80 yr old fails her driving test

trouts mom

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OMG, some of my clients are like 90 and they are still driving.

One of them just recently drove into his own garage/house because he pressed the gas instead of the brakes


I don't know about old people driving, it scares me a little
 

theimp98

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We had a familiy friend that got to 100 years old before he failed his driving test.
he lived until he was 102,
 

pami

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Originally Posted by Trouts mom

One of them just recently drove into his own garage/house because he pressed the gas instead of the brakes
My Grandma did that too. She also ran into a fire hydrant and it busted. She just got out of her car and walked home.
Shes not driving anymore now.


OMG I just watched the video of the 80 year old running into the building. People seriously could have been killed! I dont know about charging her with anything though.
 
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mooficat

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Originally Posted by theimp98

We had a familiy friend that got to 100 years old before he failed his driving test.
he lived until he was 102,
wow thats a grand age !!

my FIL still drives and hes 85
we have watched him - we had to follow him somewhere once - and he was very good to be honest !
 

katl8e

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Originally Posted by kittylover4ever

Oh my.........80 year olds and cars scare me!
My dad is 80 and is still a good driver. My grandfather, on the other hand, was a lousy driver, his whole life. In spite of the AARP, after a certain age, people should have to take a road test, to check their response times and reflexes.
 

starryeyedtiger

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This is exactly why i think people should be frequently retested every few years.
 

natalie_ca

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I don't see a problem with senior people driving provided they don't have any health issues that hinder their ability to drive safely. Just because you get old doesn't mean you can't still do things.

The article here said that the lady "inadvertently stepped on the gas instead of the brake". That's something that could happen to anyone. If she passes a medical test and shows that there isn't anything wrong with her physically, she should be allowed to retake the test.

Situations where the person has alzheimers, fainting, parkinson's, epilepsy or anything that could cause them to be less than effective / safe behind the wheel are a whole different story.

Years ago before I went back to school I used to work for a lawyer who was in his late 70's. He had advanced parkinson's where it was to the point when he tried to walk he would start by rocking back and forth and end up in an almost full run. When I left to go back to school that man was still driving! He drove me to the bank on 2 occasions and I feared for my life ... literally. In that case while he was still mentally fit, his body wasn't and he was a hazard on the road.

I remember looking after a man at work who was 99 years old. He looked to be about 60 and he even talked, moved and walked like he was about 60. He started to get chest pains occasionally and that's why he was admitted to hospital. It was the first time in his life that he had been sick since he was a kid. He still played saxafone in a band and he still drove. In his situation there was nothing mentally or physically wrong with him that hindered his ability to drive.

So age really has nothing to do with how safe a person is behind the wheel.
 

silentnate

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I saw the video to this and was horrified

There are safe drivers in the later stages of life but this individual is obviously not safe to drive
 

MoochNNoodles

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That's sad. I do feel bad for the woman though. My Grandmother had a stroke in 2004 and since then hasn't driven. She was a very independant person. Loosing her ability to just get up and go (along with a lot of her physical abilities) just depressed her terribly. My Grandfather is still a pretty good driver so he does all the errand running or takes Gram there, but having to depend on him or someone else has been rather depressing for her too. Her thing is, even though they are older and loosing some abilities, they still have feelings. Gram want's to be respected not treated with kid gloves.

About 2 years ago my family on my Dad's side basically forced my Grandfather to stop driving because they would leave the house and he'd forget where they were! (he's dealing with something similar to alzeheimers) My Grandmother on that side has never driven. But then they would 'sneak' out and go somewhere. Had my Dad and Aunt scared to death! Since then, we've seen a gradual decline in their health too.
 
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