OT Elderly Drivers

Adirondack case guy

Well-known Member
In the last two weeks I have followed two different elderly drivers, one male and one female. Today I got behind an elderly female. She was second in line behind a school bus, which was making many close stops. Part way up the hill, she put her RH turn signal on. I figured she would turn into one of the drivways, however she continued following the bus, which was still stopping frequently. I figured she mus t have accidently hit the turn signal. As we started again she turned Right. Only problem was there was no road or driveway, just a 6' deep ditch. When she stopped the rear wheels of her Neon were in the air, the front wheels were suspended in the water running down the ditch. I stopped and got out and as I walked past the rear of the car the backup lights came on. I got to her drivers door which was wedged shut, and tapped on the window. She opened it a little, It was raining and blowing terrable at that time. She asked if I could maybe push her out. She didn't realize what a predickerment she was in. I called 911 Dispatch and told them that there were no injuries however they would need a tow truck. 20min later a Sheriffs Deputy showed up. Don't know why town cop couldn't get there in 2min. Anyway since she was only doing maybe 5MPH she wasn't hurt and I think there was little damage to the Neon.
The other driver I have been behind twice in the last two weeks is male. The first time He pulled up to a flagman. they had one lane open on a bridge across the Mohawk River. The flagman waved him into the left lane. Instead of pulling to the left he lurched ahead and the flagman had to dodge him. By then the flagman was PI$$ and the old guy moved to the left around him, but pulled rite back in to the right lane where the workers were working. The flagman was Ferious by then, this whole situation took about 15 min and by then traffic was really tied up. Second time I was blessed with following him we came to an intersection with a green light. He signaled a LH turn, nothing coming at him but he sat there. Light turned RED he goes, would have got clobered if it hadn't been for an alert truck driver who had the Green light. These are nice people, and I will get like them also, but I think they need to be tested each year to see if they are fit to drive
 
You dont need to be old to do those things see things like that way too often. Pickup followed rite on my bumper other day is was going 55 couldnt wait to pass. Followed him and at town first stop lite there he sat. People are all in a hurry cant even stay in their lanes on the divided four lanes go across the center and hit head-on stuff happens.
 
Yep, one day we will all hopefully be the elderly driver that upsets others and does silly things.

I remember getting a call from the state patrol asking us to come and get granddad. He was headed eastbound on the highway in the westbound lanes madder then heck too because everybody was going the wrong way. That was his last day behind the wheel.

Greg
 
Yes, i have seen some dumb things done by elderly drivers, and yes--some shouldn't be allowed to drive, at all.Sounds harsh, but thats the way i feel about it. I know some old guys who i won't even ride with-they scare me-a lot!
I have no argument about bad old drivers, but sometimes, they have to go places, and without a car--they are stuck at home, or have to wait for hours for the free Guvment provided bus to waft them away to a drs. appointment, and then they have to wait for that same guvment bus to take them back home. No fun, for an elderly person, who has been feeling very self-reliant, to have to go thru that process, to get out of the house, especially if living alone!
But-there are good old drivers, too. I talked to one. He was out at the airport, to pick up his grand-son. Said he had just driven to Pittsburgh, Pa., from Orlando! And, there are many others, too.
Take me, for instance: 86 years of age. No accidents in last 35 years, and that one was at 5 mph, in reverse! With my travel trailer on the back!
No, don't tar all older drivers with the same stick! A lot of us still have what it takes, to drive, in traffic, and out on the Interstate and local roads. I have to pick up lawn equipment, take it home, repair it and return it, sometimes. And we live 5 miles from a good grocery store and a drug store. Our kids live a piece away, as do the Grand-kids, so how would we live and eat? I forgot to mention that the Beer Distributor is 5 miles, too! And, how could i answer daytime fire calls? By the time i walk to the fire hall, the guys are back in the building-fire out! (And, on a wooden leg, to boot!)
 
We had a guy in my hometown that owned a lime outfit. He was reasonably well off and employed a great many people. But he was way to old to drive. That did not stop him and folks learned when he was likely to be about and where. It was funny to me as a kid because if my Dad, Mom Neighbor, Pastor would have tried that they'd be in the back of a squad car in minutes. Yet Mr. H did it every weekend yet due to his business and charitable donations it was accepted. I miss that small town.
 
