Monday, August 12, 2013

What to do about Near Miss, Elderly Missiles....

After being almost run off the road, ran into in the parking lot, and almost turned into while driving a straight road today, I have to ask....  Why are the old allowed to keep their driver’s licences long past the time they need to be revoked?

Many people joke about this subject when driving, some joke about it seriously, but nothing is ever done about it.  Admittedly, they should still be allowed to drive if they CAN drive, but there should be mandatory testing, or something, after a certain age.



From what I can read, there are 33 states that have some sort of restrictions for elderly drivers, but I’ve never seen it make a difference.  From what I read, the restriction is they have to ‘renew in person.’

Every accident that I’ve ever even been close to, besides the ones involving ice, has been caused or nearly caused by an elderly driver not paying attention.  I still can’t believe the woman didn’t hit my car when she back out of her parking space without looking.  I slammed on the breaks and she just happened to cut it hard enough to barely miss me, threw it in drive and took off without even knowing she almost backed into me....

In the end, I know that arguments against, and I don’t agree with them in the context they try to argue.  “Age in and of itself is not a good predictor.”  That is true, but at a certain age everyone’s faculties start breaking down, some more than others.  You can weed out the ‘problems’ by mandatary testing after a certain age.

Its true that the elderly do not account for many of the accidents on the road, but they account for everyone of the ones I’ve ever seen, that didn’t involve ice.  Driving is bad enough when I’m in the city, and there are areas that I’m extra careful in, but these extra careful areas, like parking lots, seem to be the places the elder take near misses to the max.

Fact is, I’m scared every time I get behind the wheel that someone is going to hit me.  I hate driving into cities, or even into town.  If I could live somewhere I didn’t have to own a car, I would in a heartbeat.  I’m pretty well sick and tired of other drivers not being observant, or driving just plain stupid.

Its just a fact of life living here in the United States, though.  You have to have a car to get anywhere or do anything in life, and so does everyone else.  Its better than everyone having a helicopter or airplane, but still, its almost like every day, just to get food, I have to risk my life and welfare, all because there are people on the road that need not be there because they are unsafe.

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