An open letter to my state representatives:
I support annual retesting for seniors over the age of 65.
And here’s why:
As a newsroom employee, I read hundreds of news articles every day. It seems that every time we get a report of a car through a storefront, in a lake or dragging a hapless pedestrian across the street, an elderly driver was behind the wheel.
In fact, when something like this happens, the reporter’s first question for police is “How old was the driver?”
I realize that tackling this as a politician is a risky endeavor. The senior citizens constitute a formidable voting block in our counties, and that they react to any dialogue about retesting in a defensive and aggressive manner.
But as a taxpayer, I feel obligated to tell you that if you did tackle such an issue, I would support you one thousand percent. And there are many others just like me who feel the same way.
We’ve established that with age comes limitations. For example, the retirement age for police officers is low because after a certain age, it’s presumed that they may have trouble meeting the physical demands of the job. So, what is so different about driving a vehicle?
A vehicle is a dangerous thing, especially when the steering wheel is feebly gripped in the shaky hands of an 84-year-old man.
It is selfish for the elderly to put others at risk in this way.
The tragic accident involving the skateboarders who were struck by an 84-year-old driver shows all too well what happens when we collectively ignore a problem.
And this is a problem. There needs to be an age limit set. As a lawmaker, I understand that introducing and passing legislation to address this problem would be challenging.
But it’s a challenge I urge you to tackle. Because if you did, you would be making a difference in your community that people would respect you for and maybe your actions could help restore the faith that New Jerseyans should have in their political leaders.
Instead of passing nanny laws and cell-phone driving restrictions, I urge you to produce legislation worthy of our respect. Because if you choose to ignore this problem and do nothing... who can we turn to?
Regards.
Lee