Friday, April 20, 2012

Should Senior Drivers Take A Yearly Driving Test?

That's Yahoo's voting question of the day.

Of the 162,672 who voted...
64% said, 'Yes, it's for everyone's safety.'
36% said, 'No, they shouldn't be singled out.'

My question to this question is:  "what defines senior drivers?"  Is it anyone over 18, 25, 40, 55, 65, 75, 85, 90, 95, 100, or 105?    

We live in a small rural town with no stop lights.  Only stop signs.  Our house sits on a 4-way stop intersection.  Every single day, every day of the week, we watch drivers of all ages (in cars, pickups, semis, on tractors and motorcycles) skate non-stop through the stop signs.  This is the same place young mothers pushing baby strollers gather to chat about motherhood, little kids scamper holding puppy leashes and riding tricycles.  One of these days someone will get hurt, or worse.

All age groups violate our driving laws.  If the majority of American citizens feel that we seniors should be required to take a yearly driving test, then everyone should.  Do we want to teach our kids that they will become lesser Americans as they get older?

Maybe instead of focusing on senior drivers, someone should take a close look at the illegal drivers on our roadways, who (1) aren't able to read the road signs; (2) have never been tested for a license;  (3) can't possibly know the rules of the road; (4), have no license plates on their bumpers; and (5) are driving without insurance coverage in the event of an accident.

Here's my rebuttal question of the day...

If I'm a senior driver having taken the test, have a valid license, a license plate on my car, and full-coverage insurance.....and have an accident with an illegal driver who isn't able to read road signs, has never taken a driver's test, has no license and no car insurance........will I, the senior, be the first suspected to be at fault?