by minimus 10 Replies latest jw friends
Recently, there have been many elderly drivers in this area getting into serious accidents and causing fatalities and pressure is mounting for drivers to be scrutinized more. Some think drivers in their 80s should not be allowed to drive. Others say that elderly drivers should have to submit to yearly exams to insure that they are still qualified to drive.
What do you say?
By the time a person is 70 it is not uncommon for their reflexes to slow down. A young person over the alcohol limit is that slow - and would be arrested.
Do you remember the old guy who ran down a whole lot of people at a market - he thought he was pressing the brakes, when the car didn't stop, he just pressed his foot down harder, not realising it was actually the gas pedal.
I know an old lady who did the same thing in her driveway and ran the car into the front porch.
Yes - they are slowing down their eyesight is deteriorating, sometimes they are not even aware of the fact. Regular testing should be compulsory - especially when you consider that some drug abusers are not as badly affected yet have to take regular tests.
Some companies test their employees, and fire people. So compulsory tests are used on others too.
Yes they have human rights, but how is protecting the safety of the public on the roads humiliating them?
HB
I believe that testing should coccur at least once every 2 years.
btt
I believe that everyone should have to retake the driving part of the exam every time they renew the license. It won't hurt anyone to take a 10 minute driving test every 8 years. Though it should be more often for drivers under 25 and over 65. This would help the DMV know whether the license should be renewed. Sounds harsh but there are a lot of bad drivers out there that may be completely unaware of their mistakes. Who really remembers drivers training 25 years later?
Who knows? Maybe a lot of us would fail.
I might, haha. But it may improve my driving, I catch myself sometimes being too complacent about the seriousness of operating a 2 ton vehicle at 30-60 mph.
Angie
BTW I am 29, so it's been 14 years since driver's ed.
Yes they should. I work for a garage and they should not be driving. I race them to the car to get in the drivers seat. Its easy to win, but some of the old men have real trouble with a woman driving their car, they never have the courage to say anything just squirm in there seats and watch for traffic, give hints on how to drive better. Yet the reason I'm driving them is because they don't indicate, don't see bikes and ignore road signs especially the STOP ones.
I suspect we're seeing age discrimination here. I've seen 90 year old drivers who were as good as drivers come. I've seen 40 year old ones who shouldn't ever have been driving in the first place. If you want to argue about safety, fine. Do it the only legitimate way and make all drivers pass physical as well as driving tests, just like over the road truckers have to do in order to get a commercial license.
With all the monosodium glutamate and aspartame in today's food (and the lack of magnesium and B vitamins that protect the brain), it is no wonder that people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s are slowing down mentally so much. Their eyesight also changes, sometimes as early as in the 40s. These people should be tested as often as necessary, for health and not for age.
On the other hand, it is possible for someone that is 120 to be able to see clearly, and react quickly. If that person has not ruined their brain, it should remain at a good level of function right up until death. Such people would not have any restrictions on their driving so long as their brain function remains sound.
Now, Jehovah's Witlesses should be examined more often, regardless of age. They do not get enough sleep because of too much field circus, they are under too much stress, and their diets are not conducive to good brain function (plus the crap they are taught at the Kingdumb Hell slows them down even more). Under those circumstances, it is surprising that the witlesses don't get into more accidents than they already do.
