driving tests?

Most people have heard of the elderly man who mowed down people in California. Another article came up today:


CALEDONIA, Mich. (WOOD) -- Three people were injured, one critically, when the car they were in pulled out in front of an oncoming truck at the intersection of 84th Street and Cherry Valley Avenue.
Police say the car's driver, an 82-year-old Hudsonville man, did not stop at the intersection. The car was broadsided on the driver's side by a westbound truck.
The driver of the car is in critical condition. His passengers, also described as elderly, are being treated at a hospital.
The truck driver, who was not hurt, told 24 Hour News 8 he immediately called 911 after the crash.

I don't know about in other states, but here in Michigan, you are not required to take a driving test if you have have a clean driving record.

Do you think that after a certain age, driving tests should be required?

Ever been to Fla? Heck yeah.

I was driving home from work last week, and someone was going 55 on the freeway (speed limit is 70). As I pass, I peek over and sure enough, elderly man driving.

I know driving with my 81 year old mother makes me VERY nervous. Her reaction speed is way lower then mine.

Does the state of Michigan have laws where a motorist cannot drive like 15 mph slower than the posted speed limit?

Generally, there is a minimum posted speed. That is mainly for trucks, though.

What you have is a 2 lane freeway. You are not supposed to drive in the left lane (that is the passing lane only). This guy was going 55 in the passing lane, making people have to pass him on the right.

Oh, and about 7 years ago, I stopped at an intersection because there was an ambulance coming north (I was headed east). The 70 year old man in a truck plowed into me, doing about $5000 worth of damage.

He kept insisting to the cop that it was my fault for stopping at a green light. He just couldn't grasp that you are at fault when you hit someone from behind. The cop said "Sir, what if it had been a child that had run out in front of her car?" The guy still couldn't grasp it.

Yikes. He might have gotten pulled over had there been a state trooper behind him. There are no two-lane freeways on the interstates here. The closest two-lane freeway is SR-52, which starts about five miles north of me, from I-5, and continues for about 12 miles.

The elderly should be made to sit a driving test every year once they reach the age of seventy. I would much prefer old people to be taken off the roads once they reach this age, but I doubt that would go down well.

Over here, there are no laws in place (at least I don't think there are) requiring old people to have a driving test each year once they reach a certain age. We have heard a lot about old people causing accidents, even killing pedestrians.
An elderly driver was responsible for Solphie Deliezio being horribly burned and nearly causing her death, and an elderly driver was again responsible for hitting Sophie as she crossed a road, and again nearly causing her death.

We always hear about P plate drivers speeding and causing accidents, but young people do not forget where the brake and accelerator are. Young people have quicker reaction times, and for some reason, young people are more likely to charged with a driving offence than the elderly, even if an elderly driver has commited the same offence.

Here, here.

My sister and niece were hit by an elderly driver that said he mistook the accelerator for the brake. He jumped a concrete parking barrier, hopped a curb, and slammed them against a wall of a strip mall as they were walking to the store.

Now, how do you mistake the accelerator for the brake? Especially when you are slowly pulling into a parking spot?

The very same thing happened in Santa Monica a couple of years ago, Knotty. An elderly man ran over a lot of people at a bazaar on the beach there.

Yeah, how can an elderly person mistake a gas pedal for a brake pedal? Maybe the automakers should make cars especially for them: put the brake pedal where the gas pedal would be located at, and vice versa? Nah, that may not be a good idea.