The other day I was driving along the Ala Wai Boulevard. The Buick in front of me wasn’t keeping up with traffic, so I turned on my blinker to change lanes.
Then, as if the driver knew how little tolerance I have on the road, she decided to make a left turn onto a side street from the middle lane. In slow motion.
Just before I leaned on my horn and screamed out some colorful obscenities, I happened to take a look at the driver.
Remember the song, “The Little Old Lady from Pasadena”? She was driving that Buick.
It’s a difficult discussion to have with your aging parents and grandparents: when should they hand over the car keys and give up driving, something many of them consider to be the key to freedom and independent living. But it’s a conversation worth having.
According to a story in the Associated Press, miles driven by older drivers are going up and fatal crashes involving seniors are coming down, but too often they are forced to choose between safety and being able to get around.
Within 15 years more than one in five licensed drivers will be 65 or older. Their number will nearly double, from 30 million today to about 57 million in 2030, according to the Government Accountability Office.
The reasons for them to give up driving are numerous and convincing: Older people need more light to see at night, they are less able to judge speed and distances, their reflexes are slower, they may be more easily confused, they’re less flexible (which affects their ability to turn to look behind them), they have a lower recovery rate when they’re in accidents.
Still, I can’t imagine having to take away my mom’s car keys, for example, and telling her she needs to find alternative ways to get around, especially living in an area where public transit isn’t that convenient and making Costco runs will be nearly impossible without help.
So what do you think about these aging drivers? Are they unsafe on the roads? Or should we find ways to accommodate them since most of them won’t want to give up their freedom to get around?
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To read all of Cat’s blogs, visit www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish. Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at [email protected].
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27 Comments
I’ve had friends who are 85+ still driving and from what I hear from their children, they have driven on the wrong side of the street, got into multiple accidents, but I think it’s on a case by case situation as I’m sure they are others who still are able to drive. They should be road tested after 85 as a condition for continuing to drive.
@keybd I think 65 is a good age.
This is a very tough and touchy subject, something that is hitting very close to home. I think it can be very difficult for a family member to “take away the keys” and in some cases, may do irrepairable damage to family relationships. I honestly think mandatory road testing may be the most reasonable thing to do. If the senior driver fails, then the driving privileges are taken away by the same entity that allowed the privilege in the first place. Also, the testing would be carried out by a qualified tester, not a layperson. I think this would lend credibilty to the testing. On the other hand, some of the worst drivers I’ve seen on the road and parking lots are not seniors but young and middle aged adults. Just my two cents….
Definitely a serious problem but this is only one that will go away (along with accidents caused by DUI and falling asleep at the wheel) when cars drive themselves. Think that’s in the way distant future? Maybe not. https://hula.me/17 This can’t happen soon enough. 40,000 lives per year in the U.S. alone are at stake.
I have very strong feelings about this one. More often than not, when there is bad/reckless driving happening by me, it is an old person. And I think they don’t even realize they are doing anything wrong when the drive the wrong way down a one way street, or turn into a parking lot from 2 lanes out. I really think there needs to be annual driving tests for anyone over age 65. It’s a hard discussion to have with a family member, but someone has to do it. Is having an uncomfortable conversation worse than grandma or grandpa getting in a car accident and hurting themselves and possibly others? and it’s not like you’re going to take away their keys as soon as they hit 65. You only do it when you observe how they drive and see that it has gotten to the point where it may be dangerous.
One upsetting thing I saw recently….I was at Satellite City Hall downtown, and an old lady in front of me was renewing her license and taking the eye test. She kept reading out the letters and getting them wrong, and the employee behind the counter kept saying, “no, still wrong, try again”. She gave her like 6 chances, and the old lady still kept getting it wrong, and the employee said “aah, neva mind Aunty, I pass you. Just no get in one accident kay?”
I have very strong feelings about this one. More often than not, when there is bad/reckless driving happening by me, it is an old person. And I think they don’t even realize they are doing anything wrong when the drive the wrong way down a one way street, or turn into a parking lot from 2 lanes out. I really think there needs to be annual driving tests for anyone over age 65.
As for talking to a family member about taking away the keys, yeah it’s hard, but someone has to do it. Is having an uncomfortable conversation worse than grandma or grandpa getting in a car accident and hurting themselves and possibly others? and it’s not like you’re going to take away their keys as soon as they hit 65. You only do it when you observe how they drive and see that it has gotten to the point where it may be dangerous.
