I really wish automated driving wasn't a fantasy, I think it'd be a huge help to the elderly, even better assists. Auto braking, lane keep, rear view cameras, auto parking, I think those things will all help.
Should old people drive cars?
- Thread starter GameOver
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Nope, but our society isn't setup for folks to get around without a car, so they need to drive. It's getting worse as I see old people driving massive SUVs now. They can barely see as it is and now they have an even smaller sightline to see in front of them.
Cant wait til every car is auto drive. Transit times will nosedive, safety will be top-notch, and i can do whatever the shit i want in relative privacy.
This isn't entirely true, insurance rates tend to go up once a driver turns 60.
Statistically though, there really isn't much to support that old drivers pose significant risk to others. As they get older, they tend to steer clear of highways / interstates and drive much, much less. The system around reporting at risk drivers when faced with medical conditions like decreased cognitive or motor ability needs to improved and perhaps a consistent criteria for more rigorous tests other than eye sight for license renewal. With that said, losing your license is a crippling loss of freedom and many elderly do not cope well in test scenarios regardless of whether they're competent drivers or not.
There ultimately is no easy solution to this problem, if you want to call it that when speed and drug impairment are by far the largest contributors to mortality rates, neither of which are a common problem in that age group.
A lot of people shouldn't drive. I work at a car wash and the dumb shit I see on a daily basis still shocks me. And ERA if you just take one thing I say to heart it's this; if you see a Porsche on the road for the love of fuck get away from it cause none of the fuckers can drive
Yes, but there should at least be a refresher course, even just a day with an instructor once past the age of 70 or so. I feel like something as small as that would make a big difference.
No, I have seen so many close calls and accidents from old people including members of my family. I have had an old lady reverse into me despite her car having a backup camera and parking sensors. like she literally had to be so out of it to not notice it. And another old lady who rear ended me at a stop light not because she forgot to stop. She just decided she not waiting anymore and just start moving for unknown reason.
Definitely a larger group of old people that shouldn't be driving. Was coming up to a light the other day, an old lady w/ what should be a red kept going and abruptly stopped w/ 1/2 of her car sticking into the road. Like WTF dude.
That said plenty of younger people that shouldn't be driving either.
That said plenty of younger people that shouldn't be driving either.
Once you hit a certain age you should be required to pass a test every year afterward to keep your license.
Our cities are built around cars, and public transportation can be non-existent or terrible, at least here in the US. Taking away the ability to drive severly restricts someone's life. With that said I personally wouldn't be opposed to the elderly having to retake a driving test every so often. But I don't see that happening
So I can't wait until self driving cars are everywhere.
So I can't wait until self driving cars are everywhere.
I feel like here especially if the driving skills assesments were required periodically for older people you would have to at least double the amount of workers at the DMV. As-is they seem barely capable of doing it just for every teenager one or two times.
Not against it of course, but things would need to change a lot to accommodate something like that.
Not against it of course, but things would need to change a lot to accommodate something like that.
I wonder how many people, regardless of age and already a license holder, would pass a current driving test if they had to?
My son has friends who are now on test number five. Maybe next time they'll get through, but does that mean they are good, competent drivers? probably not.
When I get old I hope I'll know when to stop. However, living where we do, in the sticks, with one bus a day, life would be hard
My son has friends who are now on test number five. Maybe next time they'll get through, but does that mean they are good, competent drivers? probably not.
When I get old I hope I'll know when to stop. However, living where we do, in the sticks, with one bus a day, life would be hard
I'm on board for this. Not every old person is a bad driver, but doing something like this certainly would weed out the bad ones.
This.
Maybe not every year, just due to logistics. But at minimum every other year.
Either way, the usual way things go now is either the family takes away their keys, or waiting for something horrible to happen to justify the state doing it. Which is not a great system.
Or I supposed they can voluntarily turn them over, but I'm guessing that's way less common.
I think so. While some are slow to react and/or near blind, the old people driving today had different standards of "good" driving in their time which (imo) shaped their habits into old age. They should be tested every 2-3 years after a certain age, though.
Cities as designed are also very ageist and ableist though. I can't imagine getting through some of the train stations around the world with a wheelchair.
in that world i'd definitely ban teens from driving too.
Once you reach a certain age you should probably need to be tested more often, but believe it or not I deal with people and their cars at work and old people aren't objectively the worst drivers. A ton of young people are horrible drivers.
Old people should drive but it should be an incrementally more frequent expiration after a certain age. We shouldn't blanket take away rights, it needs to be performance based to meet basic requirements. Reaction time, for example.
