Crash involving driver, 100, rekindles age debate

Senior driver Preston Carter, 100, talks with police officers after police say his car went onto a sidewalk and plowed into a group of parents and children outside a South Los Angeles elementary school, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in Los Angeles. / AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

(AP) LOS ANGELES - Jack Wyard is 92 and sees no reason to surrender his car keys, not to mention the freedom they give him to get up and go anywhere he wants, whenever he wants.

After all, he said, two years ago he got a perfect score on his written test to renew his license.

"I don't know what to suggest for anyone else, but I'm still comfortable on the highway and I enjoy driving," the retired sales manager from Los Angeles said Thursday.

Police: 100-year-old driver hits 11 near LA school

A day earlier, a 100-year-old man who was attempting to back his Cadillac out of a grocery store parking lot struck and injured 11 people, nine of them children.

The accident in front of a South Los Angeles elementary school where children had lined up to buy after-school treats brought to the forefront again a debate over how old is too old to keep driving.

Is it 80? Or 90? And should anyone past 100 be allowed behind the wheel?

With the American Automobile Association reporting that 10,000 Americans are turning 65 every day, it's a debate that will only intensify in coming years.

"I don't think there should be a set age because people age differently," said Ruth Nadel, 98, who was in her mid-80s when she decided it was time to hand over the keys to someone else.

After her vehicle was in a head-on collision, her children convinced her that, while she wasn't to blame, her inability to get out of the way of an oncoming car indicated her reflexes might have slowed.

They told her it wasn't worth risking another wreck and hurting herself or someone else. She said she has no regrets, although she believes she could have driven for a few more years.

While there should be no age limit, the Washington, D.C., woman said, a driving test would be good.

She suggested 80 as a reasonable age for that, adding that a person could be retested every five years. "But that's as far as I'd go with it," she added.

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Cops: 100-year-old hits 9 kids with car

Indeed, many states do. California is one of 28 states that have special requirements for older people renewing driver's licenses.

While younger California drivers with good driving records may automatically be granted two five-year license renewals, anyone over 70 must come to a DMV office and take a written test and eye exam.

"And if for any reason, the (DMV) employee might detect some kind of lack of ability or diminished ability to drive, they might ask them to take a physical driving test," DMV spokesman Armando Botello said.

There is no upper age limit for driving a car in California.

The state doesn't keep statistics on how many drivers are 100 or older. However, at the end of last year, 71,111 people 90 or older were licensed to drive in the state.

The notion that older drivers are more likely to get in crashes is not borne out by the statistics.

On average, drivers in their mid- to late-80s have lower crash rates per mile driven than those in their early 20s, said Jake Nelson, AAA's director of traffic safety advocacy and research.

And still, none of those groups drive as bad as teenagers — the nation's riskiest drivers, he said.

Baby boomers, who will make up the fastest growing segment of the population, are expected to help double the number of older drivers on the road, to 57 million, by 2030.

And, unlike the current generation of older drivers, they are expected to drive more.

AAA officials suggest people talk with aging parents about what to do when they can no longer drive, plan ahead for how they will get around and what lifestyle changes they may have to make.

For Wyard, who lives on the far end of LA's San Fernando Valley, where commuter rail and bus service is limited, life without a car would be difficult. He couldn't easily get to his country club, his son's house or the store, to name a few.

His 61-year-old son, Steve, said that when he first heard the news of an accident caused by an elderly driver, his initial thought was: "Where's my dad?"

"I'm not sure I wouldn't rather ride with him than my 20-year-old son," he said.

[jmn122736]

If we are going to use "public safety" as the reason to keep people over a certain age from driving, we should also make 21 the legal driving age.

If we force older drivers to retake actual driving tests we are putting their driving privilege in the hands of a single individual who just may be overly biased against older drivers, and there are plenty of those, as witnessed by some of these posters.
Perhaps analyzing their driving records, along with periodic eye tests would be more appropriate.

As for forcing them to take a written test; my question is WHY. They have been driving much longer and surely are aware of the driving rules, and if not their driving records would reflect that. Therefore forcing them to retake the written test would be tantamount to forcing them too take a psychiatric test and DOT employees are not qualified for that, as well as possibly being biased.

[Unsilent_Majority]

Trying to compare young drivers to older drivers is not a legitimate argument. Young drivers do have higher accident rates, but those accidents are typically resulting from wrecklessness behind the wheel (speeding, unsafe lane change, running stops, texting, radio etc.)And if they are caught doing those things they face punishment including possible revocation of their driving privilege. But the point is, their bad driving is typically behavior related and is correctable or alternatively punishable. This is not the case with much older drivers. Their issue is a product of aging...vision, response time etc.

[brasileira2]

There are more dangerous young folks on the roads today then old folks. From texting and talking on the phone, to drinking and drugging, younger folks kill more people in this country than older folks do.
I am a young person but I realize that we can be the problem.

