Ran across a proposal to require drivers over the age of 70 to take periodic driving tests. Knowing several adult children who struggled to convince aging parents to stop driving, it seemed reasonable. BUT...
https://aaafoundation.org/rates-motor-vehicle-crashes-injuries-deaths-relation-driver-age-united-states-2014-2015/#:~:text=Crash%20rates%20began%20to%20increase,drivers%20younger%20than%20age%2030.
TL;DR. Rates of accidents per miles driven causing injury and those causing fatality starts to increase after 70....but it doesn't surpass the rates of drivers under 30 until over 80!!!
Really, I think people should have to keep passing driving tests throughout, like every other renewal.
@S_r_stone Which would make having a driver's license inaccessible for people in poverty or with limited means, so they'll get poorer. If it's people under 30 and over 80, I would think you'd want to address the specific issues with those groups, not require everyone to re-take driver's tests.
That would place a huge burden on the taxpayers, the DMVs, and the drivers.
(con't)
@S_r_stone Last I checked, people under 30 crash more because of drinking, and possibly not having their temporal lobes grown in yet, and people over 70 because their reflexes and senses are fading.
You won't fix those problems with driving tests.
Young people need better teaching about how to drive unimpaired, and older people need a way to get driven places.
I can't even get to the Dr. since I can't drive or take a bus. Tempting to wonder if I could drive just this once for... *crash*!
@AskTheDevil Driving tests would uncover decline in reflexes and senses, if the tests were designed to do so. I have had a front tow seat to a few family members fighting giving up their licenses as everyone seems aware it is time. One had the good fortune to have a non-injury accident where the responding officer confiscated the license until she could pass a test. Failed before getting to a road test.
Perhaps we need LOTS more public transit in addition to raise the driving age to 30?
@S_r_stone I don't see why you'd need to raise the driving age. We've actually had pretty good results reducing the number of accidents in that age category in the last 30 years just through education. And even that has been sparse and poorly-done and it helped.
I am all for more public transport, period, though. That also reduces accidents in general.
Too often we work to restrict and punish rather than fix root problems.