Down With the Extremely Elderly Driving

I’m not discriminating against the elderly, I’m just saying, maybe at the age of 65 and up, they shouldn’t be driving.

They create issues for us on the road because we strive and swerve, duck, and nearly get into accidents trying not to hit them.

There are several things they do that make them a hazard on the road. It’s become an issue of trust now.

It isn’t that the geography of an area has changed so much that they can’t adapt. It's the parts of their bodies that they're trying to make adapt.

Sadly, their reflexes have gotten slower, their senses aren’t as heightened, their vision isn’t as good as it used to be, and don’t get me started on the complexities of hearing.

It’s about time they take themselves off of the road at this age. Not all the elderly at this age have these problems, but some do, and that’s the audience we want to reach.

It’s become dangerous now. It’s become rough for the younger people, that’s all I’m saying. There are several special issues they create that have come to mind concerning accidents I have driven pass.

Or nearly been in.

When you’re younger, you can turn your neck and look for things that may be coming and anticipate movement around you with your senses.

The elderly can’t do that so much, because, they forget. They forget that their supposed to be aware of another vehicle's movement on the road.

Instead, their looking for the place their going and really don’t feel they have to care about what everyone else is doing. It’s a senior citizen negligence they have and use all too often.

They look too long and forget to stop rolling forward, or be aware they're on the road while rolling forward. It's an accident that always happens.

It puts us in serious positions.

Signaling and turning, not everyone gets it right. Not everyone does this in general.

But what everyone does do, is slow down and quickly make a turn. If they don’t make the turn quickly, they do slow down, not stop. Nobody but the elderly, STOP, at their turn without signaling.

It is the most damaging and annoying thing ever. You have no idea how many accidents I've driven by and saw that some unfortunate soul has bent in the back of this old man’s or woman’s car.

And while the elderly person or couple get's out okay, you are the one with a pain in your neck and wallet.

This happens the other way around too.

If it’s not someone slamming into them, it’s them slamming into somebody else. Why, possibly because they were looking for something.

When an elderly person glances at something, the turning and looking with their head lasts much longer than the average person.

By the time they turn their neck and look at it for whatever reason, they don’t get their head turned back around to look ahead of themselves fast enough to stop.

Then, BAM! They’ve slammed into the back of someone’s vehicle.

Tragic

This has got to be the worst one. I’ve seen an elderly man; I never really see elderly women driving, but an elderly man, merge over in front of me while a car was directly adjacent to him.

He was driving, he wasn't asleep, and he just merged all the way into the lane, pushing a car with a man and woman in it, that was driving directly in front of me, over into the lane beside me.

Luckily it was a three lane stretch we were on, and the car in the far left lane saw this with me and slowed down to allow them to get over.The couple was so panicked they didn’t even have time to blow until they got safely in the lane.

When they blew their horn, it triggered a response from the elderly gentleman, which looked at them while, WHILE, hitting on brakes, sending me and others into a screeching halt. Luckily, I wasn't too close to him. It all happened so fast.

Near to Destructive

This has happened to you guys before.

I get on the highway, and I'm going to get to my destination quickly today. I'm up there, my vehicle’s speed was climbing from 55, 65, to 70.

Everyone is going down this thing, wasting no time. And while I speed towards my destination, up ahead I see a vehicle getting awfully close too fast, and before I know it, I have to decide to jack hammer my brakes or switch into another lane.

Upon getting pass this vehicle that was going 35 to 40 miles per hour on a 70 miles per hour highway, I see an old man who probably just got his eyes checked.

I'm frightened to death, for him and for myself.

I nearly killed myself, the elderly person, and many other people on the highway. I could feel my heart beating in my throat and face.

This was scary, and the elderly driving on highways can't possibly continue.

Again, I’m not discriminating against the elderly. I’m just saying maybe from the age of 65 and up, they probably shouldn’t be driving.

Or if the State continues to issue them a license, they should have to undergo more testing than the regular Jane or Joe.

I mean, eyes, ears, reflexes, and non-negligent behavior all together.