One upsetting thing I saw recently….I was at Satellite City Hall downtown, and an old lady in front of me was renewing her license and taking the eye test. She kept reading out the letters and getting them wrong, and the employee behind the counter kept saying, “no, still wrong, try again”. She gave her like 6 chances, and the old lady still kept getting it wrong, and the employee said “aah, neva mind Aunty, I pass you. Just no get in one accident kay?”
@nov About the county worker who kept giving the older lady extra guesses I have mixed feelings. On the one hand we certainly don’t want people who can’t see to be driving. On the other hand I had this exact same thing happen to me a few months ago when I renewed my license except this time *I* was the older lady (so to speak). That day, I was in a hurry and while standing in line I realized I was wearing my “monovision” contacts. This means one eye is corrected for near vision, the other for far. So I knew the vision tests were going to be problematic, especially any involving testing a single eye at a time. Sure enough, as I struggled to read the correct letters, the county worker kept repeating “no, try again” until she too relented and passed me. While I was grateful for not having to return for a retest, it made me wonder how many others who can’t see aren’t failed.
For anyone wondering, I can see nearly perfectly well while driving since I’m using my far vision eye while looking at the road and traffic. I guess in that sense it’s equivalent to someone with only one eye driving. But the advantage with the monovision correction is that I can also see the car panel clearly at the same time. If I were to wear my normal glasses, I wouldn’t be able to.
I also have strong feelings on this one! When my dad was alive, he used to say, “As soon as people’s hair turns white, they need to take away their license!” (Like a Logan’s Run thing.) All kidding aside, @nov is correct, the DMV passes seniors all the time, sometimes without testing. I’ve seen this first hand, and heard about it from children of driving seniors who were shocked when their parents — who were at the point who shouldn’t be driving — got passed on the renewal test.
All over the country, lawmakers have tried to introduce laws that require more of seniors to qualify to drive. I think I heard that their risk of accidents is about the same as teenagers. But many seniors vote, and AARP represents a huge voting bloc, so whenever such legislation is introduced, their lobbyists squash it with the threat of having one’s constituents vote against them.
We had a hard time taking the keys away from my mom when dementia set in. Not emotionally hard; Chinese people aren’t so polite. It was hard to get the keys away. Fortunately for us, her license renewal was coming up quickly, and due to the dementia, she kept forgetting to go to renew it. As a law abiding citizen, she knew she couldn’t drive with an expired license. Phew.
@melissa808 my hair’s been white since i was five years younger than you, so i wouldn’t want that to be the criteria for yanking my CDL. but, i have to admit this. i don’t drive as much in the Bay Area as i did when i lived in Southern CA. in the interim i know my driving skill has diminished. addtionally, the skills of new drivers are not what they used to be. people are in more of a hurry, they are subject to more stress on the road, they engage in more distracting behaviors, there are more people, who own more cars and more and more traffic. the population of the US has doubled since i got my first driver’s license.
i like to make a long road trip a couple of time’s a year, but i don’t like to drive in congested urban areas. fortunately, you can get around in SF better without a car. not so in LA.
BTW, i still have all my hair and it is BEAUTIFUL, and my driving skills are the ONLY ones that have diminished. (thanks to the Pfizer Corporation)
Um I think you might need to listen to “Little Old Lady From Pasadena” again Cat. According to the lyrics she would probably rip that turn in her shiny super stocked Dodge *and* possibly flip you off while speeding away to boot. She’s the terror of Colorado Boulevard you know lol.
I have parents in their early-mid 70s and they seem to be driving fine for now. Of course they pretty much just go to their usual places close to home though, or maybe a relative’s place in town that is easy to get to. Anything out of the usual routine and they ask me to drive. Thankfully they are starting to know their limits.
I have noticed that most of our pedestrian accidents are old people running over other old people. However, old people do need to get around to shop and travel. Maybe they city needs to subsidize Segway stations for old people to get arou.
I experienced this with my Dad. When he was in his late 70’s, he was able tostill get around ok, but one day he got lost in some backroads and tried to walk out. When I got home and saw his truck missing, I asked him where it was and he couldn’t remember. A neighbor saw his truck near his farm next to a ravine. We went and pulled it out of the grass. That was it. For the safety of my dad and others, I took his keys away explaining the reasons why. It was difficult to do it but Dad agreed (at the time). After Dementia set in, he would sit in his truck wondering how to start it. I kept the truck in his garage and would tkae his on errands using his truck.
But I do believe there has to be same test done at DMV to ensure our drivers are capable of beiing on the road.
