Are the rules for drivers license renewal too lax.

Maybe so. I was surprised to be able to renew for 8 years at age 56. At that age, a lot can change in 8 years. Still, what would you propose a physical exam cover? Vision for sure, but I hate to think of DMV writing a requirement that wouldn't leave them open to criticism for being too lax.

roger
I am going on 74 and just got an eight year renewal. I have friends in their 80 's who got the same. Everything is done by mail you can be a complete cripple and get it renewed. When I say physical a certified form from a DR. would do it. If you get an eye test from an optometrist there is a supplied cert. form that has to be filled out by him. I know people that if the examiner took one look at would be disqualified.

I'm withholding judgement of it until there is an examination of the guy's car to rule out mechanical defects.

With the number of cases about defective vehicle engines suddenly revving out of control, I'm not ready to jump to conclusions about the driver just yet.

In California, once past a certain age the DMV won't renew by mail anymore. You have to go in and pass both the written and vision tests each time you renew.

Butrflynet
How long is the renewal for and is physical condition checked.

seems as though an actual in the car driving test would cover it. but then i tend to be simple minded.

dys- Just recently, Florida passed a law. It made it mandatory for 80+ folks to get an eye test before renewing their licenses. IMO, I would like to see a reflex test also.

As far as a road test is concerned, the problem would be the expense to the taxpayers, unless the drivers were obliged to pay for the cost of the test!

another good reason to stay away from the u.s.

This was my first thought on the matter. I must be simple-minded, too. (Do you really only have to prove your ability to drive once in your life to be licensed to operate large and dangerous machine?)

I always find it odd that the only people that have mysterious engine problems that make their cars careen into the front of stores, etc. are elderly. I never see news reports of a 19 year old driving around in an old Chevette ramming through a crowd because of a possessed vehicle. Maybe it happens, but the majority of these incidences seem to be the over 70 crowd. Not to mention how many times they don't press charges against the driver if they're elderly.

On a side note - after my grandmother's wake, a bunch of us were meeting up at the local pub. My brother was coming into the parking lot, which has a ticket taker booth and a small arm gate. A woman came out the wrong way and hit my brother head on, after taking out the gate and the booth - the guy inside the booth jumped out to save himself. She was drunk and disoriented, but the cop wouldn't ticket her or arrest her because she was his old high school guidence counselor. Happens all the time. God, I love this city.

Anyhow...here in Mass. you can renew your license over the internet. I just renewed mine that way. As long as the photo was taken after the age of 21 all you need is a credit card. I'll be 23 forever!!!

I also think people should be retested, but I wouldn't just retest people over a certain age. Maybe every 10 years for everyone, and then every 5 after 65 or something? Age and health can affect your driving ability at any age, not to mention a nice refresher course on the rules of the road.

The drivers should pay for the test. Anyone first getting their license has to pay for it - or maybe just up the renewal fee by $10 and have the test and the license renewal included.

To my mind, the families and physicians of the elderly should worry less about the feelings of their loved ones or patients and more about the safety of the general public.

I understand that the 86 year old driver had managed to damage his garage door earlier this summer. Someone: the family, the insurance agent, the automobile body shop, the family doctor--someone should have acted.

Hindsight is easy.

In addition to official action, I suggest that everyone who holds emergency power of attorney for a spouse or a parent; who is authorized to decide on medical treatment if the spouse or parent is unable to function; or who is responsible for settling the estate of a family member decide immediately what they intend to do when driving skills begin to deteriorate.

I know that I will call a family confrontation so that two (perhaps three generations) can help my beloved face giving up his wheels. I will alert all of his doctors (he has a stable of eight) and get their support. If necessary I'll call the State Police (we are rural and have no local police force).

I'm not going to be an accessory--before or after the fact.

You see, if we could also get all the women off the road, too...then there wouldn't be a reason to test them when they get old, because they wouldn't be able to drive, at any age.

Damn, I'm good.

These discussion are done worldwide, I think, especially after seniors have been invlved in serious accidents.

In Germany, btw, you have to undergo an eye test before you get a driving license. So you do it just once in your life -normally-, since the driving license is value lifelong. (However, only in case, tha law doesn't want "to keep it in their premisses" for some time :wink: )

Eye tests are obligartory yearly/every two years for truck and bus drivers only.

In some cities and regions, seniors get a year/months-free ticket for public transport, when they give back their driving license.

Age and driving: a closer look

Despite Santa Monica tragedy, elderly drivers - and plenty are coming - aren't necessarily worse.

By Abraham McLaughlin and Amanda Paulson | Staff writers of The Christian Science Monitor

It's one of the knottiest issues faced by America's families - and by senior citizens themselves: When should the elderly give up driving?
This week's crash in Santa Monica, Calif., - when an octogenarian's car killed nine people in a farmer's market - has refocused attention on the appropriate time to take away the keys. Already in recent years, legislatures, car manufacturers, and others have been developing ways to make the roadways safer: More-sophisticated driving and vision tests, bigger car mirrors, better planned intersections, and laws that allow family members to quietly alert authorities about unsafe-driver concerns.
But with baby boomers aging - and with driving so tied to independence and quality of life in America's sprawling cities and suburbs - the topic may require even more attention. "In 10 to 20 years, the boomers will be right where that elderly gentleman was," says Joseph Coughlin, director of AgeLab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Unless we start planning personally where we live, and have more public debate" on the issue, there's a risk of seeing more of these kinds of tragedies.

