Recently my hair stylist had an elderly lady drive through the front of her salon, injuring three of her colleagues and a customer. The stylist she hit directly will never be able to work again, and all of the victims are still undergoing extreme physical therapy. Shortly after the accident the driver of the car got a new vehicle and is back out on the roads today. This story intrigued me to examine this topic more closely. Should elderly people of the age sixty-five and over be required by state law to retest every two years in order to retain their drivers license. After careful consideration I do not feel that the elderly should be forced to undergo the testing process every two years.
Senior citizens do not have as many distractions such as cell phones, loud music, and or other passengers. Elderly people do not drive very long distances or as often as younger citizens do on a daily basis. They do not venture far from home and only go as far as they need to get to the grocery store to pick up a gallon of milk, to the pharmacy for their prescriptions, or simply the gas station to pick up a snack and refill their tank. Older people have more experience on the roadway, and tend to practice safer driving skills such as not speeding, turn signals, and not running stop lights. We have all seen the little old lady that scoots up as close to the steering wheel as she can get, she has her hands placed in the ten and two position gripping the wheel tightly. They concentrate more than younger drives and don’t have to show off for their friends as some of us youth feel the need to do. Chances are you will never see an older man or lady racing their friends causing a threat to others.
There would be consequences for removing the privilege of the elderly to drive. How would they get around? Who would take them to the grocery store, to the beauty shop, or doctor’s appointments? They cannot always depend on their children, other family...