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Once more, Dandy Don Mills hits the ball out of the park, with his blog entry, It’s Time for Senior Drivers to Fight Back, Damn it! He complains about younger people telling him he is too old to drive a car. He is an active senior and the concerns are without merit, he says.
Where I work, there is a computerized testing protocol where senior’s driving skills are evaluated and determinations are made about their driving ability. Guess what, there are not many senior supporters of this testing process.
As the baby boomers age, these issues will become more of a contentious fight, I am predicting. Thanks, Don, for getting in on this controversy early…
iggydonnelly
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
Is “Ageism” really a form of discrimination in this country? I definintely think so, and I wonder if I will become more convinced, the older I get.
Something I have wondered recently, has Don Mills found a hot new market, i.e. reverse Ageism? Boomers will be a big market for a few more years at least…
This could be interesting as things develop, iggy. As to the question posed in your first post the answer is yes, and has been so recognized in the employment area, at least, by statute (state and federal).
Aging is a subject of great interest. I suspect you are correct, Iggy, that the Boomers are the reason why. We’ve always been able to demand due to our numbers. And, it looks like we don’t plan to stop demanding just because we’re older.
Wonder if some of us expect to find a way out alive? 🙂
Aging Research Wins Americans Nobel In Medicine
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113491995&sc=fb&cc=fp
I REALLY hate to come down on the wrong side of this issue, but, having recently begun to notice a decline in a close family member’s ability to stay in her own lane, properly judge distances in order to make turns and enter traffic, maintain a constant speed, timely react to the actions of others around her, etc…I have to say it. There IS a time when people, for their own safety and the safety of others, need to start taking the bus. Or having family members drive them places. I am a follower of Don’s blog. As funny as it is, this issue isn’t really very funny to me right now as it is a delicate area that I am attempting to navigate in my family’s life. (apologies for being a Debby Downer)
Paula,
I hear exactly what you’re saying! My Mother worries me, and I can see the serious conversation that must come soon. Don’t look forward to it!
I’m sending lots of good vibes and thoughts your way as you face this situation with your loved one!
My dad was in his 40’s when I thought he needed to get off the road..haha
I agree with Paula there are people who need to find other means of transportation. What is really sad in our rural state is that public transportation, even in our largest city, is pretty weak. It’s not like D.C. where one can take the metro and get to most places in a large metro area.
I think that people need to come to grips with their driving limitations, it is just that none that I know of where I work appreciate this news – quite the opposite in fact.
To clarify, I don’t think Paula’s side is a “wrong” side, rather it is “a side” of this interesting problem.
More work will be needed, after heath-care, et al. are resolved.
In the county where I live, there are little busses that will pick up retirees and disabled and take them to their appointments. There are also little busses that travel within some of the municipalities and will pick you up (no matter what age you are) and take you anywhere within the city. You have to arrange it in advance, but it is reliable. It can’t cost THAT much because it hasn’t been cut from the budget yet. And it is considered one of the most successful programs in our county. It’s something to look into and suggest where you live.
I love my car, like most Americans, and I love the freedom it gives me. I have been in a position of not having one and of having to rely on others for rides–not fun. So I understand the dilemma for seniors. My Dad is there now. He has my mother, but who knows how long she will be able to continue driving? And they are out of town and don’t have all of us kids to help out. So I know this is a sticky subject for them.
We, as a family, were relieved when my mother (who will have her 82nd birthday this Sunday) made a determination of her own accord to give up most of her driving. What she has done is with the exception of driving herself to work and back, and church on Sunday, totally ceased driving. This includes necessary errands in McPherson, where she is domiciled. It has placed a bit of a burden on those of us who live close, one which is readily accepted by them, but all in all, a very good decision on her part. From talking with her recently, she is giving some thought to a total cessation of driving, but I know that so long as she wants to and does continue to work at her job at Dillons she won’t do it.
I think one of the precursors to my fathers decline in mental health was when his eye doctor told him he couldn’t drive anymore. I could see his shoulders droop, and he was never quite the same after that.
My A-Father died about six months after his license was taken from him due to macular degeneration. It was my view, however, that he should have had his privileges revoked years before. Until near the end, he wouldn’t allow me to drive for him and he scared the bejesus out of me when I had to ride with him.
Truly, I think it is a “guy thing” when a man goes downhill after his license is taken from him.
I had a beautiful, black, 78 Pontiac Grand Prix. A 94 year old lady T-boned it. She never even saw us. There just comes a time when people are too old to drive.
Not for me of course.