Tibet: An elderly Tibetan women holding a prayer w...
English: Habiba Adan Salat, a Somali woman in Dolo...
Old Age - Support!!!Elderly Drivers Once people reach a certain age their bodies begin to deteriorate. Sight begins to get worse, hearing becomes impaired, and reaction time and judgment begin to slow down. Therefore doing simple everyday tasks, such as driving becomes more difficult. When a person has bad vision and hearing, along with a slow reaction time that can make for a hazardous driver. There are already enough bad drivers on the roads without the elderly, who in my opinion are the worst culprits of bad driving. I have had my fair share of run-ins with elderly drivers who were unfit to drive. An elderly woman rear-ended me while I was at a complete stop, I believe she just couldn't see that I was stopped, and her reaction time was to slow to stop herself once she realized I was at a stop. While I'm not suggesting that we kick all the elderly drivers off the road, I believe something should be done about the elderly who are unfit to drive.
This idea may upset many elderly drivers, but I believe that it will make the roads safer for everyone. All elderly people shouldn't be punished, just those are unfit to drive. One approach that could be made so that those who are able to drive may is that, elderly drivers should be required to go to the secretary of state office and pass a written exam, eye exam, as well as a road test. Sixty-five is the age that I would suggest that these tests be taken. Those who are labeled unfit to drive would have their licenses revoked, and if they wish they might obtain a complimentary bus pass. This solution may not make the elderly driving population happy, but something needs to be done to assure that safety on the roads is better.
This problem is not a new problem, and I'm thoroughly surprised that no action has been taken to help fix this problem. One reason I believe it may be a bigger problem now then it was in years before, is because there are more asshole drivers on the road now then in year's prior. It is a well-known fact that you must have a quick reaction time in order to avoid any accidents that may be caused by another driver. When a little old lady is driving down the road and can't even see over the dashboard, it doesn't matter how slow she is going, if someone darts out in front of her she will not be able to react as quickly to avoid the accident as someone who has good sight.
Money would definitely become an issue when trying to come up with a solution to this problem. Several things would have to be paid for by the state and also by those getting tested. One solution to the money problem would be to have those getting tested pay for the tests themselves, if they pass the test the state should reimburse them, and if they fail then they should have to pay for the test and the state will cover their transportation fees. Testing would have to be done by the secretary of state, therefore more employees would be needed to do this testing, which will help out the unemployment numbers. While this may cost the government a lot of money, I believe it's a small price for them to pay for the safety of people on the roads.
While not everyone will agree with me the fact that this is a problem, I believe that this is a big problem that needs to be seriously looked at by the government. Perhaps the solution I came up with isn't the best and most cost efficient. I have had more than one run-in with elderly drivers, and I don't believe it's just a coincidence; I believe something must be done to assure that myself or anyone else has another run-in with an elderly driver.
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