Yup, some of these older drivers can be pretty bad. My daughter was on her way to work around 9:20 pm a couple weeks ago when one decided to make a left turn and hit daughter pretty much head on. Daughter got badly broken ankle, other driver a broken wrist, and both cars totaled. Pretty bad all the way around. The elderly female driver that made the bad turn was 16.
 
It is a problem, and the answer is probably periodic testing after a certain age. I'll be 76 next week, I still work full time, and spend a lot of time on the road on the job. I had my annual physical at the VA last week and got a clean bill of health. Unmedicated blood pressure was normal last year and even a bit lower last week. Even lost 4 pounds since last year.

As far as I can tell, my driving skills are as yet undiminished. Even my wife admits that, and she's my worst critic besides being a notorious back seat driver. I'm one of the lucky ones, I come from a good gene pool. My mother passed the driver's exam when she was 92, road test and all. He11, I'd crawl into a stock car again tomorrow if the opportunity presented itself.

HOWEVER, I know people 10 to 15 years younger than I who have no danged business behind the wheel of any vehicle. In fact, you could include some people of all ages in that. Drunks especially. (I rarely drink, anymore).

Part of it starts with initial training. I've been quoted in print stating that Driver Ed as taught by the public schools doesn't teach kids to drive, it teaches them how to pass the driver's exam, nothing more. The summer when our daughter was 15 and looking to get her drivers license in the fall, I just happened to have a 30 acre field of wheat stubble. I bought an old Camaro, and our daughter and I spent many an hour, securely belted in, exploring the limits of that old Camaro. And learned a lot about oversteer, understeer, bump steer, roll axis, roll center of gravity, how to spin a car out to avoid something worse, and other interesting stuff in the process. By the time she got her license, I felt she was prepared for public roads at least a little better than the average bear. Maybe even ready to crawl into a stock car. I'd have built her one, but she showed no interest although she's always been interested in high performance cars.

A couple of years later, she spent time in Germany as an exchange student. The male head of her host family was a professional driving instructor. Correct me if I'm wrong, Dave2, but in Germany a prerequisite for obtaining a driver's license is taking a course from a professional driving instructor at an aquivalent cost of some $1500-$1800. There isn't a politician in the states that would touch that one with a ten foot pole, although there's a lot of justification for it.

The problem with elderly drivers driving is complex. Someone like me who spends a lot of time behind the wheel daily probably retain their driving skills longer than someone who putts around town a time or two a week. People age at different rates, acquire different health impairments at different ages, even emotions can enter the equation. I had a commanding officer, a Lt. Colonel, in the Marine Corps who once scrubbed a mission he was supposed to lead. He was pi$$ed off about something unrelated and was astute enough to realize and admit he was in no frame of mind to be behind the stick of a jet fighter.

Didn't mean to write a book, but if someone can come up with an answer to the problem, they'll be doing a lot of people a favor.
 
I was once waiting to walk across a street when a young gal made an illegal u-turn in front of me. She had a cell phone in one hand and a sandwich in the other.
 
Funny you should bring this topic up. Monday I was leaving the grocery store parking lot when some old fellow decided he was going to leave the lot cutting cross ways through traffic pattern. He was damn lucky people were on top of their game and were able to stop short before he hit them. I only regret I could not get his plate number before he left the lot.
 
Its just the way people drive nowadays too.. Around here its no lights on in the rain, or a blizzard, or dense fog. and people to dumb to turn down there high beams when you approach them. Putting a person who isent paying attention in a automobile is a big mistake.
 
Hey Rusty, you write pretty well too! If you are still on a wooden leg, check out the new ones they make out of carbon fiber. Take care, from a fellow gimp....
 
