When is it to old to drive and be retested?
 

Yesterday I was on Buena vista traveling north in the right lane Biking.
Her comes a car going south in the left lane of the North bound two lanes going the wrong way.
I start screaming at this person your going the wrong way. The best I could tell, it was a older lady in her 80's plus barely able to look over the dash. I pulled over, looked back as she was going the wrong way in to the round about, OMG!!!
Thank God the person in the Blue SUV slammed on his brakes as she turned left into one of the villages. Also a state body utility truck almost broad sided her as well and slammed on the brakes as everyone else coming into the round about did. I think she was oblivious to what was happening.
HMMMMM no one wants there freedom taken away but this lady almost cause injury to 4 vehicle and there passengers UGGHHHHHH

Yesterday you saw an older lady, frequently I see 20-somethings making poor and unsafe decisions (outside TV of course). When is it too old to drive and be retested? 17 seems to be the best answer to capture all the bad drivers.

Just because most traffic violations are by teenage boys, that is mainly because there are a lot more teen drivers than 80-year-old drivers.

At some point, we become unable to safely drive on public roads. That age is different for everyone. But, it is coming to everyone - someday.

Full Self Driving cars are going to be a godsend for people that can no longer drive safely, or at all. Allowing them to get out safely.

Until then is a very difficult thing to lose your ability to get around independently. But, it is for their own safety and the safety of everyone around them. And driving is NOT a right, it is a privilege.

To answer OPs question, when? When one is no longer able to drive safely and that needs to be determined by someone else. I disagree with Florida issuing driver's licenses for (I think it is) 10 years. I think that once you reach 65 testings should be every year.

The license number of the car should have been given to the police so they can check to see if she is capable of driving safely. When my mother turned 85 she felt that her reflexes were not good enough to be driving so she decided to give up her license and sell her car.

When I learned to drive I was taught to always be alert and watch out for the other guy. Now, I consider myself the other guy and everyone is watching out for me :)

I was shocked when we went to get our Florida drivers licenses that they were good for ten years. I think it would be a good idea to shorten up that interval as your age goes up. Maybe when you hit 60 drop it down to five years. At 65 drop it to three years. At 80 you should be checked every year. At 90, weekly. lol

Requiring practical driving tests on any specific age group would foment massive age discrimination law suits. The only way to avoid the problem is to require uniform retesting ,regardless of age. ( ie every 3 or 5 years) How much do you want to bet that will never happen?

Here in America, I thought we were going to reserve punishment until you actually do something to be punished for. Sounds like the lady driving the wrong way needs a driving test, not everybody over some arbitrary age. My Dad was driving into his 90's. He quit driving on his own when he realized his dementia had progressed to the level that made him a danger to others. Nobody had to tell him he needed to be tested.

We used to teach respect for other people's rights, along with the idea of "innocent until proven guilty", and the now totally foreign concept of personal responsibility.

Maybe we ought to try that again.

But, testing is not punishment. Driving is a privilege, not a right. Validating you still qualify for that privilege is NOT punishment, it is protecting you as much as it is protecting the people around you - oh. , wait, are we talking about driving or vaccinations... hmmm

One of the most difficult things I have done in my life is to stress to my best friends brother that my best friend should not be driving as his dementia was impairing his decision making skills. It was necessary to do this as I was afraid for my very good friend and others he might meet on the road. He passed away some nine months after losing his driving privileges. In many instances, self- evaluation of driving skills never takes place until a road accident occurs.

You obviously haven't spent much time at the DMV if you think visiting that place is not a punishment.

And please save that "driving is a privilege" BS for 16-year-old citizens-in-training. Everyone who hasn't done something to lose it has a right to own and drive a vehicle. The fact that we place some ground rules around some of our rights does not make them "privileges". There is no such legal term.

Vaccinations? What does that have to do with the topic? Are you trying to say I need to get a shot so you don't have to? I didn't get my shot to protect you. I got my shots to protect me. I could care less if you do -- it's none of my business.

Oh... I get it. You think that an old lady driving the wrong way gives you the right to sentence everyone her age to a day at the DMV -- sort of like the way you think an 80-year-old former smoker with COPD who dies from COVID gives you the right to order everybody to take an experimental vaccine -- even if they're not old or sick or otherwise actually at risk of dying from a cold virus.

Sorry, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one. I'm with Ben Franklin -- I think those who are willing to sacrifice liberty for safety tend to get neither.

Everyone should be tested tomorrow.
(same day as free beer)

When you can't drive, why not just buy one of those self-driving cars?

Problem solved.

Sorry, it is NOT a right. Seriously people today LOVE to throw around the "I have a right". Well, you don't. Right are clearly enumerated, there is "everything you want and we forgot to list" clause in the constitution. If you have a RIGHT to drive, and it can be taken away for drunk driving, can they take away your RIGHT to own guns for drunk shooting if you don't kill anyone? Nope,. See owning a gun IS a right, driving is NOT a right.

And complain all you want about the DMV here, try it is CA where you make an appointment in order to get in line and waiit 4 hours. Seriously, if you don't have an appointment to get in line you are not allowed in the line.

I grew up here and I am very familiar with the DMV.

It will be solved but is not yet. there are not full self-driving cars, yet. But, soon, and yes, they will give back the ability to get around for people that can't drive any longer.