[Martha12345]

Let's compare this information with the driving stats for 16 year old boys ? Cat got your tongue ???

[foo8259]

Hit the gas instead of the brake? I hear about people doing that all the time -- probably while making a call on the cell phone or text-ing.

[td4398]

I agree with tom. True, not everyone above the age of 70+ are impared drivers but too many times I've seen elderly drivers shuffling to their cars using their walkers, barely able to walk getting behind the wheel of a car! My own mother, when she was into her 80s I had to make the tough choice of depriving her the use of her car because she was driving over curbs, getting into accidents that was clearly her fault and blaming others. Personally, I feel we need to have refresher driving tests throughout our adult life because I see several drivers from 16-80 that shouldn't be behind the wheel!

[ksharon1]

16 is too young to drive.

[Tech_Junkie]

No! 16 is two old to drive a Mustang 5.0. I think 16 year old kids should be driving themselves to school and to work afterwords.

[ralphing]

What's wrong with calling a cab when you get to old to drive? You would come out ahead with the money you would have spent on car payments, maintenance, and insurance. Old people don't go out all that often.

[MagnaCartaUK]

Ah, but what happens if you're elderly and live a good distance away from said taxi-office? You could, for example, and given America's far larger size, live many miles away from an urban centre or town of a substantial size. Also, there's the problem that one doesn't know how many journeys a particular elderly person will make in a given time period. Taxis - (or as I remember you call them 'cabs') are usually more expensive - and over a year or less, the cost of using them may not be off-set the cost of using that which is spent on petrol, diesel, and other motoring expenses. In Britain, (though naturally you wouldn't be aware of this), there's a great deal of debate concering rural bus services, for people without their own transport, in relation to elderly people and others. For someone elderly who may have to make return journeys to attend medical appointments, the supermarket, visit friends, indulge in their leisure-pursuits, or and travel at unsociable hours, the cumulative effec may inhibit them from going anywhere - especially if there's no-one else to rely on. If they have a disability, other health issue, or suffer from some type of adverse financial position, they're problems can be magnified. Even in the U.K. where people with mobility problems can arrange free transport for medical appointments, I know of elderly people who have given up their cars, yet still find themselves with a financial discrepancy. Yours is a good-natured thought, but I'd imagine that America's greater distances will leave such a proposal in difficulty. That, and the fact that there's an awful lot of deep and personal adjustment in giving up one's car. Adjustment that is more often not seen or appreciated by the outside World, as it isn't them faced with the consequences. its

[MagnaCartaUK]

It's probably not important, but nevertheless requires a little clarification. The 'free transportation' available on request to people with mobility issues - including the elderly - is not the standard one available to the general public. It's dependent on your mobility, and one requests it from your local health authority or primary health trust. It's free, and picks you up from your home, but it's not your local bus service. There are alternatives where one pays 15 pounds per annum for unlimited journeys, but sadly - and I find it sick - due to the financial cutbacks the free service isn't advertised any more. Never mind though - many make sure it's done for the calculating filth. Sorry about hogging the page, but this issue is so important to the elderly regardless, and wherever you may live.

[MagnaCartaUK]

This is a difficult subject, and one which has similar prominence in Britain - and also until recent times within my family. Obviously, whilst no-one would want to take away the independence elderly people feel they have when legally being able to drive, there is, very sadly, the inevitable aspect that advancing age brings with it the unwelcome fact that reaction times slow down. The result is, that even with the considerable and well-established experience a lifetime's driving brings, their reactions just aren't generally as good as they once were. Above all else lies the danger of the public not being exposed to unnecessary risk. That said, I also find it hypocritcal that young people who drive recklessly don't seem to receive a similar amount of scrutiny. As I myself once was, and as I suspect many others are now embroiled in this issue, the task of telling a loved one things need to change is still harder than it seems. I have an Uncle of 86 - I knew his reactions weren't as quick as they once were - I knew he tired easily and his concentration was affected - yet I also know how difficult it was having the awful duty of telling him some unpleasant truths. It was about protecting him by telling him the facts, but also with a view of the public interest. It's not pleasant, but it is necessary. There is, however, the question of alternative transportation. It's all very well naturally expecting elders to hang up their keys, especially as family members aren't always available to compensate, but also just how safe is local public transport for them? Is it readibly available - particularly for those who live 'up country'? (In Britain our integrated transport system's not bad, but it could be better) - perhaps if America's the same, is it not fair to expect investment in that public transport as a viable alternative. Otherwise this could lead to a certain isolation of people. The public's safety comes first though, and the 92 year old chap featured in the article should appreciate just how much mental faculties can diminish within two years. He'd feel a lot worse killing someone than losing his car. It's something we all have to face at some time, and accept with good grace - and however unpalpable it is for us.

[marcie10000]

Dear CBS: Could you please list the states which require cognitive tests (outside of vision tests) for a senior driver to retain their license? Thank you.