Ensuring the Capability of Elderly Drivers
The tragedy of the elderly man who lost control of his car, killing and injuring so many people in Santa Monica, will haunt all of us. The sadness of it is the poor gentleman didn’t even appear to realize what had happened.
A motor vehicle is a lethal weapon, and this type of catastrophe has to make each of us think about the potential for it to happen to someone we love. There are two stages in a person’s life that are so critical to their independence: When you get your driver’s license and when you get to the time you should give it up.
The first is greatly anticipated, while the second is dreaded. Those of us who have had to deal with elderly parents and their driving know how painful it is. My father had the wisdom to know when it was time for him to quit driving; he had vision problems and knew it was dangerous. My mother, unfortunately, started having dementia, and it was more of a struggle. She had fallen and wasn’t able to drive, and then I told her the car had broken down and couldn’t be fixed. You can imagine the bad feelings I had lying to the Queen of Truth. I could almost taste the soap.
Many elderly drivers are impaired because of a medical condition. If you’re worried about the ability of another driver, there’s something that can be done. To protect the rights of all persons, the Secretary of State’s office is only authorized to investigate potential medical conditions when reported to the office by a licensed physician, member of law enforcement, or member of the judicial system.
If you have a friend or relative you feel could jeopardize traffic safety as the result of a medical condition, you should contact the individual’s doctor or a police officer and request that they ask the Secretary of State’s office to investigate. Options available include partial or complete re-testing, restrictions to driving privileges, or complete cancellation of driving privileges.
Licenses for drivers age 21 through 80 are good for four years; for drivers age 81 through 86, they’re good for two years; and drivers 87 and older must renew their licenses each year. Testing requires mandatory vision screening, and all persons age 75 and older must take a driving test. TPW
A motor vehicle is a lethal weapon, and this type of catastrophe has to make each of us think about the potential for it to happen to someone we love. There are two stages in a person’s life that are so critical to their independence: When you get your driver’s license and when you get to the time you should give it up.
The first is greatly anticipated, while the second is dreaded. Those of us who have had to deal with elderly parents and their driving know how painful it is. My father had the wisdom to know when it was time for him to quit driving; he had vision problems and knew it was dangerous. My mother, unfortunately, started having dementia, and it was more of a struggle. She had fallen and wasn’t able to drive, and then I told her the car had broken down and couldn’t be fixed. You can imagine the bad feelings I had lying to the Queen of Truth. I could almost taste the soap.
Many elderly drivers are impaired because of a medical condition. If you’re worried about the ability of another driver, there’s something that can be done. To protect the rights of all persons, the Secretary of State’s office is only authorized to investigate potential medical conditions when reported to the office by a licensed physician, member of law enforcement, or member of the judicial system.
If you have a friend or relative you feel could jeopardize traffic safety as the result of a medical condition, you should contact the individual’s doctor or a police officer and request that they ask the Secretary of State’s office to investigate. Options available include partial or complete re-testing, restrictions to driving privileges, or complete cancellation of driving privileges.
Licenses for drivers age 21 through 80 are good for four years; for drivers age 81 through 86, they’re good for two years; and drivers 87 and older must renew their licenses each year. Testing requires mandatory vision screening, and all persons age 75 and older must take a driving test. TPW