My Grand Mother got real bad at driving. She would only go to church and the grocery store. She would go into town and turn right at the light and drive two blocks and park at the story. A few years before she passed on I got a call from the town cop. He told me I had better stop her from driving. Reason being??? They had the street closed for a July fourth celebration. She wanted to go to the store on July third. She came to the light and made her right hand turn and drove to the store then parked. PROBLEM WAS they had the street blocked. Soooo she drove the two blocks on the side walk. She actually drove pretty good considering that they have these big flower pots every thirty feet that are only about nine feet from the store fronts. She never hit one. LOL

So Dad and my Aunts chickened out an I got the nomination to talk her out of driving any more. Since I was at the farm everyday. She was ninety-two at the time. You can guess how that went. So I just loosened the valve stem in one of her tires. So it would be flat whenever she went to go anywhere. That worked for about a week with her chewing me out every day for not "fixing" her tire right. So I "fixed" the tire and took the rotor button out of the distributer. That worked for about a month. I would put it back in and take her to the store. I then would sneak back in and remove it again. The end of that came when I was in the barn yard working and saw the local Chev. dealer"s rollback pull in to pick up her car. Had to fess up to them so they left.
So I had to argue with her and I finally got her to not drive anymore. It really was not that big of a deal to her after she thought about it some. My Mom and Dad just lived across the road. Mom was a homemaker so she was almost always around for any emergencies. My wife and I lived just a half mile up the road. My wife was around raising our kids most of the time. So all she had to do to go most places was make one or two calls.
She actually admitted several years later that she knew she was not safe driving but was scared of lossing her fredom. She lived at home until her death at ninty-six years old. Lived in the same farm house she and grandpa built for eighty years, that is right, they where married when she was sixteen.
 
its not just the elderly the dmv is to blame too, my example is my own 85 year old mother, she lost her licence 2 years ago due to not being able to use her arm, [ some kind of nerve damage] now mom should not be driving anything larger than a hoverround chair, arm is some better but alzheimers is eating her up, but she went this year and tried to get her licence back and she got it, now i know my mom, and there is no legitimate way she could pass a driving test. so do they feel sorry for the elderly or what is the deal, now we have to figure out a way to get mom to stop driving again, she knows where the store is and where the house is [usualy] and just because the road doesnt go the way she wants to go, she still goes that way anyway, over curbs thru stop signs ect,
 
Grandpa was still driving until shortly before he passed this fall at the age of 90. Every day he drove to the nursing home to visit grandma, about a 12 mile trip each way, mostly highway, but some gravel and town driving. He could still get around OK but I wouldn't want to get behind him as he said he could say the rosary twice on the wayy. For those of you who don''t know this could take 45 minutes!
 
(quoted from post at 23:20:08 12/01/10) Grandpa was still driving until shortly before he passed this fall at the age of 90. Every day he drove to the nursing home to visit grandma, about a 12 mile trip each way, mostly highway, but some gravel and town driving. He could still get around OK but I wouldn't want to get behind him as he said he could say the rosary twice on the wayy. For those of you who don''t know this could take 45 minutes!
mazingly enough, more elderly folk know when to quit than do young idiots with a cell in hand.
 
Don't WORRY, dack guy, time catches up with us all, apparently sooner than you have realized, and soon enough YOU will be the elderly person in a "predickerment"!
 
I had an elderly neighbor that lost his driver's license because of poor eyesight. One day we were just visiting and he told me about it and added, "Now I drive at night so they don't see me".
 
My mother had her license renewed when she was 92, and quit driving of her own free will a couple of months later.

One day she just said, "I don't think I'll drive any more. Things just happen too fast on the road nowadays".
 
Right on.

I've mentioned before on other threads that, thanks to an airbag and belts, my wife walked away from a head on collision several years ago caused by a 17 year old gal talking on her cell phone and not watching her driving.
 
yearly testing for anyone over ( lets say 80) and let it not cost anymore than the rest of Us who test less often for the same portion of time ... I t is not a bad idea , for anyone suspected of diabetes , alziemers tendencies and other mind impairment maladies to test yearly ,... on the Other hand , daughter-i-l granpa drove 5 million SAFE miles for just one of 3 Truck firms , retired at 67 , missed it so much!,He went in to Live haul at Chken houses here .., My dad was a excellant driver (loved to drive fast when younger ),,,until he died at age 93... my mom is 88 and is intimidated by traffic and darknes, but does just fine , her brother(if he gets over pneaumonia ) will be 101 next summer , i have rode with him last spring, going to the hardware store ,Drove just fine in 5 lanes of traffic and conversed intellegetly with me all the while .. None of the above have ever been in a accident where they were at Fault ,,and to be honest other than slide offs from snow, and scraping the barn door these old timers have been pretty Lucky or just plain talented . Uncles claim to old age and MOST of ALL VITALITY is FISH OIL CAPLETS ... he still has a house in CAPE Coral Fl. ,, and HE drove up from there in 2009... His80 yrold 2nd wife on the other hand is a menace to equipment and society when she gets behind the wheel,, Unc says He can almost see his Chrysler cringewhen she gets behind the wheel
 
Sooner or later we will all have to give up driving.
My Father will be 80 in a couple of days. He has really gone downhill after having his 2nd knee replaced. Plus the heart meds don't help.
Tough to watch the frail little man who used to toss bales of hay and bags of feed with ease.
 
