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Elder drivers: Retests and restrictions

You see them on the nation's interstate highways creeping along in the center or left lane, doing 35 miles per hour in 65 mile per hour zone.

On busy thoroughfares everywhere they crawl along, sometimes as slow as 5 or 10 miles per hour drifting between lanes making turns when you least expect it creating road rage and ultimately causing accidents.

Jerry Seinfeld and other stand up comedians joke about elderly drivers. But in reality, they're no laughing matter.

America's elderly who continue to operate motor vehicles are posing a serious threat to other motorists, pedestrians and themselves. Especially in Florida, Arizona, Nevada, California and other states that have a large population of retirees and winter snow birds.

Many are operating a motor vehicle with their ability impaired by prescription medications, failing eyesight and hearing, arthritis, slow reflexes, senile dementia and other limitations that naturally accompany advancing age.

By even minimal legal and medical standards, elderly drivers are operating motor vehicles with impaired ability- just like motorists who are driving under the influence of alcohol or illegal recreational drugs.

In the interest of public safety, America needs to set a maximum diver retirement age and develop a nationwide program to deal with the problem of elderly drivers.

Statically, senior drivers are not involved in the most accidents, but they certainly cause them. Without a doubt, avoiding slow moving senior drivers and being cut off by them on side streets making what Jerry Seinfeld calls an "eventual left turn" would reduce accidents and road rage.

Sixteen years old has been almost universally established as the minimum age at which people can safely operate motor vehicles. The federal government and state agencies need to set a maximum operating age as well, say for example age 72.

As part of the natural aging process, our reflexes, senses, physical and mental capacities and overall health diminish, making it unsafe for us to drive a car. That's why there needs to be an age at which people must legally stop driving.

Just like many states have restricted "junior licenses" for drivers under 18, there could also be "senior licenses" for all drivers between ages of 70 and 72. By limiting the time seniors can drive to daylight hours and prohibiting them from driving on interstate highways, accidents and road rage would be reduced. It could also lessen congestion on our highways.

In all fairness, there are a lot of dangerous "slow"


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