookline and allots herself that monthly amount for taxi service. She began this at age 78 (is now 83) and finds herself having extra money to help her granddaughter pay for college expenses!

By: Julie

Julie — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:50:26 +0000

I have seen this first with my grandparents and now with my father-in-law. My grandfather was clearly not driving well in his late 80s. I was too terrified to get in the car when he was driving and told my mother and her sisters that I would not be in the car with him. They were completely unable to deal with this. At 89, he was in an accident and lost his lower leg. He went into a decline and died at 90, miserable and depressed. My father-in-law, now 80 and living in another state, has had a series of accidents. The most recent landed him in the hospital with broken ribs and totalled the car (no one else was involved, thank goodness.) He cannot park straight. He bought a new car and is still driving, badly. He is adamant about continuing to drive. Family members need legal help in getting their
elders off the road.

It is also necessary to realize that many elders live outside urban areas, where no car is even more confining. This was a huge factor for my grandfather (Idaho) and is for my father-in-law. And scheduling things days in advance doesn’t work. The ice cream test is exactly right!