Are Seniors Being Targeted as Bad Drivers?

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I just think they should have to take a driving test when getting there license renewed. Besides, they didnt even have driving test way back then; they just issued license.

Kayla of GA 8:29PM November 03, 2011

older driver no hurray ,watch the speed limit, know my limitations, moved to rural area, no traffic, no rush hour no need to drive at nites, ride ATV's don't use cell phones wear eyeglasses keep up with the laws of driving. do not need to be singled out because of my age. common sense needs to prevail, do not see it with other drivers and their erratic habits with speeding and braking, passing on curves. object to be considered the dangerous driver because of my age. downtown L A is a pain at rush hour, do not need to be there anymore so i avoid it, we have a tendency to look at small problems for a few and magnify it for the majority. compare older drivers records to teens . and young drivers. in 56 years one accident on rain soaked hiway, 40 years younger at the time. alot of these so called problems are reporters trying to find a story. orgon legislature wants to require older adults to be given a drivers test every two years, a money raising venture a better test would be a doctors physical every year, with a report to the state, but they could not get revenue from this venture

cgg56 of OR 5:29PM March 15, 2011

I am a senior driver. I believe that senior drivers who are in good health like myself are actually better drivers because of the experience in the thousands of "been there, done that" situations that come up while driving over many years. I have always driven defensively and without distraction (cell phones, etc.). After over 50 years on the road accident-free I am proud of that. If, when I go to renew my license, it is found that I have any kind of impairment that would prevent me from driving safely I would relinquish my license without hesitation, as would any responsible person. It is a fact that statistically, young, inexperienced drivers have more accidents and make more errors in driver judgement than all other drivers combined, so I do feel that seniors do get singled out unfairly.

Aaron of OH 3:01PM February 22, 2011

I think it's complete nonsence that everybody says that seniors are bad drivers. Sure there is the occasional someone that has an incadent but that doesn't mean that they are bad drivers. Some elderly are almost better drivers than any other person. But I do think that if the senior does have a dissability that they should consider putting away their permit for good but if they are still capible of doing everything that they need to do when driving then just LET THEM DRIVE! It isn't that hard of a concept to consider but people just don't want to let them drive because it might make them look bad! So I say LET THEM DRIVE!!!!!!

John Abrey of IL 4:56PM February 26, 2010

I agree on testing all drivers every time a license is due. I particularly notice a lot of desk jockeys ( at least people with suites on) being stressed out while at the steering wheel. They are the most likely to be cutting people off. Not all of them do that but they seem to be the most stressed out people at the wheel.

Seven of MI 9:34AM July 23, 2009

I would think and hope that when the times comes that I am over 70, that I would happy to take a test to confirm that I am fit to drive.
I do not understand the resistance to over 70 testing. A 70+ fit driver is just as likely to be mowed down by an unfit 70+ driver as the rest of us.

WillieA of MA 10:07PM July 18, 2009

I am CEO of Posit Science, the leader in clinically-proven brain fitness software, and we’ve studied the link between safe driving and brain performance ... it is the strongest predictor of crash risk and it can be tested. In general, performance declines with age and it can also be improved at any age with the right exercises (just like physical fitness).
Based on this understanding we just released DriveSharp, an interactive brain fitness software program to make people safer behind the wheel by training the brain to think faster and react quicker. It is clinically proven to reduce crash risk by 50%. These results are supported by research funded by the National Institutes of Health and the product is recommended by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. For more information, please go to www.drivesharp.com ... there is a free online demo of one of the training exercises. While we cannot stop the inevitability of aging, we can invest in ourselves to stay vibrant and safe.

Steven Aldrich of CA 6:02PM July 15, 2009

So if I'm getting this straight, we shouldn't target senior citizens as bad drivers because of their age, and because not all of them actually are unable to drive? Hmmm...I would've loved to hear that when they were targeting young drivers just because of their age. Last I checked, not all young drivers are bad either! It's a case by case basis, but it's clear that this issue has more thought put in it when voters are involved and the legislators realize that they can't be "grandfathered in," but will be something they may have to put up with, God willing they live that long.
I agree, not all senior citizens are bad drivers, just like not all junior operators are bad drivers. But if there are restrictions put on junior operators because of the inexperience that comes with all of them, there should be restrictions put on senior citizens as their health begins to fail, and they become more impaired. It's just a part of life. No amount of experience is going to save you from an accident if you can't react to it fast enough.
I know of more elderly drivers that were involved in crashes than I know of young drivers. One in particular killed my best friend's dad and showed no remorse for his family; he was convinced throughout and after the court hearing that it was not his fault, that my friend's dad was just a reckless young'n who should have been looking out for HIM...but in reality he was just too impaired to be able to drive safely, which a doctor's examination proved.
So to answer the question of this title, I suppose the answer is, "Yes, but do you hear junior operators crying about it?"
This is so irritating I can't even stand it.

Opal Hail of MA 7:05PM July 13, 2009