There's been a lot of support on this site lately for the mandatory retesting or revocation of the driving priveledges of the elderly once they reach a certain age. There's something to be said for this, as people's reactions do deteriorate as they age. There's one major problem with this, though: How do you expect these people to get around?
Plenty of people don't retire at 65, many work until 70 or later. Just like the rest of us, many of these people have long commutes to work. How are these people supposed to support themselves if they're not allowed to get to work? We all know that the public transportation scenario in most aprts of this country is pretty poor. There are very few places where someone can travel more than a few miles by bus or train in any timely fashion. You can't expect a lot of bicycling out of people who may have arthritis or osteoperosis or other medical conditions, and even if there are busses or trains, many older people may have difficulty walking a mile to the nearest bus stop.
If the US had a public transportation system like Europe does, this would seem a lot more feasible, but we dont. The fact is that muchm if not most, of the US is set up so that the ONLY practical method of transportation is by car. So what do people do when their cars are taken away? Apply for welfare because they can no longer get to work? Have thier groceries delivered?
No one seems to have considered this whole aspect of the, "Old people are dangerous, they should lose thier licenses!" issue.
Plenty of people don't retire at 65, many work until 70 or later. Just like the rest of us, many of these people have long commutes to work. How are these people supposed to support themselves if they're not allowed to get to work? We all know that the public transportation scenario in most aprts of this country is pretty poor. There are very few places where someone can travel more than a few miles by bus or train in any timely fashion. You can't expect a lot of bicycling out of people who may have arthritis or osteoperosis or other medical conditions, and even if there are busses or trains, many older people may have difficulty walking a mile to the nearest bus stop.
If the US had a public transportation system like Europe does, this would seem a lot more feasible, but we dont. The fact is that muchm if not most, of the US is set up so that the ONLY practical method of transportation is by car. So what do people do when their cars are taken away? Apply for welfare because they can no longer get to work? Have thier groceries delivered?
No one seems to have considered this whole aspect of the, "Old people are dangerous, they should lose thier licenses!" issue.
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