My dad's reactions behind the wheel from 65 to 70 have been dramatic, to the point where i'm not happy about him having our kids in his car any more.
He thinks he's as good as he always has been, but the sheer amount of mistakes he makes and unnecessary risks he takes is scary.
Cars are lethal weapons in the wrong hands regardless of age so I'm totally in favour of people being made to take a competency-based test or refresher every five years.
He thinks he's as good as he always has been, but the sheer amount of mistakes he makes and unnecessary risks he takes is scary.
Cars are lethal weapons in the wrong hands regardless of age so I'm totally in favour of people being made to take a competency-based test or refresher every five years.
yeah, but they should have to retest every so often. Some people will be better than others as they get older.
Problem is young people can probably pass the test, they just make the choice to drive like idiots.
Problem is young people can probably pass the test, they just make the choice to drive like idiots.
I'd be the first to say "you want to drive, you re-certify every X months or you lose it". You know? How licensure typically works? But this country is a trash heap of shitty roads and no public transportation outside of major cities. What are you gonna do? Fund public mass transit in rural areas? Shit. We can't get that in most urban areas.
No healthcare, no communities, no transit, no nothing. As usual, they really just want you/us to disappear and die as soon as our human capital is expended.
No healthcare, no communities, no transit, no nothing. As usual, they really just want you/us to disappear and die as soon as our human capital is expended.
Anyone with a license should have to reset their test every 10 years, no matter what age they are.
The bad habits everyone has when driving is ridiculous.
I don't see the point blaming a certain age group.
The bad habits everyone has when driving is ridiculous.
I don't see the point blaming a certain age group.
Anime rules. Anyone over 35.
Should the idiot who nearly hit me earlier today, speeding at an estimated 120 kmh on a street with a 50 limit?
Should the criminal in his Audi SUV (the worst kind) who was trying to overtake the car in front of me on a turn with 0 visibility, and who didn't take out a whole family by pure luck?
Statistically I don't think old people are the ones causing major accidents. Some might be clumsy, slow, but they will rarely take risks. And some can drive just fine.
Heck, you know what? ONLY old people should drive. Worst that can happen, they'll hit your car while parking :P
(Retest every year, sure.)
Should the criminal in his Audi SUV (the worst kind) who was trying to overtake the car in front of me on a turn with 0 visibility, and who didn't take out a whole family by pure luck?
Statistically I don't think old people are the ones causing major accidents. Some might be clumsy, slow, but they will rarely take risks. And some can drive just fine.
Heck, you know what? ONLY old people should drive. Worst that can happen, they'll hit your car while parking :P
(Retest every year, sure.)
People pretty consistently repeat the axiom of: "Make them take the test every <x> amount of months".
What happens when they inevitably fail? The vast majority of the US is antagonistic--at best--to the idea of public transit in any way, shape or form. So how do they get groceries? God forbid they live in an area that doesn't have grocery delivery services; Or they need something that isn't covered under those services for one reason or another.
Before we start forcing people off of the road, we need to address the fact that without their cars there is physically no way for some of these people to fulfill even their most basic of needs. Even then, I'm not too sure how safe a lot of elderly people would feel on public transit with the reputation it has in the States.
What happens when they inevitably fail? The vast majority of the US is antagonistic--at best--to the idea of public transit in any way, shape or form. So how do they get groceries? God forbid they live in an area that doesn't have grocery delivery services; Or they need something that isn't covered under those services for one reason or another.
Before we start forcing people off of the road, we need to address the fact that without their cars there is physically no way for some of these people to fulfill even their most basic of needs. Even then, I'm not too sure how safe a lot of elderly people would feel on public transit with the reputation it has in the States.
Under twenty is a very dangerous time, yeah, exceeded in rates of fatal crashes by... People over eighty.
This thread is actually about "should we redesign our cities and shift our funding priorities so that the elderly can navigate it without being required to operate a motor vehicle?"
I'm glad some others have pointed that out, but it's also disappointing to see the majority not have any second thoughts when just casually saying we should take away freedom entirely from others.
I'm glad some others have pointed that out, but it's also disappointing to see the majority not have any second thoughts when just casually saying we should take away freedom entirely from others.
Over ~80 you should be required to do a driving test every year.
I've seen enough older folk on the roads that have no business still driving, it's a matter of time before they hurt themselves or someone else.
I've seen enough older folk on the roads that have no business still driving, it's a matter of time before they hurt themselves or someone else.
