Anyone aged 70+ should be given a driving test and vision exam every couple years in order to keep their license.

I’ve noticed a lot of very dangerous senior drivers recently. I am not saying that all older drivers are dangerous, but that it does seem to be more common. Statistically, senior drivers have higher fatality rates than any other age group.

Anecdotally, I recently drove with an elderly (early 70s) family member and I was terrified for most of the drive. He was checking his phone constantly, speeding anywhere between 15-35 miles above the limit for the entire drive, tailgating every single person in the passing lane that was not also speeding 30 over, hard braking several times at stop lights and mere inches away from the car in front, constantly looking at scenery nearby instead of keeping eyes on the road, driving with just one hand located at the very bottom of the wheel, running a stop sign without stopping when there was oncoming traffic with the right of way, and not checking over the shoulder for blind spots when lane switching.

It was pretty terrifying and my teeth were clenched the whole time. He drives an oversized truck and doesn’t even park it properly, usually taking several attempts to only get it semi straight. Drivers of many ages are guilty of the above transgressions, however; it seems extra dangerous when seniors do them. For example, most people over 70 can’t leave their phone in the dashboard holder/stand and just quickly click a button to re route their google maps or whatever. They are going to take the phone out of the dash holder and hold it down so it is closer to where they can see (probably holding it parallel to the wheel). They are also going f around on it for longer than most, simply because they don’t have quick iPhone fingers and eyesight. My family member kept doing exactly that, holding the phone by his chest so that his eyes were looking DOWNWARD from the road and not anywhere near it, then additionally f ing around with it for a long time while doing random crap like using the calculator app.

I tried to explain to the family member that texting and going on your phone while driving is unsafe, that you travel the distance of a football field in a second. Everything I said about safety went in one ear and out the other. He wouldn’t even acknowledge what I was saying or seem to care at all. I casually managed to do the second half of the drive after I convinced him to let me. When I drove, I went normal speeds (I usually go only a couple miles above the limit when not in the passing lane), did not go on my phone, kept safe following distance, and all of the other normal driving things. He laughed and said that it a slow driver, but did admit that I’m safe. He told me that he’s had multiple speeding tickets in recent years and didn’t seem to care about getting them, as he’s got money to pay them off and sees the limit as useless. I told him that I’ve never gotten a single ticket in my entire life and he scoffed.

I obviously will never drive with that family member again and think that besides an incompetent driver, he’s also just kind of a jerk. Seniors do tend to develop slower reaction times amongst other things, resulting in smaller risks having greater outcomes (including higher death rates). I’m sure there are many very safe senior drivers out there, but there are some that just seem to go downhill fast. Maybe even some older drivers do erratic things because they aren’t particularly afraid of consequences or death (for themselves and others) given how long they have lived and any cognitive decline.

Having senior drivers retested and vision checked every few years would benefit everyone. The senior drivers who are safe would be able to feel confident in their abilities, knowing that they have passed and are all clear. Senior drivers who are past the point of being safe will not be able to drive anymore, reducing potential harm or death to themselves or others. Car crashes are ugly painful deaths and anything that can be done to prevent them should be, that is until we hopefully one day get rid of cars completely (hopefully).