This one is a letter written to lohud.com – an online newspaper serving part of New York. A commonsense opinion, I would say:
I am approaching my senior years and have many senior-citizen friends who insist on driving their cars well into their 80s. I do believe that some of my dear friends should not be on the road. My position is, anyone who wants to continue driving should take a repeat driver’s test after the age of 75. I don’t think I am taking away any of their rights; I am just thinking about safety on the highways and streets.
A friend of mine is having eye surgery and is well into her 80s. She is still driving her car, partially impaired. I think she should take a cab. Another older man has a truck that he insists he will drive until he dies. I think this is wrong. Give senior citizens an exam to test their ability to follow the rules of the road. Some seniors are terrific drivers, but some are not.
We worry about drunken drivers; let’s take good care of our senior drivers by protecting them too.
One of the comments posted made me laugh:
My uncle is 99, still drives his SUV and hasn’t had an accident in 6 weeks…
Seriously, though, the author makes a good point. The problem is often attitude – just as a young person thinks it is their right to drive and to go fast, older drivers think it’s their right to keep on driving even though they simply can’t see or think properly.