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Actually, the rate of accidents, per 100,000 drivers goes down as age increases.
While drivers over the age of 75 make up about 8.5% of licensed drivers, they account for only 3.7% of accidents.
The angst parents have when their children start to drive is real. Teenage drivers aged 16-19 are 3.6% of licensed drivers, but account for 9.6% of all accidents.
No need to get defensive, it's a fact that we have physical changes as we age. I see it beginning in myself. Now if you can find some way to effectively test young people for recklessness, bravado, or habitually getting high or drunk as part of a driving test, by all means, let us implement that too. Apples to oranges here....
I am however of the opinion that all drivers should have to retake the driving part of the test at least once every ten years just for general competency.
of course we have physical changes but it infuriates me that the press makes sure when an elderly person has an accident no matter how minor or severe their age is always mentioned. But the young who overturn their cars ,plow into others, kill innocent people etc, their ages are never mentioned. If that isnt a deliberate attempt to increase voter resistance to the elderly driving or even living in some places I dont know what is.
My aunt is 96 and still driving in her small town over a familiar route. Her sons live nearby and I’m sure they monitor this. She is frail, but definitely still has all her marbles. I don’t know when she last renewed.
I'm 70. I gave up driving about four years ago and resumed driving earlier this year. But I had to renew my driver's license back in 2022 and was able to mail in my renewal form. I just had to state that my vision had not changed. The license is good until 2031. Previously, I had to renew my license every four years so I was surprised at the expanded renewal time. I live in Texas.
Not in the US, but in our state of NSW we have to have a medical assessment every year once we turn 75. Then when we turn 85, we can move to a restricted licence where we may only travel about 5 miles from home. Or to keep an unrestricted licence we have to take a full twenty minute on road assessment every two years.
Obviously the unrestricted licence is needed much more by rural residents. In places like Sydney, with awful traffic, many are happy to have a restricted licence and people often self-limit their driving to cope with the conditions.
We met some Americans from Chicago on a tour last year. The lady and I were laughing about how we seem to have the same driving anxieties, hating merging on expressways, turning right in our case and left in hers etc. Also many seniors find the current headlights difficult!
Good for Oz. Sounds like they have the aging driver well in hand. Where we live, just pay a $300 bribe to the right official, and you're all good.
We stopped driving in 2016 (age 61) and haven't missed it. I would worry more about the new-car gadgets I'm not used to, so we don't rent cars either. Our last one was 2007 and we're not up on the latest car computerized "accessories".
I enjoyed driving, and am surprised we don't miss it. Thought we would. Maybe 'cause there's nowhere we want to go here, lol. When we visit SoCal, everything is walking distance so we don't need transpo much and use Uber/light rail when we do.
We went through the aging scenario with my dad in his 80s when he started getting TIAs and mini-black-outs. Got his keys taken away, but miraculously, he was able to get his license back the next year. Never expected that. It was so hard on him, being so restless and independent, so we were glad.
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So many places have very poor public transportation systems and that is probably a reason as well.
In Europe there are buses and trains that take people from place to place.
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People may not recall what you said to them, but they will always remember how you made them feel .
In Europe there are buses and trains that take people from place to place.
Not just in Europe. Here in Argentina, despite the precariousness in which we live, there is public transport even in the most remote places. That's why I was surprised when I visited Virginia (US) and because I didn't have a car, I was kind of stranded in the small towns of the region.
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