It is really unsettling that I have witnessed that 2 senior citizens getting their licenses approved even though their eye exams took over 30 minutes and they failed to read any line from the test. The clerks had to basically tell them whic…h letters to spell. The lady said that she refused to wear her glasses because it was such a pain to take them off her bag every time that she had to get into the car. The gentleman surprised the clerk by saying that he finally decided to renew his license after 30 years. These are not drivers, these are ticking bombs on wheels.
I have very strong feelings about this too. A few years back a good friend of mine Joe “Thunder” Olowofoyeku was riding his huge Chromed Out Indian Motorcycle across the inter section of Isenberg near FHB when he was ran over by a 81 year old man driving a large station wagon. When ask by the TVA Officers the man sad he did not see “Thunder”
Now I ask you to imaging why a man would be named “Thunder”… because he was 6’4” 6% body fat 80% cacao skinned specimen of a man to say thunder was huge would be an understatement. he was driving a motorcycle that makes enough noise t be heard a half mile away. How did he miss seeing or hearing “Thunder”.
I am sad to say after a 5 day fight for his life the “Thunder” was silenced forever. Joe was the nicest person ever and if you have been a long time frequenter of 24HR Fitness you have run into him.
It is not getting solved because too many people don’t want to give up their driving privileges and their kids and family members don’t want to take time off to take GM/GD to the doctors office. I live near the hospitals and POB epicenter and I see seniors driving with O2 tanks and tubes planted directly on their face while aiming a nine foot Cadillac down the avenues.
Scary
Joe “Thunder” Olowofoyeku R.I.P. my friend I really miss you.
@docrock I do remember a very tall, black dude with short dreads at 24-Hour on Kapiolani (dunno if that’s where your friend went) in the 90s/maybe early-00s, who looked like he was chiseled from marble. He was probably the fittest guy I’ve ever seen in person, and he was a fixture there. I wonder if that was him? At any rate, sorry for the loss of your friend.
I met Joe the sept before this. 🙁 🙁 🙁
There’s a 92-year-old man who frequents the Hawaii Kai Dog Park who just recently got into a car accident and had to give up driving. (He still wants a car, though.) But he was driving his gold Volvo up until his accident — of which he emerged unscathed, by the way — and without any trouble. Still quick on the reflexes — and drove faster than most Hawaii Kai residents! So there are exceptions!
@cat That illustrates that it should really be left up to a road test, as age isn’t a black or white factor whether they can drive or not. And since the city doesn’t require it, it’s up to family members. And if your information on him is right (I wonder if I’ve met him at the H.K.D.P.?), it sounds as if he has the right to continue, provided the reason for the accident wasn’t due to any factors stemming from his age (vision, reflexes, senility, etc.)
Went through this with my dad who is now in his mid-80’s. Fortunately no major traffic accidents, just a few dents and scratches from parking lot pillars and other stationary objects (lucky not other cars or pedestrians). Wisely he decided that it was time to give up the keys. That put added responsibility on us to get him around. But we feel far more secure knowing he’s not out on the road.
Like most of the others, I too have very strong feelings about this. When my dad was still alive, we noticed his driving became worse after he was about 75, and around 80 we didn’t allow him to drive anymore. Harsh? Maybe, but it was for his own safety and that of ours. And since my mother-in-law owns a carehome, I see it also around me these days, elder people driving. Nine out of ten times they’re a hazard to themselves. I seriously think they should not only test people’s eyes every 5 years at the DMV after they become 65, they should give them a whole new road test as that is the only way to really see if someone is fit to be on the road or not. The eyes alone don’t say anything about reflexes, movement, being scared and so on, the only way to find out how someone is on the road is a roadtest… And let me add to this, not the kind they’re currently doing at the DMV: 10-15 minutes is not enough to see how someone behaves on the road!
Anyways, I do not only have strong feelings about whether or not old people should be driving, I think the whole DMV and how people get their licenses as a whole should be revamped.
I’m aware there are people that might not agree with me when I say it is way too easy to get a license here in Hawaii (and probably in the whole United States, I have no real experience with the mainland, though) but to me, when I went out to get my license here, it felt as if I got it for free with a carton of milk..
Back when I got it, I came totally unprepared to the DMV (I actually was there with my wife to renew her license, and I thought, what the heck, let’s give it a shot (I was still holding my Dutch license (and still do))). I passed the 20 questions written test right away without any errors, then about a week or two later I went to get my roadtest done, and after just 10-15 minutes driving, the instructor told me I passed. Besides it being so easy, I also feel it is way too cheap to get it.
