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Should There Be a Maximum Age Limit For U.S. Drivers? |
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With nothing better to do, lawmakers in some states want to force people to give up their drivers’ licenses at age 80. They claim those seniors all have diminished eyesight and their slowed-down reactions make them dangers on the road.
Hey, I'm over 80 and still drive every day. I don’t drive as fast as I did 60 years ago, but I'm still safe and responsible at the wheel. There are drivers in their 90s I'd much rather share the road with than any drunk-as-a-skunk 18-year-old speeding to disaster. I know, because I was once one of those teenagers. Weren’t we all! I was lucky I didn't kill myself or anyone else by my booze-impaired driving.
It is totally unfair to set some kind of an arbitrary age limit where seniors are automatically banned from driving. Just as most teenage drivers obey all the laws and drive responsibly, the great majority of seniors on the road are at least as safe.
Although there should be no age limit for drivers, I certainly agree there should be more frequent driving tests for seniors. I'd recommend them every two years from age 60 to 70, and annually from age 71.
Each person in those age groups should be examined by physicians for eyesight, reaction times and other driving-related physical conditions. They should also be required to go out on the road or test track with instructors and be judged under all driving situations. |
