Talk of The Villages Florida
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Talk of The Villages Florida (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/)
-   The Villages, Florida, General Discussion (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/)
-   -   Who should be allowed to drive in TV? (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/who-should-allowed-drive-tv-298227/)

Topspinmo 09-16-2019 09:04 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martian (Post 1681701)
In another thread there was a comment about the community is made up of older people and questioned some their ability to drive safely.

The ability to safely drive definitely diminishes (for some) as we age. Eye sight, reaction times, reaction to stressful events, etc. all take a toll.

There is obviously a wide variation in peoples abilities, and I was wondering what everyones feelings are about licensing and age/ability? My wife and I are planing on a Tesla in our future and one of the reasons is that we would prefer to let the car do the driving as we age. I am currently 70 and she is 65, and at this point we "feel" we are still capable, but we both agree that we can see the day coming when it would be better to not have to drive, but still retain the ability to be independently mobile.

There was also a recent article about an autonomous (self driving) taxi service coming to TV, which I think is a great alternative to driving as we age - assuming it is affordable.

What are your feelings about licensing requirements? Are you making plans for a future where you don't/can't drive?

Inquiring minds want to know!

WELL, I guess anyone with valid driver’s licenses

Topspinmo 09-16-2019 09:06 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by mulligan (Post 1681719)
Florida State Law determines who can and cannot drive here on our county owned roads. Until we see new legislation, nothing will change. How about anonymous reporting of bad drivers ??
That would be opinion? Like 90% of drivers.

FenneyGuy 09-17-2019 07:29 AM
All vehicles should be tested for sufficient quantities of blinker fluid. The turn signals of far too many vehicles in The Villages do not seem to work.

Martian 09-17-2019 08:52 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by FenneyGuy (Post 1682130)
All vehicles should be tested for sufficient quantities of blinker fluid. The turn signals of far too many vehicles in The Villages do not seem to work.
Maybe the magic smoke leaked. I have tried replenishing the blinker fluid on occasion, but sometimes that results in a sudden release of all the magic smoke.

justjim 09-17-2019 09:04 AM
Careful what you wish for. You take away a person’s legal right to drive and you may be sentencing him/her to death. In a community where there is little public transportation it can be a real issue. Its a mighty slippery slope.

Chi-Town 09-17-2019 10:34 AM
AARP is a strong lobby in Florida to assure senior drivers their full ability to drive. It is tough to change legislature without that force behind it.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

queasy27 09-17-2019 01:54 PM
I'm 68 and was a bit surprised when I recently renewed my license online for 8 years without a peep from the State. No testing at all. I wasn't required to take a written or driving test when I moved here from out of state 10 years ago, either. So Florida tested my vision once a decade ago, and that's it until I'm 76. Seems a bit overly laissez faire!

After so many years on slow poke TV roads, I no longer feel comfortable driving on the freeway or even 45 mph on 27 or 466 during busy times of the day. Independence is one thing, but how much of that would I have if I got into a debilitating auto accident? An acquaintance did earlier this year and she's now permanently in a nursing home and severely depressed.

I'm definitely self-limiting as far as driving goes, and am in fact thinking about selling my car and being cart only. (Not that accidents don't happen with those as well, but the slower speeds are easier overall.)

Topspinmo 09-17-2019 02:34 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by queasy27 (Post 1682211)
I'm 68 and was a bit surprised when I recently renewed my license online for 8 years without a peep from the State. No testing at all. I wasn't required to take a written or driving test when I moved here from out of state 10 years ago, either. So Florida tested my vision once a decade ago, and that's it until I'm 76. Seems a bit overly laissez faire!

After so many years on slow poke TV roads, I no longer feel comfortable driving on the freeway or even 45 mph on 27 or 466 during busy times of the day. Independence is one thing, but how much of that would I have if I got into a debilitating auto accident? An acquaintance did earlier this year and she's now permanently in a nursing home and severely depressed.

I'm definitely self-limiting as far as driving goes, and am in fact thinking about selling my car and being cart only. (Not that accidents don't happen with those as well, but the slower speeds are easier overall.)
Day of the computer, they know exactly how safe driver you are, just like the insurance knows when you get ticket.

