This week we’re talking about seniors and driving. Let me state at the outset, this is a very difficult issue.
At the heart of it, driving is about freedom to come and go, when and wherever you please, pretty much on your own terms. As long as you stop at red lights and obey the speed limit, most of us look at “freedom of the road” as a constitutional right.
But when you step back, you begin to realize that driving is a privilege. And for as long as you can persuade the driving examiner that your vision and reflexes are good enough, you’ve earned the privilege, regardless of the birth date on your driver license.
We all know people — friends, husbands, grandmas, neighbors — who have no business driving anymore and who endanger everyone around them.
Here’s a true story: a good friend of mine was finally forced to mechanically disable her dad’s car because he insisted on driving. This, even though he was legally blind with macular degeneration and in early stage dementia.
Even then, as soon as his wife left the house, he would call a tow truck to “fix” his car.
There are sensible approaches to this. We hope to hear your ideas.
Thanks for listening, Jane.
I have seen council on aging buses everywhere. Combined with MBTA’s “The Ride,” I do not understand why drivers over some age – perhaps 80 – should be allowed to drive. We don’t let people under a certain age have a drivers’ license because they are considered immature, we shouldn’t let people who are too old to drive because they are prone to medical problems. It’s a fact of life, not discrimination.
Our family has had to limit driving of several seniors. We pick the physician to deliver the bad news, but we have a plan and do our homework before we have to do that. Decoding the senior public transportation options is not the easiest thing to do, we make sure we have a clear plan for transportation before we tell our loved one that their driving days are over. Some seniors are capable drivers and some are not; I favor testing every 2 years for over age 70. Physicians need to take responsibility for reporting drivers who should not be driving, whether they should temporarily or permanently refrain from driving. They should not be “covering” for people who don’t belong on the road, no matter how much the senior driver and their family begs. The decision is objective. Either they are physically and mentally up to the challenge or not. If the senior driver can return to fitness to drive, they should be able to re-test and obtain a license.
I was on hold but did not get on air. I think this is an interesting discussion and I agree that there we need to take a real look the issue.
One thing that I did not hear mentioned was how other drivers may be contributing to the problem. More traffic laws are violated on a daily basis than any other laws. People fail to use directionals, ignore speed limits, and drive aggressively. I know that at 36, all the accidents I have been in resulted from someone else acting in violation of traffic laws. I would like to know the impact of everyone else’s driving on elderly drivers. I believe that a number of accidents involving elderly people are ultimately caused by other people acting irresponsibly (including pedestrians) and that anyone (regardless of age) that is put into that situation an accident would occur.
I don’t believe we can take aim at elderly drivers with legislation when as a general rule we don’t do a good enough job enforcing existing traffic laws and being good driving citizens.
Ive been driving for sixty years and never hit or was hit by anyone no speeding or inspection tickets. one day after driving to joslin and back as i do regularly driving my side mirror exploded. i went to police station to see what is happening in marblehead, bibby guns, snow balls what, im 88 and an excellent driver at about 10000 a year in real estate. i had to take toad test, i was so upset at the manner which i was treated at registry and lies by officer i passed second time but they did not let me. they xmarked me for slowing down at a yellow sign. i lost my living, my freedom, visiting sick friends, why?because registry has poser they dont deserve.
Policeman who came to investigate found a car 125 feet away how did he find such a car and took owner out of restaurant told her i said i hit her side mirror and now i owe 500.00 I of coursed told her he lied i never said such a thing he was supposed to look in alley ways and see if anyone was around to hit mine and have it explode. with that , i couldnt believe when i got letter from registry for road tests etc. and they failed me when i passed and now i have no work , no freedom, etc. and you worry about seniors, wake up and go out driving and see what you need to fix. and test me in my car and give me back my license. power is such a playful thing for those who have it. b.l.
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