'Better give me your license, Dave'

by David Grand
July 31, 2003

No, the chief of police in my hometown of Gary, Indiana wasn't speaking to me, but to my father who was sitting on the front porch. He took the bad news without quibbling with his lifelong friend. The chief told him the time had come for him to quit driving, not because he was in his late 70s, but for his personal safety and the safety of others, since he'd been observed on numerous occasions driving right through stop signs without batting an eye.

I was relieved when I heard about him having to hang-up his keys. Plus, I knew losing his license wouldn't pose much of an inconvenience, for there was a "ma and pa" grocery store across the street where he could shop.

But that was in the late 50s and such neighborhood stores are part of a bygone era, replaced by supermarkets located in distant shopping centers. And for those "cotton heads" (as I affectionally call 'em), who don't have children or friends to do their shopping and run errands, having their own car is an absolute necessity; and to many represents a way of asserting their independence. And to lose that sense of self- sufficiency can be ego- crushing.

Generally speaking, I've found they're extra cautious when driving, observing the speed limit (often driving as slowly as if they were in a funeral procession), looking straight ahead and grasping the steering wheel tightly, with their hands in the recommended "10 a.m. 2 p.m." position. And I have yet to see any of 'em with a cell phone hanging out of their ear, munching food, sipping a drink, or putting on make-up. And when they have an accident (mostly fender-benders) it's only themselves that, more than not, get shaken-up or hurt. What a contrast that is to the preponderance of fatal accident in the U.S. being caused by teenagers driving recklessly.

There is, of course, always a pubic hue and cry in those rare instances when an elderly driver is responsible for either killing and/or maiming people, due to losing control over their vehicle. Two recent tragic examples of that are: the killing of 10 and injuring up to 45 others, when an 86-year-old man's car plowed through a crowded farmer's market in Santa Monica, Calif. (who thought he had his foot on the brake instead of the gas pedal); and just a week later, a 79-year-old man crashing through yet another farmer's market in Florida and injuring three people (claiming the accelerator got stuck).

Obviously, neither of those old fogies were competent to drive. But how many more like them are still out there risking their lives and the lives of others each time they get behind the wheel? And that begs the question as to who's going to stop them from driving? The states' Motor Vehicle Administrations (MVA)? The judges in traffic courts? Their doctors? Or their children? (That'd be a quick way to be cut-out of the will.)

Logic would dictate that those in the Geritol generation should be required by the MVAs to pass the same full-blown driver's test they took when they first got their license (however many decades ago that was) before issuing them a new one. But hell would freeze over several times before that ever happened.

It's AARP's contention, however, that older drivers are not the roadway menace others fear, determined to drive long past their diminished abilities. And that most of them voluntarily limit their time behind the wheel and engage in "self- regulation," by restricting their driving in one or more conditions: in bad weather, on freeways and interstate highways, in heavy traffic or unfamiliar areas, during rush hours, at night, or over long distances. And they emphasize-correctly so- that health combined with age was a more important predictor of self-regulation than age alone.

That's all well and good, but it doesn't take into account what's to be done with those who refuse or can't be bothered with adjusting their driving habits, even when their health, reflexes and state of awareness may be failing. We'd better come up with an answer ASAP, what with the prospect of having one in five drivers over 65, and with those 85 and up exceeding 10 million by 2030. A sobering thought, isn't it?