When I compare this to how things were done in my home country, when I got my license, I had to get at least 15 lessons (they even brought this up to anywhere between 20 and 30 (depending on where you live in the country)) before I was even allowed to take a written test. The written test contained 75 questions and I was only allowed to make 7 errors. The road test was a bit harder too, it took about an hour to get it done and it included many different aspects of driving such as the freeway, downtown, suburbian, in the country and also at least 2 (sometimes they do 3) special manouvres. As soon as the examiner has to stop you from doing something, you basically failed the test. Besides it being so much harder, it is also a lot more expensive.. if you pass it at one time, then including the driverlessons, it costs about 2000 euro (currently about 2750 USD).
Don’t get me wrong, it might sound as if I am a bit disgruntled because getting a license in Europe is so hard, that’s not it. The thing is that when you drive on the roads here, you see so many people who shouldn’t be on the roads in the first place. Like we once had a tenant who had to take his written test, he had to do it 6 times and still failed. Sorry, but someone like that shouldn’t be on the road imho, and you see the same with the driven tests. If they make it harder, and more costly, people will start to take their licenses more serious, and maybe then they will realise their license is actually something special. I’m really think it will make the roads safer, and maybe, just maybe, it will make the roads also less full when not everyone just gets it with a carton of milk.
I wonder about this regularly. My grandmother’s 85, and even though she’s still in good shape compared to most people her age, she does use a walker to walk longer distances, like to the mailbox at the end of her long driveway. I’m always worried that she’ll try to do something herself that she should let someone else do and get hurt as a result because she doesn’t want to bother me. I’m almost always around to help her out, but this can’t be done without knowing what she needs; I still haven’t figured out a way to read her mind. At least she let me do her shopping today, even if that was only because I was heading that way anyway.
She hasn’t reported any trouble driving except at night, and she has stopped driving at night to go to church. I believe a couple at church have been taking her when she wants to go, as she’s very well-loved there. The only other times she goes out at night are when the whole family goes out together, and then she rides with one of us, thus eliminating her need to drive. It’s a start.
Sorry, haven’t read comments below yet, so I may be repeating what someone else says.
It’s not a case of age, but whether you can drive safely or not. After 65, seniors should be required to take a road test every so many number of years. What is the interval? Hmmm… I’d say two, but four would probably meet with less resistance.
So, without a test, you really can’t remove their license to drive. I guess it’s up to family members to administer their own test to aging parents or grandparents. Yeah, it will be tough to approach it with them, but it is for their safety and has to be done.
Let us not overlook that as a matter of social policy and economic reality, most people now in their 30s and 40s, and about 35% now in their 50s are going to be working full time at age 75. It scares me that there will be so many of us elderly and with poor vision, hearing, and reflexes, but not yet eligible for social security and medicare (the age will be pushed-up from the 67 that applies to me), and with no pension and little retirement savings. We will be crowding the roads trying to get to work on time, and hurrying to get home after an exhausting day. One giant experiment in geriatric bumper cars. It’s going to make today’s roads look extremely safe and orderly. It is our future.
Hello Cat!
I agree with Max that a road test should be given maybe even a written test too.
You know if grandma can still hit the ball 225 up the middle of the fairway why not let her. Just cause she can’t see, has to ride in the cart, and has someone else tee the ball up… oh you mean the other kine driving…
I think a road test starting at around 70 is probably a good idea.
I don’t know. My 77 year old mother just got a speeding ticket for doing 55 in a 35.
She also likes to flip me the bird too.
Cat, you’re right. Seniors can be good drivers, and they can be the bad ones. I’ve seen seniors that drive slowly on the freeway, in the left hand lane, and contribute to unsafe driving conditions. (If you have to drive slow on the freeway, do it in the right hand lane).
On the surface street, I find they drive slowly on the left lanes of Beretania and King Streets, Again, if you need to drive slowly, drive on the right. If you are unable to make safe lane changes, then it’s time to hang it up.
I drive my parents around to family occasions. Not only is it faster for them, at least we all have the peace of mind that they’ll get there on time, and arrive home safely.
The streets ARE more congested these days. It is filling up with more unsafe drivers (not limited to those talking on cell phones, or pedestrians going against the crosswalk lights). We each must do our part to drive safely, and also keep an eye out, watch for and anticipate the boneheads on the road. It’s called defensive driving and a fact of life in urban Honolulu.