Thursday, June 4, 2009
Senior Drivers
I have been expounding recently to anyone willing to listen about the “texting while driving” debate. I’m one of those people who generally don’t like laws of any kind that infringe on personal freedom so I applaud the Patriot Ledger for their opinion column “New Law Not Answer To Texting While Driving”. I like to think that education, not dictation, is the way to change attitudes.
That being said, I’ve been thinking of departing from my usual “freedom from rules” view of life to entertain thoughts on a policy to prevent the elderly from driving. Two recent accidents involving elderly drivers, one 73 years old, the other 93, are reminders that some people shouldn’t be behind the wheel at all. It’s a difficult debate, and making a law to address it would be tricky. I don’t like the thoughts of being penalized for living to a ripe old age by having some freedom taken away, but in some cases I think it’s a necessity. There’s not always a relative or caretaker willing to advise a senior citizen that it’s time to give up some of the freedoms they’ve had all of their lives.
Accident rates begin to multiply exponentially once a driver reaches 85 years of age. Should everyone over 85 not be allowed to drive? I don’t think it’s a matter of one’s chronological age. Maybe some sort of test for mental acuity and physical ability to drive could be addressed. In New Hampshire anyone over 75 has to take a driving test in order to renew their license. Maybe it’s time for Massachusetts to make a similar law. I just hope my father doesn’t read this.
POSTED BY STAN at June 4, 2009
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