Is more driving education the solution for
making sure elderly drivers are safe drivers?
Or is this, as Dr. Hauser claims, just a sort of discrimination and the
result of a misinterpretation of data?
What has been your experience with elderly drivers?
Well, there are not many seniors that can drive in Slovakia. It is partly because when they were young, there were not many cars around. However, this will not be a problem for the next generation, so a similar problem could spread out here. I agree with Dr. Hauser that elderly people are not such a big problem. One of the most common cause for death is car accident, so it is not surprising that even in seniors, one of the most common cause for death would be a car accident.
ReplyDeleteThe author states that the current medical examination of the elderly is not enough and it should be more strict. He blames the doctors that they are not strict enough. I think that this is true, after all it is not easy to just take someone's driving license away because they are no longer fit. However, this can be solved by confronting the doctors to be more strict. If we want seniors to have a happy retirement, they should be able to enjoy their life the most they can, of course, without harming others.
As Janka already mentioned, not that many seniors are driving on the roads in Slovakia. On the other hand, I see many seniors in public transportation facilities. In fact, I think that it is quite rare to be in a crowded bus in which there are no old people. I don’t think that public transportation is ideal for seniors. It can be quite dangerous for them sometimes. I always though that most seniors simply don’t have the money to buy and take care of a car so therefore they go by bus. On second thought, maybe they don’t have the reflexes or perception and attention span that is required to drive and are not able to have a driving license.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dr. Redelmeier that not all seniors have the capability to still drive safely and deserve a driving license. Therefore I think that seniors should be tested periodically to examine their driver abilities and reflexes. However, I also think that other younger people that have a serious disease, problems or simply have not driver in a long time should be tested. I fully endorse the concept of graduated licenses for new drivers, old drivers and drivers who have lost their licenses through demerit point or other circumstances. All drivers should be re-tested periodically, perhaps every 5 years maybe. This would prevent people thinking about the issue of age discrimination.
I also agree with Janka with the opinion of doctors paying more attention to the medical tests through which people have to pass in order to get a driving license. I consider it very important to have safe drivers on the roads in our country since they can easily get into an accident and kill a person.
I could hardly believe seniors opt for MHD out of concern for other people’s safety. About the idea of introducing periodic tests for every driver regardless of age – it seems reasonable, although, the number could be tweaked a little bit. For example, the tests might initially be spread out in intervals of 10 years, and become more frequent as one advances in age. However, I fail to see what the big fuss about such tests is. If one is capable of passing them, everything is okay. If not, I don’t understand how all of a sudden it turns into a discrimination issue. Senior driver licenses aren’t being suspended because the seniors are old. It’s because they no longer possess the physical and cognitive prerequisites for driving. It’s about time some priorities have been set. Is avoiding the supposed discrimination more important than road safety?
Delete@Valkov
DeleteI completely agree with Lachezar, and I also do not think that this should be looked at as a discrimination of older people. I like the idea of retesting all drivers in intervals of 10 years. It is more appropriate to make the compulsory testing and physician check-ups more frequent from a certain age, rather than keeping it at a 5 year span for everybody, as Nina suggested. This way the safety standards would be increased, and no one could consider it a discrimination of senior drivers, since everybody would be obliged to go through the testing at some point. Furthermore, I think the whole point of the article is somehow meaningless. I do not find it much different and more positive to endorse a license rather than restricting it. In the end, the result is quite the same. If one is not capable of passing the tests or check-ups, he still won’t get to drive a car. No matter what the process is.
Without doubt, it is my opinion that seniors should be able to drive their vehicles without any age restrictions as long as they are physically and mentally fit. I see no reason why we should discriminate the elderly population in such a manner, when clearly; older people are in fact often even more competent and skilled than the younger generations. I agree with the idea to instate certain regulations that would require its elder population to check up with a physician every now and then, to find out whether they are still qualified to drive a vehicle. This regulation should be composed of several tests which would analyze the responsiveness and reactions of the person; however the test itself should be clear and straightforward in order for physicians to assess the situations with upmost objectivity.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure what the situation is in Slovakia, but I have a feeling that our government has already implemented the system which Canada’s government desires. I understand the issue which Dr. Redelmeier mentioned regarding the present system; physicians don’t report their elderly and aren’t that strict in this area. This is a very serious issue, but it is understandable due to the fact that the physicians try to help their patients by sometimes aiding them in their tests to pass, this is because of emotional subjectivity. I find this issue very easy to solve, as I mentioned before, the solution would be to implement more strict regulations which would prevent such subjective behavior.
This is a comment on Nina's comment.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nina that most elderly people are in the public transport. I have realized that every time I am on some kind of public transport I can see one or two. Maybe elderly people in Slovakia are calmer than their counterparts in Canada. But it is probably the fact that most of them find the maintenance of a car too expensive and exhausting. However, I think that people in Slovakia drive more dangerously than people in Canada. That is probably another reason that the elderly should have a more strict examinations.