Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge How old before you stop driving

After reading in the "unknown rider down" post. I began thinking . When should you stop driving. I reckon before 87 . I know everybody is different . But I think 80 is old enough . Now IF I reach 80 I might have a different view on that. But to me 80 should be the end of the road . Its hard to sometimes admit to oneself that the time has come. But its better than to find out the hard way as that 87 year old has found out. All being well gives me 26 years left. atb geoff

Perhaps a test when you reach 80 to see if you still have your wits about you. or a medical every 5 years like the HGV is in order.
Better to learn that way than have learn the hard way.

Some people should not be driving/riding at 20 let alone 80
I don't think your age has anything to do with it , it is how capable you are at any age

+1 Boof, Age is irrelevant, capabilities are the important thing.

Well, I think age can definately be a contributing factor but I agree that there are many young people that shouldn't be driving. My daughter for one, I think she is gonna learn the hard way. I hope she doesn't hurt anyone else. She was driving Wendy somewhere and pulled out her phone and started to text. She didn't understand why Wendy flipped!She has only had he license a few weeks.

My grandma is a prime example, about 2 months she totaled out her second car in less than 7 years. Both times single car accidents. Both times she had excuses like, "the brakes didn't work". I am extremely angry that the state does not have some sort of system to prevent this kind of thing. This last one wasn't even reported because it happened in a parking garage. Yes, she TOTALED A CAR IN A PARKING GARAGE!! My dad will not take her keys away, now she has another car. Young people suck out on the road, but at least they will acknowledge you after you yell and kick their car door, old people seem to have the tunnel vision and just pull right out in front of you and never look anywhere but the end of their own car hood.

Age is a factor, but not the ONLY factor.

When my grandmother started running her '65 Mustang into things, corner of the garage, etc., and the engine needed a major overhaul (still does, ahem) we used that as an excuse to pull her driving privileges. Had to protect my inheritance... oooooh, yeah, and the citizens of Helena. She was in her late 70's.

I had to have "The Talk" with my Pop just about a year before he passed on in 2004. He was 82 at the time.

While riding shotgun with him, I started noticing him making some very poor decisions out there. Things such as making left turns across oncoming traffic which were much too close in proximity.

I told him I wanted him to stop driving because of some of the dangerous maneuvers I had witnessed him making, and that if he needed to go anywhere I'd drive over to his house, which fortunately was only a couple miles away, and I'd pick him up and take him there.

Well, a couple of weeks after my talk with him, my doorbell rang and when I opened the front door, there he stood, and looking past him, there in my driveway was parked his VW camper van. A little perturbed, I asked him if he had forgotten that had I told him I didn't want him driving anymore, and he replied he remembered alright, but because it was only a couple miles from his house to mine he thought that it would be okay. I then reiterated to him I didn't want driving at all anymore. He put up a little fight about this, and at one point I threatened to take his keys away from him, but eventually I made him understand the reasoning in this.

Pop stayed for a couple more hours and we ended up having a good visit.

As he left, I told him I wanted him to drive straight home. He then proceeded to back out of my driveway and right into the rear bumper of my neighbor's pickup truck that was parked on the opposite side of the street. This didn't do any damage to the pickup, but it did break one of Pop's taillights and creased the sheet metal around it on his otherwise absolutely pristine VW camper.(his cars were always immaculately maintained)

And so, I walked off my porch and over to him sitting in the driver's seat and said to him, "Now do you get way I want you to stop driving, Pop? Now, go straight home and park this thing! And DON'T make me confiscate those keys, OKAY???!!!"

He looked at me like a little kid who'd just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar and replied, "Yes. Okay, I will."

At that moment it broke my heart to realize that the person who had always been "My Rock" in life was in the midst of turning into a failing old man.

(...but such is life, huh?!)

when my mom was about 82 she was parking her car and ran into the back of my surburban, it was already parked. a week later she misjudged a curb and bent her front wheel. shortly after that we requested she stop driving.

in contrast i was at an american supercamp (dirt track motorcycle class) and ben bostrom's dad was there. he was well into his 80's and was smoking almost everyone on the track, still as sharp as ever.

you have to take it case by case. i think they should give the octagenerians a driving test as well as anyone who has had an "at fault" accident.

That was a sad story about you and your Dad, there Dwight. Guess we're next in the order of things. But cha know... it's not just cars these old folks are driving, it's scooters too. My Mom rides a 4-wheeler to get around and it's SCARY! I was walking with her about a year ago to and from a restaurant just down the street from where she lives. Well she drove that thing right out on the road into oncoming traffic to avoid something (can't remember what it was). It seemed she felt okay about using the road at her own discretion. I became so alarmed that it stressed her out and she started 'driving' even worse!! I sure hope when it's time for her to go, it isn't in an accident with a car!!