Topspinmo 09-17-2019 02:38 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by queasy27 (Post 1682211)
I'm 68 and was a bit surprised when I recently renewed my license online for 8 years without a peep from the State. No testing at all. I wasn't required to take a written or driving test when I moved here from out of state 10 years ago, either. So Florida tested my vision once a decade ago, and that's it until I'm 76. Seems a bit overly laissez faire!

After so many years on slow poke TV roads, I no longer feel comfortable driving on the freeway or even 45 mph on 27 or 466 during busy times of the day. Independence is one thing, but how much of that would I have if I got into a debilitating auto accident? An acquaintance did earlier this year and she's now permanently in a nursing home and severely depressed.

I'm definitely self-limiting as far as driving goes, and am in fact thinking about selling my car and being cart only. (Not that accidents don't happen with those as well, but the slower speeds are easier overall.)
I hope you’re golf cart has seat belts and you use them.

OrangeBlossomBaby 09-17-2019 03:28 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chi-Town (Post 1682169)
AARP is a strong lobby in Florida to assure senior drivers their full ability to drive. It is tough to change legislature without that force behind it.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
Permission does not equate with ability. I would like to see the two a little closer together on the scale, so that those who are not able to drive, get their permission revoked.

Martian 09-17-2019 03:29 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by justjim (Post 1682151)
Careful what you wish for. You take away a person’s legal right to drive and you may be sentencing him/her to death. In a community where there is little public transportation it can be a real issue. Its a mighty slippery slope.
I understand, but on the other hand, I would rather have to solve their problem than put a 5,000 lb 300 horsepower death machine in the hands of someone not capable of controlling it and have them kill a young family with 3 kids...

justjim 09-17-2019 03:40 PM
Average age of a Villager
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by queasy27 (Post 1682211)
I'm 68 and was a bit surprised when I recently renewed my license online for 8 years without a peep from the State. No testing at all. I wasn't required to take a written or driving test when I moved here from out of state 10 years ago, either. So Florida tested my vision once a decade ago, and that's it until I'm 76. Seems a bit overly laissez faire!

After so many years on slow poke TV roads, I no longer feel comfortable driving on the freeway or even 45 mph on 27 or 466 during busy times of the day. Independence is one thing, but how much of that would I have if I got into a debilitating auto accident? An acquaintance did earlier this year and she's now permanently in a nursing home and severely depressed.

I'm definitely self-limiting as far as driving goes, and am in fact thinking about selling my car and being cart only. (Not that accidents don't happen with those as well, but the slower speeds are easier overall.)
Age 68 seems very young to think about no longer driving a car. I believe 68 is close to the average age of a Villager. Just saying...

Aloha1 09-17-2019 03:45 PM
With a population of 140,000 and an average age of 67, if this were a real issue, the accident and death count would be enormous. It's not.

Are there some who should not have a license to drive? Sure, but they cross all ages and all manner of lack of skills. And what about those who have legal orders not to drive but do so any way like DUI convicted? They too cross all age groups.

I'm 71 and frankly what I watch out for are those who never drove a car until they moved to TV and do not have the lifetime of experience driving like most former midwesterners. As I said before, always drive defensively and trust your own skill set. If you can't trust that anymore, then by all means turn in your license. But I would never force you to.

OrangeBlossomBaby 09-17-2019 09:19 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by justjim (Post 1682244)
Age 68 seems very young to think about no longer driving a car. I believe 68 is close to the average age of a Villager. Just saying...
It's a good age to start planning for the inevitability.

queasy27 09-18-2019 03:24 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by justjim (Post 1682244)
Age 68 seems very young to think about no longer driving a car. I believe 68 is close to the average age of a Villager. Just saying...
Needs vary, of course. I'm not in good health and have physical limitations, so that factors in.

Martian 09-18-2019 05:43 AM
Its been an interesting conversation, thanks to everyone for contributing.

graciegirl 09-18-2019 06:05 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martian (Post 1682241)
I understand, but on the other hand, I would rather have to solve their problem than put a 5,000 lb 300 horsepower death machine in the hands of someone not capable of controlling it and have them kill a young family with 3 kids...
Or an old couple. They are loved too. Lots of people really love old people.

