i drop my son off at his high school and pick him up.when i pick him up at the end of the day and the school kids that drive are leaving, alot of them pull out without looking and change lanes without looking.most of the kids drive like there leaving pit row, way too fast. i have driven in most parts of the world and the worst drivers are the inexperenced ones.yes the old drivers should be tested at some point as we age.look at florida,if the old people werent allowed to drive that state would be broke.

 

No, they just need to keep the bad drivers off the road -- regardless of age.

 

do they have these same problems in Europe? I get the feeling over there driving is taken way more seriously.

 

To a much lesser degree. Hand held cell phone use is against the law. Drivers licenses aren't just handed out to anyone with a pulse, like in the US. When I've been in Europe, many drivers I saw had their hands on the wheel at 10 & 2. Yes, they take driving much more seriously than we do. Our system is completely broke. Anyone can have a license, and keep it, regardless of their road skills. Very sad. Hand held cell usage is allowed in most states. What's up with that when statistics have PROVEN it is as dangerous as driving drunk!!

 

Back in the late 80s I was in the gym in Pasadena and my car, a 79 BMW 320i, was parked down the street. This old, old guy, driving a beat up old Ford, trying to park in front of me with no car in front of him, backed into the side of my car twice -- just creamed it. His son came running out of his office right where his car was parked -- and he was old. I told the cop who took the police report "This guy shouldn't be driving. He's going to kill somebody." The cop just shrugged his shoulders. I go back into the gym, finish my workout, shower, and go back to my car. The old guy had backed into it again, knocking it up on the curb. I tell his insurance adjuster at my body shop what I told the cop and he also just shrugged his shoulders. About a month later I see the old guy walking across the street, very near where he backed into my car, stooped over, his torso at a 90

 

damn i think most of us have at least one story.

I was in a parking lot, waiting to move and out of the corner of my eye this lady is slowly backing out, not turning her head or looking or anything. I start on the horn...keep giving her the horn...unbelievable she keeps going! im yelling at this point. Backs up right into the side of my car. I was pissed. Got out yelling like hell trying to control myself being its an old lady. she says shes deaf. great. maybe you shouldnt be driving then if shes in that condition. lucky i was in the beater !!!

 

Old people don't street race...I'm just saying.

Twice now, my life has been put in danger by teens and young adults trying to prove who's car is faster, who's the better racer, who has the bigger d*ck, who's the bigger IDIOT or whatever the hell it was they were trying to prove. There's nothing scarier than seeing some idiot coming up fast behind you, doing triple digits, and so busy looking at the guy in the next lane that he doesn't see you in front of him until it's almost too late...and there's nowhere you can go. So you brace yourself and ask GOD to look after your wife and kid.

Old people aren't the only danger on the road. I deal with a**holes in pickup trucks who act like they own the road on a daily basis. Let's ban them. Or how about 5'2" soccer moms who feel the need to drive a big ass suburban to take little Johnny to practice, and can't control it or properly judge how much space they need to change lanes in front of another car. Let's ban them too.

One day, if you're really lucky, you'll be old too. Let's see how you like it when people complain about your driving and advocate that you be banned from driving.

 

I was stopped at a red light once and saw an old guy trying to make a left turn, he made his left, but took it too wide and hit the curb...popped his tire, but continued on his way without knowing.


The way I see it, people older than 70 should have to take a mandatory driving test every year or two. Older people lose mobility and reaction time is too slow if they need to make an evasive maneuver. I have nothing agianst older people, but we need to keep the streets safe.

 

I'm afraid you've lost me. I can't believe you are suggesting there's no statistical difference in the quality of driving between those groups of people?

It is a proven fact, if you are young, you are inexperienced, and will likely crash someday in your early driving career.

It is a proven fact, if you are over 70, your reflexes are 40% slower than those of a 27 year old (27 is widely considered to be the male peak physical age), and therefore you are more dangerous.

Not to mention that most old people still drive how they did when they were young, and there were less than 1/20th as many cars on the road.

I just don't see what you're getting at. The young and the old are dangerous, the middle age group much less so. Why do you think your premiums drop when you hit 28 or so? The young I can forgive, they gotta learn. The old I cannot. If you can't hear/see/react well enough to drive properly, you have no business on the road, and you should KNOW it. Doing so is wilful endangerment and should be a crime.

Anyone who disagrees should come to Athens and see for yourselves. Just the other day an old person killed one person and injured 3 others when he plowed through a bus stop. By all accounts, when they got him out of the car, he didn't even know he'd had an accident!

 

they should make the tests where they throw shit at you, maybe a lil kid runs out here or there OMFG LOOK A DOG and react. i wanna see how many people fail then