My next door neighbor was 93 when the state suspended his license for "medical reasons". He paid $500 to be tested by an independent agency approved by the state and passed, but they still gave him the runaround until his death this spring. The only problems I ever noticed was he obeyed the speed limit and all traffic signs and signal and he wouldn't drive at night !!! He started driving a horse and wagon and had a 78 Chevy Caprice when he died!

I don't think there is a specific age people should stop driving. I agree there should be a skill test every year after a certain age but don't necessarily agree that the age is 70. There is some at 30 that need a driving skills test. My dad did not retire until he was 80 from his bakery, still working up to 20 hours per day on bake days. I couldn't keep up with him. The only reason he stopped driving was because someone rear ended HIM and he just didn't replace the car and it was easier to take the bus. At 59 I can feel my night vision getting worse and therefore just avoiding driving at night. I think it is also the poor stock lights not just me. I think there should be caution in making generalizations "like everyone should quit driving at 80." Maybe they should quit voting at 80, or quit being seen at the beach at 80. There should be a system to test driving skills, w/o being discriminatory. Maybe EVERYONE should take a skills test yearly. That would weed out all the bad drivers including the teeny bobbin "texters".

Hopefully, I'll be mentally competent to know when it's time to stop. My dad made that decision at 90. My mom will be 90 this December and I have no worries about her abilities. However, she knows that her reflexes aren't what they used to be, so she limits her driving to low traffic times of the day.

I've always thought it was too easy to get a license in the first place and have no problems with regular skills testing - for all ages.

Speaking of "texting"...can ANYBODY here explain to me how in the friggin' world these kids today(ooh, did I just say "these kids today"???) could POSSIBLY "THINK" that texting while driving around could in ANY WAY possibly be "SAFE"???

(..heck, I actually have ALMOST no complaint about people TALKING on hand-held phones while driving...BUT TEXTING?????!!!!!...I JUST DON'T FREAKIN' GET IT!!!!!)

I as told by a young person, You set your car cruise at 60 and it enables you to talk on the phone. This is on I-4 in orlando area. You are going slower than people in front. Cars behind can go around you.
Says she has been doing it for Years and no accidents.

My Father was in his 70's, Quit driving. kept is license for emergencys. Never had to use it.
Never renewed it. Never had a accident.

My dad turns 77 next month, last August he had a stroke and has been told he is no longer medically fit to drive, and so he has surrended his license. But before that happened he had just about stopped driving, and got my mum to ferry him about.

I do think a retest should be taken at at least 70 to prove compitance, heck, we've got people on our roads quite legally driving without ever taking a test as they were issued with a license before the test was introduced

I think I will stop riding/driving a year after I retire so that will put me at about 126 given the state of UK PLC's books at the moment. That leaves me with over 80's left to ride...every cloud has a silver lining

+1 on across the board , non-descriminatory skills testing.. I've had my day with a driving parent ( Mom was in early stages of dimentia) and taking the keys is painful but not taking them is DANGEROUS... but one thing my grandfather said after I made the comment of one of his "grumpy old friends" being a grumpy old man,,,he replied, " he was a grumpy young guy once"..that being said..poor driving ability can follow one through life.... I think driving skills tests are good ideas, I have to do one every few years to keep my CDL( plus a BFR to keep my pilot license up) it should be the same for the general operators too... just my serious $0.02 worth

I'm going through this now with my parents. My dad is 91. He became "legally blind" this summer. He quit driving earlier this year. He stopped driving at night about a year ago but probably should have quit altogether.
Now that he can't drive, he's pretty much insisting my mother (83) drive. Since he retired in the mid-70's, she's barely been behind the wheel. Her eyesight is 20-20, but her reactions are incredibly slow. I've pleaded with her not to drive, to no avail. At least she only takes a few, well-known trips per week (church, grocery store, doctor, all nearby), but she still worries the daylights out of me.
I've told her that she is the person I fear the most, but it's fallen on deaf ears.
While her eyesight is terrific, I don't think she could pass a driving test. I think seniors should be tested annually once they hit 80 or so.
Remind me about all these thoughts in 31 years....

Years ago, I witnessed this... I was taking the written driving test, head hunched over a desk. A really old looking fella came in the door, crossed by me at a bare shuffle/crawl. He obviously had a hard time walking. He finally got to the line, and when it was his turn to read the letters in the vision machine, it went like this... "Read line 1...No, can't read it? Then read line 3...No, that's not right, read line 7....No, No, I'm sorry, that's not right at all...I can't give you a license without a doctors written permission as to your abilities." The old fella shuffles out, and I continue with the written test. I finish the test after a half hour, and in comes the same old fella, shuffling along. Gets up to the examiner, gives her a note, and she says, "ok, here's your license". I thought, this old fellar can barely walk, can't see a thing, and he gets a license cause his doctor writes him a note?!! I've never forgotten the chills this gave me. And one more thing. My ex has totaled at least 4 cars in 15 years, had an accident an average of twice a year for the last ten, and she still has a license. Why?

"Why?", you ask, Rich?