I think what we need to do is get some legislation going against taking illegal drugs and driving. People get all wacked out and drive.

I don't drink so don't look at me and my medication doesn't cause me to bumble either. My doctors say I am perfectly capable of driving but like I said, I had an unknown to me heart slowness that could have killed me. It is fixed now.

Do you drive, Martian? If you do, drive carefully, there are a lot of nuts out there.

Chatbrat 09-18-2019 07:22 AM
Talking about a nut, aprox 7AM,this morning was south bound on St.Charles, all of a sudden a person in a golf cart decided to make a U turn from the diamond lane directly in front of me, my Distronic saved his life and he was upset that I honked my horn

Kilmacowen 09-18-2019 08:13 AM
What bothers me is that Florida does not have yearly auto inspections. Go outside the bubble and see bald tires, smoke pouring out of exhausts, bad brakes, etc. Don't understand how there are no required inspection stickers. These vehicles should not be on the road.

Chatbrat 09-18-2019 08:32 AM
Older person snap decision-another disconcerting is Fl auto insurance requirements--the minimum is $10K/20K= those limits could never make anyone whole

tophcfa 09-18-2019 08:37 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kilmacowen (Post 1682343)
What bothers me is that Florida does not have yearly auto inspections. Go outside the bubble and see bald tires, smoke pouring out of exhausts, bad brakes, etc. Don't understand how there are no required inspection stickers. These vehicles should not be on the road.
Be careful what you wish for. I very much like no inspection. My car is totally safe, but if it had to pass an inspection I would have to spend over two thousand dollars to replace a catalytic converter that would not make the car any safer or run any better.

Martian 09-18-2019 09:02 AM
And so people that did not plan, or who were devastated by someone else's decisions, can just die and get out of our way... that seems to be the alternative. I believe that each of us should be responsible le and do what is possible to take career of themselves. I also believe that some times sh1t happens to the best of people, and I believe sometimes lazy people take advantage of the system.

I am open to suggestions to provide a humane moral society that does not result is dead bodies in gutters.

justjim 09-18-2019 09:56 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martian (Post 1682362)
And so people that did not plan, or who were devastated by someone else's decisions, can just die and get out of our way... that seems to be the alternative. I believe that each of us should be responsible le and do what is possible to take career of themselves. I also believe that some times sh1t happens to the best of people, and I believe sometimes lazy people take advantage of the system.

I am open to suggestions to provide a humane moral society that does not result is dead bodies in gutters.
I believe President Ronald Reagan when he was quoted as saying “Government exists to protect us from each other, where government has gone beyond its intended limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.” :bigbow:

Chi-Town 09-18-2019 11:03 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by tophcfa (Post 1682351)
Be careful what you wish for. I very much like no inspection. My car is totally safe, but if it had to pass an inspection I would have to spend over two thousand dollars to replace a catalytic converter that would not make the car any safer or run any better.
Just cleaner.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

dillywho 09-18-2019 11:04 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martian (Post 1681770)
Excellent question, and I will add how many older seniors do not take ANY drugs/medications - I expect none? And how many of those prescriptions (and non-prescriptions) can result in impaired ability to drive or impaired ability to make a sound judgement as to ones own ability to drive!
There seems to be the mistaken notion that only older people take medication.

manaboutown 09-18-2019 11:30 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by dillywho (Post 1682393)
There seems to be the mistaken notion that only older people take medication.
Yes, and some younger folks take methication.

Martian 09-18-2019 12:22 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by dillywho (Post 1682393)
There seems to be the mistaken notion that only older people take medication.
I did not mean to imply that. But there are laws concerning illegal drugs already, and for legal drugs I expect older people tend to take more than younger, but I could be wrong about that.

However, there is no law against getting older, and while for some it is later than for others, eventually everyone will become incapable of driving safely.

And since there tends to be a higher concentration of "older" people here (I can't imagine why) my question was more focused on considerations with older people driving, should there be testing, should they simply decided for themselves, etc. etc. etc.


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