And here's why....
As a society, we've already established that there are restrictions as to who can legally operate a vehicle.
In New Jersey, you have to take a road test, a written test, you have to be physically able to operate a vehicle (meaning that you need to be able to see and hear and read street signs). Other things, such as reaction time and mental acuity are equally important.
It is an indisputable FACT that your body, senses, and mind deteriorate with age. It's called getting old. We know this happens, right?
So why are we giving 17-year-olds provisional licenses and completely ignoring the fact that senior citizens can drive with legal impunity, regardless of age, ability or reason?
Is it uncomfortable for us as a society to address this? Or are they too politically powerful as a voting block to cross?
Either way, there is no reason why a 94-year-old should be operating a car.
I think what we've forgotten, is that a car is a thousand-plus pound piece of complicated machinery that requires a focused operator. We've also forgotten that a steering wheel is a deadly thing in the shaky weakened hands of a sun-blinded senior.
Another problem is that senior citizens are a grouchy bunch. As soon as the subject is breached (annual re-testing) they respond with defensive comments that are not productive to the acquisition of a compromise.
I want senior citizens to be tested bi-annually after a certain age. Is that so unreasonable? Is that wrong of me? I don't think so. Driving is not a constitutional right.
We need to find a way to start a reasonable and respectful dialogue to address this subject. We need to do something, to protect our senior citizens (who we care about) and the other drivers on the road (who we also care about equally).
Because the bottom line is that people are dying, getting hurt and that all of this can be avoided.
We can make our roads safer for all drivers. And we need to. Because we've all seen the white-haired driver hunched over the steering wheel of a Towncar as it swerves with alacrity from lane to lane. But as a society, we shouldn't accept that. Instead of slowing down and avoiding the car's impact zone, we need to say, "This person should not be driving."
I read the news (all of it, that's my job) every single day. And every single day there are accident reports. I can tell you that the majority of the crashes reported in the Monmouth and Ocean County area involve senior citizens.
It could be that there is a high concentration of senior citizens in the area. Or could it be that people over 80 shouldn't be driving?
I'm not sure.
But I can assure you, that the most outrageous stories, those involving seniors crashing into buildings ( because they didn't see them, yes a building is a hard thing to miss) hitting pedestrians (who were walking in blinky crosswalks) running traffic lights (they couldn't stop fast enough) hitting shoppers in the Shop Rite parking lot (because they couldn't hear them yelling) all involve senior citizens who shouldn't have been driving.
The aforementioned instances are all recent happenings, and in each case, the driver was a senior who should not have been driving.
As a society, we've already established that there are restrictions as to who can legally operate a vehicle.
In New Jersey, you have to take a road test, a written test, you have to be physically able to operate a vehicle (meaning that you need to be able to see and hear and read street signs). Other things, such as reaction time and mental acuity are equally important.
It is an indisputable FACT that your body, senses, and mind deteriorate with age. It's called getting old. We know this happens, right?
So why are we giving 17-year-olds provisional licenses and completely ignoring the fact that senior citizens can drive with legal impunity, regardless of age, ability or reason?
Is it uncomfortable for us as a society to address this? Or are they too politically powerful as a voting block to cross?
Either way, there is no reason why a 94-year-old should be operating a car.
I think what we've forgotten, is that a car is a thousand-plus pound piece of complicated machinery that requires a focused operator. We've also forgotten that a steering wheel is a deadly thing in the shaky weakened hands of a sun-blinded senior.
Another problem is that senior citizens are a grouchy bunch. As soon as the subject is breached (annual re-testing) they respond with defensive comments that are not productive to the acquisition of a compromise.
I want senior citizens to be tested bi-annually after a certain age. Is that so unreasonable? Is that wrong of me? I don't think so. Driving is not a constitutional right.
We need to find a way to start a reasonable and respectful dialogue to address this subject. We need to do something, to protect our senior citizens (who we care about) and the other drivers on the road (who we also care about equally).
Because the bottom line is that people are dying, getting hurt and that all of this can be avoided.
We can make our roads safer for all drivers. And we need to. Because we've all seen the white-haired driver hunched over the steering wheel of a Towncar as it swerves with alacrity from lane to lane. But as a society, we shouldn't accept that. Instead of slowing down and avoiding the car's impact zone, we need to say, "This person should not be driving."
I read the news (all of it, that's my job) every single day. And every single day there are accident reports. I can tell you that the majority of the crashes reported in the Monmouth and Ocean County area involve senior citizens.
It could be that there is a high concentration of senior citizens in the area. Or could it be that people over 80 shouldn't be driving?
I'm not sure.
But I can assure you, that the most outrageous stories, those involving seniors crashing into buildings ( because they didn't see them, yes a building is a hard thing to miss) hitting pedestrians (who were walking in blinky crosswalks) running traffic lights (they couldn't stop fast enough) hitting shoppers in the Shop Rite parking lot (because they couldn't hear them yelling) all involve senior citizens who shouldn't have been driving.
The aforementioned instances are all recent happenings, and in each case, the driver was a senior who should not have been driving.