[Taltarzac725]

baby boomers parents still driving, safe drivers

This looked like a useful resource.

I have some friends whom I wish would give up driving. It would cut down on my number of prayers to God for their and my safety.

[dewilson58]

I'm a creeper.................I sometimes follow my parents (92 & 91 years old) around when they are driving. I also inspect their car for rubs, dents and scratches.

Sometimes it looks like a funeral procession behind them, but at least they are not speeding.

[Nucky]

A year or so back I was watching the recorded video of the Tracy Morgan accident on the N.J.Turnpike. In a moment of clarity I prepared a letter and went to motor vehicle and surrendered my motorcycle and CDL Class A with all the endorsements. I feel great about doing so as I am no longer qualified in my opinion to operate either kind of vehicle. I am fine in a car or pickup truck. There comes a time when you must be responsible enough to do the correct thing without being pushed to do so. The relief is enormous. I just know someone would call me to drive their tractor trailer for them one day and I would not be able to resist. I don't want to hurt anyone and with that CDL license I could have hurt many from being greedy. A person must know their limitations.

[Marathon Man]

Originally Posted by Nucky

A year or so back I was watching the recorded video of the Tracy Morgan accident on the N.J.Turnpike. In a moment of clarity I prepared a letter and went to motor vehicle and surrendered my motorcycle and CDL Class A with all the endorsements. I feel great about doing so as I am no longer qualified in my opinion to operate either kind of vehicle. I am fine in a car or pickup truck. There comes a time when you must be responsible enough to do the correct thing without being pushed to do so. The relief is enormous. I just know someone would call me to drive their tractor trailer for them one day and I would not be able to resist. I don't want to hurt anyone and with that CDL license I could have hurt many from being greedy. A person must know their limitations.

A brave, wise, and difficult decision. I salute you, sir.

[BK001]

As the old joke goes:

I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my grandpa.
Not yelling and screaming, like the people in his car

[BK001]

But seriously, Nucky I applaud you. Most of us don't want to admit our own limitations even when we are aware of them. Good job.

[Nucky]

Originally Posted by BK001

But seriously, Nucky I applaud you. Most of us don't want to admit our own limitations even when we are aware of them. Good job.

I hope I can handle a Golf Cart! No problem with navigating the Rotaries in TV's we have them all over the place here with very little problems.

[2BNTV]

Nucky seems to be the exception rather than the rule! Congrats on your decision.

To answer the OP original question. When you are no longer safe and put other people in harms way, should one give up their right to drive.

Unfortunately, some people like my dad saw this as a loss of independence. I was riding with him one day and a cat crossed in front of him and he never saw it. I shutter to think if that could have been a child.

I wonder if anyone thinks of how they would feel if they killed someone, because they refused to give up, the right to drive. Hopefully, all of us will do the right thing when, the time comes.

[Nucky]

Originally Posted by 2BNTV

Nucky seems to be the exception rather than the rule! Congrats on your decision.

To answer the OP original question. When you are no longer safe and put other people in harms way, should one give up their right to drive.

Unfortunately, some people like my dad saw this as a loss of independence. I was riding with him one day and a cat crossed in front of him and he never saw it. I shutter to think if that could have been a child.

I wonder if anyone thinks of how they would feel if they killed someone, because they refused to give up, the right to drive. Hopefully, all of us will do the right thing when, the time comes.

To be totally open I don't know if I would have the same outlook if it was my car license. There have been some horrific accidents that my former co-workers were involved in and when they happened nobody ever asked about injuries, everyone ran to look at the driver's log book. I followed the rules to the best of my ability but not perfectly. So many CDL vehicles are paid on commision which turns the drivers into an animal behind the wheel because they make nothing sitting in a traffic jam and if they do have a delay they ride like a fool trying to make up time when the delay ends. I pray when it's my time to not drive I have my mind about me to make that decision correctly. Its has to be rough! I saw some things when I was visiting last year on the road that were sad. It wasn't only people of advanced age that were acting up!

[2BNTV]

Sometimes, family members who are concerned have to make that decision for the potentially dangerous driver.

I agree that one doesn't necessarily have to be old to be a menace. Just yesterday, I saw a guy in a golf cart making a left turn onto the El Camino golf cart path from Banderos just past the sign that said, "no golf carts beyond this point". I also saw very young people on Buena Vista Blvd and when they got to 466, they knew they messed up. You see some crazy stuff here!!!

I agree it's very tough, as we all don't want to housebound and be a pain to others.

Independence is something that is very difficult to give up.

[redwitch]

We have a right to bear arms, a right to free speech, a right to free assembly .... We don't have a right to drive. Driving is a privilege. Personally, I wish every state would make it a law that you can't renew your license without a driving test. If not that, then at least make a driving test mandatory every five years after age 60 and every three years after age 75. If nothing else, it might get some bad habits corrected.

Our reflexes do slow down as we age. Our minds wander a little more. Sometimes, we become overly cautious and hyper focus on what is directly in front of us (the road) and forget to look completely around us.

I sincerely hope I will have the courage to quit driving when the time comes. For me, it will be when I start gripping the wheel or when I no longer can notice the dog being walked or the child playing in the yard because I'm afraid to take my eyes off the road or when the speed limit is too fast for me to keep up. I neither want to take a chance of hitting someone, being hit by someone or causing someone else to get in an accident because of my driving skills.