Should Aged / Elderly People Drive After 60+?

[Akash1886]

Dear Team,

Putting forward a important question to all of you. When we travel on roads in India, We often come across Aged/ Elderly people behind the wheels. With age their reflexes become very weak and they are also not properly able to hear. So, shouldn't they be driven around by chauffeurs instead of driving on their own?

I have this thought that they should not be given licenses for driving after 60 years because in the majority, the 1st thing that looses strength is their vision. Be it day or night driving for them is a herculean task.

We cannot even question them if ever we are hit by their vehicle and neither can we demand any monetary charges from them for repairs of the same.

With the health being the primary concern and the body strength reducing with age, I would like to know should our elderly/ Aged citizens drive after 60+?

Please dont be offended, it is a simple question as elderly people are equally important in the family.

Please share your views on this!

Regards

Akash

 

[priyadarshi06]

I think it is not linked with age though.It is more about mentally fit and physically fit enough to drive.I don;t think we can just cancel Driving Licenses once people reach 60.Just yesterday I saw a report in TV where a guy from Meerat aged 116 years and won some racing competition

 

[nick1188]

I personally think age shouldn't be a barrier.. why look further.. I have seen my grandfather driving cars and for that matter even bikes till last year and he's 75+ now.. Once his health deteriorated, he himself gave up driving.
What I want to say here is that even after 60, he was good to drive efficiently another 13-14years. Also, we know, no two people are same and that some would lose their keen edge after 60, but then it's not easy judge one with the other and decide to cancel the license based on age as a criteria.
I think the person himself is the best to decide when to stop..

 

[ERTIGA_ZMR]

Who says 60 is old? Do you think our PM is old? I guess, after 60 people should not lead retired life but a happy life and should enjoy their life. My FIL is about to 60 and he drives Santro but after 60 he will be driving Safari or any other SUV.

 

[amit1km]

once you crossed 18, there should not be any age factor any sort of job as long as somebody is fit and fine physically and mentally. It is not like that, if you have crossed 60, then your reflex bound to come down beyond limit. It depend person to person.

 

[chayan]

First of all 60 years is not old since the health care system is much improved now and a person can be quite healthy @ 60 years if he looks after himself.

My grandfather drove regularly till he was 80 years old and then he decided on his own that he was becoming old and the traffic quite over whelming for him. He just said I am not going to renew my licence (which was issued sometime in 1930s). Also I felt that due to his advanced years, he became very careful while driving to the point we felt frustrated when he drove and we never gave him co passenger seat since he would always be directing the driver on how bad that person drove and constantly advising him to the point that the driver feeling irritated (which is a bad thing if you are not used to it since it would affect your concentration - but we knew so we ignored).

I think its the mentality that matters, if you are driving regularly it should not be a problem but if you are driving 6 times a year definitely the older you are the more likely you are to forget and become absent minded.

 

[Sidd7hartha]

The problem is not age but reflex does matter.Faster the reaction time, safer the driver. I don't know whether there is any age point from which the reflex comes under doubt,but we have to renew the driving licence after 50 yrs.

 

[vu2gte]

Maybe the poll needs another column that has the age of the voters. I can think of a lot of drivers that need to be taken off the road first 99% of Mumbai taxi drivers 50% of BEST Bus drivers all government drivers. Salman and Siddhu the list goes on and on.

 

[Prads]

Today my friend was telling me how his grandpa stopped driving at 72 years once he met an accident in his Premier Padmini with a Cielo,but the fault was his grandpa drove left & pulled a U turn towards right with no indicators at good pace(obviously not checking mirror). This is what Cielo driver said. The car went toppling twice.
And i have noticed this with majority senior citizens but i guess at 70 maybe majority are not cut out to handle the challenges of ever increasing traffic & congestion.
But i am sure one thing is driving at night or bad weather is not for such people.

I remember an incident where a senior couple drove off the road at night as the person fell asleep & it proved fatal to people in the front seats.

There is a difference between being fit to drive & managing to drive!

I remember seeing a man who looked 90 drive an old 1990s Maruthi 800 in Mysore,his glasses looked like magnifying glasses & he was in a baniyan(vest) with kids & ladies in the car,he was hunched over the steering like most nervous woman drivers.

I guess somewhere its upto the sensible family members to draw the line.

 

[Akash1886]

Buddies,

Here's a link that you may share with your grand-parents and parents. The link highlights the various safety measures and highlights why it is all the more imperative for senior citizens to be cautious while driving.

Regards

Akash

 

[Rajvel]

Ah...! There is nothing with the age. When some one is physically aswell as mentally fit for driving. One day We are going to be a senior citizen and will you people stop driving totally after 60 ? They should be intructed how to manage the traffic and how to drive in the current suitvation. Mostly what i observed was, people learning their driving after 40's cant drive after 60 and all.
Still i see people who learnt thier driving in smaller age are driving properly. If our procedure to get license is changed and some education is given senior citizens can drive. Most of them do mistakes as they dont know anything about driving than moving a vehicle.

 

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

I am ready to stop driving after 60 years if by god's grace i am alive till then.
I have seen many instances of driving errors peculiarly common in aged drivers-
1.Sudden turns without indicators
2.They are slow when adapting modern technical car techniques though it can be learned still mistakes are more
3.Hearing sense generally decreases with certain age, when A/c is on + nowadays low NVH rides,what to say else,even i am not bothered about horns from others in my rear end,but i do check ORVM's ( A drive without side mirrors i will fail)
4.JUdgements and reflexes are quite slow.


Why government has retiring age???

 

[GrandRk]

As per me old age should not be become a reason to stop driving.

When a person learns to walk then it is his brain which captures all things needed to perform walking activity. Once this is done he never needs to apply them by its own, the brain take control and walking activity is performed. When same person becomes old still his brain perform this activity but due to aging might be his walking speed may get reduce.

Similar is about driving, all the reflexes and senses which you are utilizing during your driving are recorded in brain, the same will be generating back and then we say that we are very well used to driving skills. Though the person becomes old his brain dose not get old along with him. Hence his driving habits do not change, but might he be driving slow.

Here i would like to say that if your driving is good at younger age then same will be there in older age and if you are a kind of bad driver then same will get continued in your old age.

 

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

Aging individuals should consider the following questions:
1.When you are driving, do objects such as parked cars or pedestrians catch you by surprise?
2.Do you have difficulty seeing other cars before the driver honks? Do other drivers honk at you for reasons you don't understand?
3.Do you have limited neck rotation?
4.Are your reflexes slower and reaction time longer than they used to be?
5.Do you ever feel momentarily confused, nervous, or uncomfortable while driving?
6.Has a family member ever suggested that you stop driving?
7.Do you have low-contrast sensitivity? For example, do you have trouble seeing a gray car at dusk, a black car at night, or a white car on a snowy roadway?
8.Is your visual acuity on a 20/20 scale below the minimum level required by your state?


Source- Wikipedia

 

[Sidd7hartha]

Point number 3 and the word 'Nervous' is true for me. But this has never caused any problem on road. I feel nervous while stopping on a slope always praying that I don't roll back.But that never occurred in a serious way and in most cases drivers behind me threw advice while overtaking me. I learnt driving at about 46+.