Should drivers have to retake a driving test after a certain age?

[Mutley]

This thread got me thinking about whether drivers should have to retake a driving test after a certain age to make sure they can still drive safely.

I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I've certainly seen older drivers do some dangerous things. The other day I was behind a man who was probably in his 70s, and I watched him drive through two stop signs in a row without even slowing down.

I've also seen younger drivers do stupid things. Maybe a drivers test should be required to renew a license; for drivers of all ages.

What do you all think?

[terrya]

1. I think you should retake your drivers test every 10 years.

I actually think every ten years people should retake drivers test...right after you first get your license.

[Mutley]

2. I think that is the way to go.

There just comes a point where people can no longer drive safely.

[In_The_Wind]

3. Absolutely

My father-in-law scared the daylights out of me when he was still driving at 85.

[Mutley]

4. My grandfather was a terrible driver.

We used to poke fun at him, and call him Rockin' Wally. One day it was raining, and out of nowhere his car started skidding around. He regained control, and was fine, but his excuse was that the lines were slippery from the rain. :wtf:

[In_The_Wind]

5. The lines were slippery from the rain

:rofl::scared:

[Mutley]

8. Exactly the right response!

:rofl: :scared:

He was a sweet man, though. Just funny as hell.

[In_The_Wind]

16. He was sweet too...

but he shouldn't be on the road ...

He liked to use the entire road BTW in Florida parts of I 95 are 5 lanes wide :scared: I followed him returning a rental car to the airport 10 years ago. I always found a way to avoid getting in the car with him after that!

[Mutley]

17. OMG!

:scared:

[bicentennial_baby]

7. Well...

Not slippery enough to make his car skid around, but yes, the paint that is used for road lines is very slippery when it rains, and can make a motorcycle skid.

[Mutley]

9. I didn't know that.

I'm sure it didn't help my grandfather that his tires were bald.

[matcom]

6. starting at 65

every year

[Mutley]

10. That story about that man you posted...

:scared:

[matcom]

12. yup. was gonna do a post like this myself

'kids' need to have the damn balls to pull their parents off the road when they start to lose it.

too many like that man in the story out there

[RebelOne]

14. Excuse me, but I am 66 and I do not see

any need to retake a driving test. My reflexes, eyesight and hearing are excellent.

[matcom]

15. don't care. retake it

if you are fine, you will pass no problem.

[terrya]

18. You're to be commended. However...

I'm sure you're an excellent driver.

But not everyone over 60 is in as excellent health as you. Not everyone over 60 has the same excellent eyesight, hearing and reflexes. The aging process does effect eyesight and hearing.

[RebelOne]

35. Plus, I also work a full-time job and I drive to and from work

every day. And, believe it or not, people in their 60s are not considered old anymore. That is, not by those over 40.

[LisaL]

11. Yes.

I was in CVS one day. After I left, an elderly lady crashed into the CVS. Her car ended up inside the store, breaking wall and a glass window. That could have been me underneath all that glass and brick, had I left home a bit later. Seriously, some elderly drivers are menaces to society, and should not drive.

[Mutley]

13. I feel bad for them, because it's not their fault...

and when you've been driving for so long, I'm sure it's hard to give it up...

But, people die because of their inability to be safe while driving. :scared:

Not everyone who is older is like this... but not everyone who is drunk is like that either.

[LisaL]

19. I feel bad for their victims. It's a fact of life that some elderly are

senile. Like the guy that drove off with a dead body on his windshield, thinking it dropped from the sky. Yet another one drove trough Burger Kings window, then went inside and started eating, like nothing had happened. This people have no clue what is going on around them. Clearly, giving them a car is like giving a gun to a toddler.

[Mutley]

20. Oh I agree.

Otherwise I wouldn't even consider the question. I've heard people say that a driver's license should just be taken away after a certain age, period. I just suggest a drivers test.

[flvegan]

21. Driving test? Let's be realistic, though.

In so many areas, a driving test is little more than a technicality.

Now, when I got my license at 16 (and a half) in MA, the written test was a breeze. However, the driving test...? Out, on the city street, in traffic...real life stuff. That was a driving test.

Here in Florida (next county over from that original thread story), my driving test was in a parking lot. Stop at a stop sign, use a directional, park between two cones (that were like, 50 feet apart). No traffic, no outside interference. Total cakewalk.

I think everyone should have to take a test every so many years, but it has to be a realistic one. Hell, everyday I see the biggest idiot drivers, yammering on cell phones while eating a burger and watching a DVD while yelling at their kid and reading the paper, all the while rocketing through lights, flipping off folks that have the audacity to honk at them. How'd they get their license?

[Mutley]

22. That's true.

I took my test in a parking lot, too. Stop sign, directional, three point turn, driving about 30 feet in reverse, and parallel parking. Simple stuff, except the parallel parking which I was horrible at. It would be much more effective if the test was done in a real driving situation.

[billyskank]

24. British driving tests are quite challenging

They are done on the road, in real conditions. True, you do take pot luck as to what time of day it is; lunchtime will be an easy test whereas rush hour is a real baptism of fire, but I guess there isn't anything you can do about that. The test is hard enough that most people fail the first time, I think.

(Took me three goes, and my brother too!) :)

[Mutley]

27. Now that's a driving test.

Anyone can drive in a parking lot.

[flvegan]

33. That's how they should be, though.

I want driving tests to be real life. It should be an hour long, in traffic. I want merging with leaving-the-airport traffic. Construction situations where 3 lanes have to fit into 2. Interstate in a downpour...or in the northern states, black ice and snooooowwwwwww!!!!

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

36. Just look at the German requirements for license exchange...

You can simply exchange your license if you come from South Africa, Canada or the U.S. states of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Utah or Virginia. If you come from Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon or Tennessee, you will need to take the written test, but not the driving test. If your license is from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand or any of the U.S. states not listed above, you will be required to take both the written and driving examination.

http://www.howtogermany.com/pages/driving.html

[underpants]

23. Everyone every 5 years

Period

[billyskank]

25. And BMW drivers every other month

;)

[Deja Q]

26. Should we have mandatory mental health screening after a certain age?

Road rage is also a considerable factor in accidents and violence.

Never mind the general attitude OF drivers, which in of itself must obviously fall into some sort of mental illness category! And I've seen a few 'winners', even firsthand experiences - and they should have had theirs revoked, the stupid animals.

[Mutley]

28. Maybe a 'road rage' test should be a part of the standard driving test.

Since it's such a problem. Some people around here are freaking maniacs.

[baldguy]

29. At a nursing home in Florida

a group of senior citizens were sitting around talking about their aches and pains.

"My arms are so weak I can hardly lift this cup of coffee," said one.

"I know what you mean. My cataracts are so bad I can't even see my coffee," replied another.

"I can't turn my head because of the arthritis in my neck," said a third.

"My blood pressure pills make me dizzy," another contributed.

"I guess that's the price we pay for getting old," winced an old man.

Then there was a short moment of silence.

"Thank God we can all still drive," said one woman cheerfully

[Mutley]

30. LMAO!!

:rofl:

[peacefreak]

31. Absolutely!

I had a friend who is 86 & was still driving until an illness forced her to stop. It was scary to watch her go down the road. The other case I know of is a woman in her late 70's who hit a SCHOOL BUS. She said she didn't see it. She also didn't understand what the big deal was--it was summer, there were no kids on it! Myrtle Beach watch out.

[Mutley]

32. Scary!

:hide:

[Loonman]

34. Yes

I know it sounds bad, but there are lots of seniors driving that clearly should not be.