Watched an elderly man pull the same closed lane trick; went around the flagman and immediately back into the closed lane. They were laying asphalt approximately 150 meters ahead. The nearby vibratory compactors had to dodge him and he continued until nearly running into the paver. Really upset both the operators and the flagmen. This guy should not be driving.
 
We're all headed that way & there's no good solution. Nothing wrong with yearly testing as long as you're fair about it. Course theres no way to do that since most accidents, dui's, speeding tickets, wreckless driving,etc. are younger drivers. Sure there are old folks driving that shoulden't be but they are way outnumbered by young folks that shoulden't be driving. If you go by driving records the old folk's are still the safest ones around.
 

Had an old lady about 25 or so yesterday getting ready to turn onto the main road. Roads covered with snow and I am on the tractor with license plates, head and marker lights. Big round bale on the back and going downhill. She watched me coming then when I was about 30 feet away, she realized I was prolly going slower than she wanted to go so decided to get in frt of me. Blew my horn and scared her so she floored it. Ended up halfway in someones frt yard. Went to help her out and she started screaming and cussing about me running her off the road. I just smiled and called the German police and the Military police. First thing the German police did was take her cellphone and look at the call/texting register.

Dave
 
They probably shouldnt be, but there are a lot of people who shouldnt be on the road. Thats why one of the first instructions in the drivers manual is to always be on the defensive, you never know what is going to happen. I hate getting behind a some of these slow drivers too, especially loaded where Im too heavy to get through the passing zone but I figure they earned the right in their day. Not much else you can do, if you are elderly, in a rural area, and dont have family or friends available, except drive or go to a nursing home to be warehoused to die. Maybe those of us who are able to do it all, should slow down instead of expecting everyone else to speed up.
 
Here in Southern Illinois, we had an elderly guy who passed a semi that was stopped for a flagman at a const site. He didn't realise the semi was stopped, and swooped in front only to hit a van in the rear. The van was the first vehicle stopped at the flagman, and the old guy's caddy pushed the van into the flagman, killing him.

Also had a guy drive past a forest of Road Construction signs and hit an S-10 pickup so hard the tailgate was mashed against the back of the cab. I asked the flagman how close he was when they hit. He said he'd made two big steps for the woods at the time of the crash - mebbe 15 feet. He was completely covered with gasoline from the pickup's ruptured fuel tank. No fire, thank God. And no long term injuries either, thank God. No skid marks either. . .

But I'd rather be around elderly drivers than cell phone users. Heck, I'd rather be around a drunk driver than a cell phoner.

Paul
 
Its not all elderly drivers that are the problem, several i know drive quite well given there age. However there are those that shouldnt be able to drive anything bigger then a mobile scooter.
Theres been several times Ive had to unclinch and release the seat cushion, because of elderly drivers.
Ive seen them turn to early at intersections and head up the road into oncoming traffic. Wrong way on one way streets, drive over the curb, drive through a construction zone (thats closed to traffic), go through a drive-thru the wrong way (tap on the window to give there order) the list goes on.
The one ill never forget is me setting stopped in traffic while road work was goin on, I noticed a caddy coming over the hill and it wasnt slowing down, i put my truck in gear pull into some guys yard just as the caddy misses me and plows straight into the car that was in front of me. Yep, 82 year old man.
 
We had a 83 year old woman hit a surveyor a few years ago. She had a restricted license, daytime only. She was doing 80+, she couldn't see the speedo. She didn't stop, said she thought she hit a dog or a deer. The guy she hit was 40 with a bunch of kids.
 
