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Elderly Drivers: Should They Have a License?

Updated on May 25, 2012
Otto, the Bonecrusher, dead at 101 yrs.
Otto, the Bonecrusher, dead at 101 yrs.

My take on this is a cautionary "yes". It is really one's personal responsibility at any age when driving, but it is more acute when the driver is over 70 yrs. Yes, it is all relative to their condition. I mean, someone who is 60 yrs. might not be fit, while an 80 yr. old remains viable as a driver. But, let's face it, elderly people simply have lost some of their cognitive and quick reflexes that they once had in better days, we'll all get there one day. Elderly people are simply slower. Age is like a car, the more miles you put on it, the more likely something will go wrong and the body deteriorates.

Accidents happen, yet when they involved elderly people, it seems worse and for first reaction is, "why are they even driving"? Well, obviously they passed the DMV exam and driving test. Yet, the test does nothing to predict how fast they will react to fast moving cars and surroundings. So, these drivers move slow, sometimes, too slow, and this can cause accidents. Then, sometimes, the "go dark" and step on the gas instead of the brake. It just goes with the aging terrain. Motorists 80 or older had a crash rate of 90 per 10,000 licensed drivers in 2010, compared with 347 crashes per 10,000 drivers for those ages 15 to 24.

Then there is this: A sprite, "young", 101 yr. old man, a former boxer (known as ,The Bonecrusher) in his prime (his girlfriend is 87), still operating a photography store near a senior center. We all should pray to reach that age in decent shape! He was walking in the crosswalk trying to get to the center he hung out at. You know what is coming....a car, that slams into him, killing him tragically. What you do not know is that this car was driven by a 91 yr. old lady, who was not hurt. She was a retired teacher and a trustee for a library.

The time of the accident was twilight or dark. She simply did not see him. End of the traffic report. End of 100 years of life. End of this hub.

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