In Santa Monica, Russell Weller drove away from a post office in his red Buick and was soon hurtling down Arizona Avenue. The street is usually open to traffic, but on Wednesdays it's closed for the farmer's market. Nine pedestrians were killed and up to 45 hurt in the mishap.

Initial tests on Mr. Weller found no evidence of alcohol or drugs. He does have a valid driver's license. But police say he recently crashed into his own garage. For now, they're treating the incident as a manslaughter case - but have said they suspect Weller was somehow confused or disoriented. "There may be some negligence as to his capacity to drive safely," said Police Chief James Butts.

Despite the incident's high profile - and many people saying they know seniors who drive dangerously - statistics show that older drivers aren't all that unsafe. Younger motorists - ages 16 to 24 - have accident rates of almost 120 crashes for every 1,000 drivers, according to federal data. Middle-aged drivers - 55 to 64 - have rates of less than 40 crashes per 1,000 drivers. Older drivers - 75 to 84 - experience about 30 crashes per 1,000 drivers.

One major difference: The elderly tend to drive far less. They don't commute. They often drive only when necessary, and, usually, not at night. With these factors taken into account, older drivers are statistically more dangerous: Among those 85 years or older, crash rates rise to more than 80 per 1,000 drivers.

The issue will likely only become more important. In 1995, 1 of every 11 drivers on US roads was over 70. By 2020, 1 of every 5 Americans will be over 65, and most will probably have licenses, according to the National Institute on Aging.

At present, licensing requirements vary widely from state to state. In many, drivers never have to set foot in a testing facility after getting their license at 16. In Illinois and New Hampshire, drivers over 75 must take a road test to renew their license.

Yet trying to change those laws can be politically difficult - especially when efforts target seniors. "The politics are less about what's safe than it is about balancing the values of freedom and independence on the one hand, and safety and health on the other," says Mr. Coughlin. "It goes nowhere."

The key, he says, is getting away from age as the criteria for testing. Unsafe driving isn't an age issue, Coughlin stresses. It's about drivers of any age who have impairments - and a transportation system that gives those drivers few alternatives.

The Santa Monica disaster, he hopes, will mobilize people to develop better testing for people of all ages, and transportation alternatives for those who don't make the grade.

But even before this week's accident, many groups nationwide were starting to focus on the elderly driving issue. The American Medical Association approved recommendations last month to help make doctors aware of factors that might impair the driving skills of older patients, and what assessment and rehabilitation options are available for those patients.

Even car manufacturers are beginning to put larger mirrors on cars - or devices that warn drives that they are too close to nearby cars. Congress, for its part, recently set aside $1.6 million to start a National Older Drivers Research Center to create better tests and train more driving rehabilitation specialists - people certified to help recognize driving weaknesses and to make the judgment call on when someone needs to get off the road.

Carol Blackburn, at Adaptive Mobility Services Inc. in Orlando, Fla., is one of about 300 such specialists. Often, her elderly clients have been referred by a doctor or family member.

"We can be the bad guys," she says, noting how tough it is for anyone to be told they can no longer drive. "It might mean they lose their home and have to go into an assisted living facility."

Sometimes, she'll find a middle ground to help people remain as independent as possible - restricting them to familiar routes or asking them to stop driving at night. Extra mirrors can also help.

But sometimes there's no other option, she says, remembering one elderly woman who was irate when told she could no longer drive - even though, during her road test, she had made a left turn in front of an oncoming car. "She said, 'I am not giving up my license! I am not moving in with my daughter in Atlanta.' It's not a pleasant part of our job, but if it takes somebody off the road who shouldn't be there, we need to do that."

Looks like I am incorrect about California. The laws were recently repealed because of the objections of organizations like the AARP about it being age discriminatory to single out a specific age group and if there is to be special testing it should be done on a random basis for all ages.

Probably why there has been a rise in accidents involving elderly drivers.

As for the "mysterious mechanical defects only happening to the elderly" I recommend the following reading:

http://www.safetyforum.com/fordsua/



http://www.safetyforum.com/sua/

My mom turned 60 recently, and since then she has noticed all the jokes in the media about old people. This really upset her. She mentioned how in other nations the elderly are looked upon as wise and sought out for their knowledge and advice. At least I think that's what she said... I wasn't really listening(jk). But I reminded her that in those nations, the elderly didn't drive!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,92179,00.html I am really hoping that this incident sparks some interest in testing people over (some age like 70) on a yearly basis if they want to keep their liscence.

My parents are only 60 and their driving is already starting to scare the hell out of me!

I know that most government officials, or people who would have a say in the laws regarding this, are afraid of the AARP... so what can people like you and me do to express our concern about this. Its a huge safety hazard! If you are renewing a DRIVERS liscence, you should be able to DRIVE to the DOT and renew it! And how much can it cost for a person to get their driving skills tested in their own car?

I'd much rather be driving behind or next to the little old lady from Pasadena then the folks who are busily putting on mascara in the rear view mirror and talking on the cell phone while smoking a cigarette or eating a Big Mac.

For quite a while, I've thought at age 65 and every four years later, there should be a mandatory driving test. It's only common sense, IMO.

It will depend on who you ask. It's a complicated issue, because some people at 30 should not be on the road driving a car, while a person of 80 could be alert and a excellent driver. Age alone is not the criteria, but at some point, we must use common sense, and use generalized rules of age. As somebody stated earlier, family, friends and the person's physician should get involved if they know that their loved one or patient does not have the capacity to drive safely on our streets. Concern for the public safety is paramount over peoples' individual right to drive. c.i.