Twice this year I've had to head for the ditch because the oncoming driver was thumb keying in something on his/her phone and crossed over the centerline. I can't help but wonder what the new touch pad control consoles will do to cause the drivers attention to be redirected for long periods of time.
 
I darned near smacked an elderly couple that turned left in front of me in Cheyenne Wy. when I was hauling a combine. Luckily I was slowed down to turn into a truck stop so I got stopped in time but I couldn't see their car in front of my hood after I was stopped.

I dread the day when I'm going to have to lay down the law about driving with my dad. He's 86 and can drive pretty well as long as everything is normal but if an abnormal decision has to be made he gets a little confused. The wheels upstairs just don't turn as fast anymore. On some days he's foggy and on other days he's really clear. If he has to make a quick decision he just stops in the middle of the road and all common sense goes out the window. He drives the 17 miles from town to the farm and back every day on country roads just fine and he does pretty well in town as long as traffic is flowing normally. He does realize his limitations and I've offered to drive him and my step-mom to doctors appiontments in Sioux City but like all of us he doesn't want anyone to go to any trouble to help him. Jim
 
At what age would you suggest that annual testing be started?

The Kansas State Highway Patrol renewed my dads license when he was 90. Just an open book test, not a full driving test.

He drove about 1½ miles 6 days a week, in to town to get the mail.

There are no easy answers. I've seen a lot of senior citizens that drive far better than teens. Maybe we should have yearly complete testing for EVERYONE so at least they are reminded of the rules of the road. I'm willing to say that 90% of the drivers I observe do not drive correctly.
 
Adirondack case guy,
it's not only the elderly drivers. I drive rush hour every day through the city. Invariably, when freeway traffic starts hitting the brakes, it's because of someone who wants to go slower than everyone else. I constantly see huge gaps between them and the car in front with a line of cars behind them. Once you get past them, traffic speeds up, runs smooth until you get to the next person who has the "I will drive at any speed I want in any lane I want" attitude.

About an hour ago on the way to work on a busy freeway, I got into the "exit only" lane (which is almost a mile long for a busy ramp to the downtown area) behind a late model Jaguar. It was going unusually slow (under 50) considering we were still on a freeway. Anyway, it kept slowing down and evidently didn't like how close I was getting, (due to their continual slowing) so it finally STOPPED ON THE EXIT RAMP. I could see headlights dipping behind me as people slammed on their brakes on the freeway. Wouldn't be surprised if there was an accident in the backup. The Jag sat there for probably 30 seconds and then slowly continued up the ramp. Traffic may still be backed up due to this idiot middle-aged woman wanting to show that she could go any speed she wanted to and stop anywhere she wanted.

I've also recently had to maneuver around a young woman who was eating something out of a bowl (how do you steer holding a spoon in one hand and a bowl in the other?), texters who drive 10-15 mph slower than traffic, cell phone users who are also oblivious to traffic around them and the idiot last week who tried to get ahead of me as he entered the freeway by driving half on the shoulder. He was so POed that neither the guy in front of me or myself would let him in, that he kept stopping on the freeway to show how tough he was. When my wife and I happened to get along side of him later, he was still furious and threw a cup of ice at us.

Lord knows how many accidents are caused by these inconsiderate and distracted drivers.

Also, just last weekend, there were 3 road rage incidents where middle-aged guys (all between 40 and 55) pointed guns at other motorists WITHIN 5 MILES OF MY HOUSE. Two of them occured on Black Friday near a major mall.

My point is that while some elderly people may not be fit to drive, there are a lot more people of younger ages who are a bigger menace on our roads.
 
Here in Wis a law went into effect that says no texting while driving,In my humble opinion that is just "feel good" laws If im not mistaken inattentive driving is already illeagel like in a lot of cases just passing another new law wont make a whole lot of differance Im more scard of the texting wile eating a sandwitch,having a cup of coffee and doing the nails all wile flying along at 70 MPH than i am a elderly driver ,at least the elderly drivers are TRYING to pay attention
 
Lots of interesting comments.

I worked in road construction for 33 years, and I noticed there are two kinds of drivers. There are those who drive calmly through the job site, mebbe even glancing over to see what's going on. Might even nod or wave if you make eye contact (and you better be watching). They drive past the End Construction sign, and continue on their way, seemingly at peace with the entire world.