Well, my guess is that in the Good Ol' U.S. of A. the vast majority of people mistakenly "think" or at least "feel" that driving is a right, when in fact it IS a privilege!

And, because there are SO many people who forget this OR somehow don't KNOW this and would put up a big ol' freakin' fuss if they would be denied their licenses, the people at the D.M.V. offices throughout this country probably just figure it's not worth the trouble to fight these folks, and so they just go ahead and rubber stamp the whole process.

(...and THEN the whole issue of driving tests being pretty much a joke in this country ALSO might be a major factor here too, I'd guess...no correction...make that I'm SURE!)

That's quite a story Rich... one of which reflects pretty much the way it is up here in Canada too (well at least in this here province). And ya know... I mentioned it in a post somewhere before this one, but my 89 yo Mother rides a scooter to and fro. She's REALLY freaky on that thing and I wonder and perhaps favour that seniors be tested and licensed to ride (drive) even a scooter. They are vehicles, after all. And so I suggest the question of this thread, "how old before you stop driving?" be extended to scooters too and be open to debate.

My mother is 79 years old, and was diagnosed with dementia & depression about 3 years ago, though we (myself & the doctor) both know she had them much earlier than that but avoided seeing the doctor, told lies, and generally "covered up" her problems. It took me going to the doctor with her and telling her a few "home truths" before the doctor could act upon what she already knew in her heart. When mum got a letter from the Dept of Transport demanding she hand in her licence she was angry and resentful, accused the doctor of bias etc, but couldn't get around the fact that she was no longer licensed to drive. Again I had to travel the ~500 miles to her town (in a train this time) to pick up her car, take it back to my city, & sell it. A week later I got a phone call from the police telling me mum had accused me of stealing her car, which was resolved by the police calling her GP & psychiatrist and checking their own records (they'd had recent call outs to mum on a few occasions). I had to find her public transport routes, timetables etc and arrange for discount taxi fares available to the elderly & dementia sufferers here, however when I started getting phone calls from concerned neighbours & police that she was always getting lose and confused it was time to have her move in with me. She continued bitching about the doctor for about a year but has come to grudgingly accept it now. FYI as I said my mother now resides with me while I act as her carer, and within a few years will have to go into a home as the dementia worsens.

Where am I going with this story? Basically, it's not the older folks' responsibility to recognise their decreasing abilities, it's OUR responsibility as their adult children to grow some cahones and have "the talk" and force the issue, with medical assistance. It's natural that reactions and information processing slows down with age, and as a direct result of that people can't or won't see their own disabilities. Caring for the elderly is naturally the job of the younger adults and that includes taking responsibility for them. Just as you would not let your 10 year old child drive, you can't let your 80 year old parent drive IF THEY'RE CLEARLY INCAPABLE. Go see a doctor to talk about your parent, then take the parent with you (tell them it's just for a check up or something if they're as stubborn as my mother) so the doctor can assess them.

I think when you reach 70 here you need a GPs OK to keep your licence
My stepfather was almost blind and needed my mother to tell him the traffic light position and if there was any push bikes or pedestrians around
I was worried for my mother and him
I told him he hands in his licence or i would tell the transport dept about his problem
He then handed in his licence
not a happy chappie about that
When i said age should not be the reason for stoping driving ,i meant what most are saying here your capability to drive not just you age should be taken into account

judging by the drivers around here it looks like they don't really stop, they just keep driving slower and slower. It seems to be some strange game where they try to get the time of death to coincides with a complete and permanent stop.

My dad was driving up til this spring (over age 90). He was unusually spry and capable but we did worry about him. We need annual gp's certifications and re-tests but he never had a problem with those. He's had new heart problems and is now off the road.

I THINK I'm likely to give up my bike before I give up my car but then I thought 55 was a daring age to buy my america so...

True Story - When I was a kid in rural Oklahoma we had party lines(we were on an 8-party line) , you had to listen for your "ring" . (Ours was tow(2) longs and a short) so of course when the phone rang late at night everyone picked up the phone to listen ( we had to look out for our neighbors ) On the other end was Mr. Teehee calling from the county jail , he was telling his wife they had arrested him for driving drunk and he didn't understand because he had a "da*# good drivers license !)

Obviously, there are people that are "too old" in their 70s and there are people that are fine to drive in their 80s. Definitely an individual thing. My father drove until he died at 90. He had quit driving at night mid to late 80s. Probably would have been a good time to quit then.

At 61, I wonder how many MC riding years I have left. I'm able to buy a RV "toy hauler" so I can get to other parts of the country to ride my bike. Right now enjoying it the most I can.

oh, another data point. One of us, who shall remain nameless, is 70-ish and rode his goldwing several hundred miles to the nor'east rally including manhandling it up and down a very tough hill.

He renewed my faith that I have a good ten-fifteen years left.

when you die is when its time to give it up. So what if you can't see or hear for that matter handle a vehicle at posted speeds.