The other type are fighting for position in the merge, mad 'cause they got beat out of one car length, tailgating, tooting, and cussing all the way through the project. I wouldn't be surprised to see teeth marks on the steering wheel. At the End Const sign they stomp the gas and rip off into whatever new crisis they can manufacture. I bet they're mad for 10 miles on down the road. What a way to live. . .

One thing that I think is missing from every driver's license examination in the nation is a Common Sense test. If you ain't got none, you walk.

I'm getting old and my driving skills ain't what they used to be. I make up for it by driving a little slower. I hope I have enough wits to quit driving when the day comes - before I hurt someone.

Paul
 
(quoted from post at 18:28:38 12/01/10)
These are nice people, and I will get like them also, but I think they need to be tested each year to see if they are fit to drive

We could all just slowdown and help them...considering we are all heading that direction too.
 
Well , I have been disabled with bad legs since 1993. I let my license expire this year as I never had an accident in 50 years of driving. I am 68 years of age.
 
I had the privilege of driving driving truck over the road for a few years and agree with this. It's not just one group.
 
A couple years ago my mother, then 86, had some medical issues that caused her Dr. to tell her she couldn't drive. She chomped at the bit for months. swearing she was ready to drive again, just around town, but we held her off. About 6 months later, the Dr. ok's her to drive, but at that time we also convinced her to move closer to us, which happened to be across state lines. She thought about driving again, but when she realized that she'd have to take a driving test in her new state of residence, she quietly dropped the whole idea and even gave away her car. Worked out best for everyone, she's close enough now that we take her where she needs to go, and so she doesn't miss driving...
 
Working in Illinois mostly, I can tell you a thing too, but not about elderly drivers. Sure there are elderly drivers that have problems. I grant you that. But you have seen little if you haven't driven I-290 westbound from Chicago durning rush hour when the shoulders become driving lanes. Thats right, folks driving down the shoulders at speed, dodging back into lanes when they get to an overpass where the lanes narrow, and then after the overpass zip back out onto the shoulders where they continue on at speed until the next overpass, and start the process all over again, causing accidents in their wake as they continue on leaving the devestation behind them.

Sure there are elderly drivers that mess up, but seldomly using cellphones or texting while driving. For those reasons alone, as a fifty year-old that does not do that, I feel that they should ban ALL drivers under 50, period since they statistically have the most accidents on the road, whether it be drunk driving, using cell phones, texting, or whatever. Yep, we need more knee jerk reaction laws because we have just the right jerks in political office legislating more knee jerk reaction, jerk laws. If drivers should be required to be tested every year when they become old, what would you suggest for 100 year-old members of Congress that write our laws for us? Should they not have to go through mental competency testing at least every year? Should they not? If not, why not? I have a US Senator from Indiana, in his 6th term, first elected in 1976, Richard Lugar who's competency I am questioning, and he in my opinion is a perfect example of why we should be testing them. And...he's old too.

Mark
 
My granddad was a Greyhound bus driver- drove until his death at age 83. He went peacefully, just drifting off into "the other side."

I want to go that way- not screaming and terrified, like his passengers. . .
 
Teen age drivers are getting killed every night and the drivers are taking several others with them here.Elderly drivers are not making the morning news here.
 
Do you honestly think that his passengers went away screaming? They may have, I do not know and have no way of knowing.

The worst part of our freedom is everyone else's freedom to try and conquer someone else's freedom in the name of...safety is one of the most abused and overused reasons these days.

Mark
 
Wow- that one didn't just go over your head, it missed by a country mile!

The only thing I "honestly" suspect is that you're not a barrel of laughs at parties.

"Life is real, life is earnest."
 
Yeah--thats what they said when i applied for membership! But, they changed their tune--when they found out i could drive the B-60 Mack tanker truck, with the quadra-plex tranny in it--the truck nobody else could drive! A five speed and a four speed!
 
Yeah, i've seen them. But, i don't like them. So i stick with the old tried and true ones, which are now made from plastic. They wear well! At least they look like a real leg, if my pants leg gets pulled up at the ankle, not like some plumber's nightmare!
 
Ya know... she'll only stop like that ONCE if she tries it in front of 110,000#... but I'd hate to be the guy in the seat. Does fix em tho.

Rod
 

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