Senior drivers - are you a safe driver?

J

Josiah

Senior Member
Location
50 miles east of Cincinnati, OH
On my 80th birthday a little while back I renewed my drivers license which involved a vision test. I didn't do well on the peripheral vision part of the test but the gal who administered the test must have liked me because she passed me. I passed the test without any corrective lenses which is pretty good for an octogenarian. I'm not conscious of the shortcomings in my peripheral vision, but apparently it's there. I'm sure there are other shortcomings in my driving skill set as well. My head doesn't rotate on its vertical axis as well as it use to, my night vision is compromised and I'm sure my reaction time has slowed, although I'm not conscious of that. Perhaps the most serious age related failing is my inability to multi-task.

Still I'm a confident and I sincerely believe a safer driver than I was twenty years ago, The reason is that I really take driving very seriously and pay close attention to my limitations. I avoid driving at night, drive at the speed limit, avoid road/traffic situations I judge to be dangerous. In one situation I encounter daily I go a couple of miles out of my way to avoid an unprotected left turn onto a busy road. Above all I try to keep my mind on my driving. I really would like to end my driving career with a clean record.
 

I think I'm a safe driver, probably more so than when I was young. I've never caused an accident or received any moving or parking violations. I go the speed limit, I don't talk on a cell phone in the car, I take extra caution on snow and ice, and I give myself plenty of time to get somewhere, so I don't feel pressured to rush. :drive:

I try to drive defensively also, watching out for others, lots of people weaving in and out of lanes, or making sudden last minute moves to change lanes, etc. Or...as I experienced recently, just making a left turn in front of me from the right lane. :rolleyes:
 
I done a Thread about this called "How are your driving skills", this last Sept. Had 26 replies and some very interesting ones at that.

As for wife and I, we drive the speed of other drivers. If that means going 10 mph over, so be it. Drivers going the speed limit today can be dangerous. Only time I see drivers going the speed limit is when a Patrol car is around. Sometimes the Officer has to speed up, so he doesn't clog traffic up behind him! I remember when wife and I rode with her mother once in So. California. She got into the Carpool Lane and went so slow, I thought I could get out and run faster. Horns beeping behind us, she finally sped up and then got out of the Carpool Lane. That was the last time we rode with her! A few years later, she got into a small accident and turned in her DL at age 83. Took a Senior Bus after that.

We both come to a complete stop for Stop signs, not just roll thru them........think some folks call that a "California stop". Actually, I think some drivers could get rear-ended for coming to a complete stop at a Stop sign!

We use our turn signals all the time. My brother told me that there must be a law against using turn signals in Florida. A lot of folks don't use them.

We don't go "back and forth"/one lane to another on the freeway. We are never in that big of a rush.

We always pull over to the side and put our left arm out/point hand down (stop) when an Emergency vehicle is coming from behind.

Yep, I think we are both safe drivers!
 
Josiah, I think you're very responsible and a good driver. You know your physical limitations and do what you need to in order to work around them. I will also go a few extra blocks to avoid a congested intersection with no traffic lights, during rush hours. I hope you continue to keep your clean record, and stay safe. :love_heart:
 
I go the speed limit only because I am in no hurry to get anywhere..I try to avoid the rush hour traffic to allow drivers to get home..
 
Seniors have three times as many accidents as teens! I limit my driving to the essential and will hire a driver for an hour or so a week when the time comes...
 
I am safe, it's the other guy that bothers me. I drive at a pretty high rate of speed, but I think that is burned into me from my drag racing days and also being a pilot and flying at about Mach 0.6 or 450 m.p.h. My wife continually reminds me to slow down and that I am not in a Boeing, but a GMC. When I get on the freeway and she has a better look behind me than I do, I will ask her if we are clear for departure. She replies, "You are clear for takeoff. G'Day." I call her my First Officer. So, if you ever get passed by a dark gray GMC Envoy on the freeway doing about 80, that may be me. Believe it or not, I have never had a speeding ticket. I did get a ticket for making a right turn on red against a sign that read, "No Turns On Red." And one for not properly signalling before turning. No accidents. (Knock on wood.)
 
Driving bread truck, a good share of my life, we were required to take defensive driving courses once a year. This has definitly help keep my record clean up to now. ( knocks on wood )
Here in Florida, if you aren't on your toes you are really in trouble. Worst drivers in the world. Half can't see and the other half can't hear. It's scary.
 
Wife and I have seen BOTH young and older drivers going WAY TO slow on freeways, in either the slow lane (far right) or lane next to it. They have to know just how slow they are going, even sometimes under the speed limit, when all of the traffic is either passing by them or stacked up behind them! I've seen more that one driver get frustrated when behind a driver like this.........heck, even we get frustrated and try to get around them as quickly as possible. These people that drive this slow, act like they just don't care and don't speed up. Slow drivers, even in the slow lane, can be pretty dangerous.

IMO, when a person gets too old to keep up with the speed of traffic today, they should hand in their DL........or SPEED UP! And, if a person is afraid that their vehicle is too old to handle the highway/freeway speeds of today, change vehicles or something.

There have been many documented complaints about older drivers and how they drive. All of us want to be "safe drivers", but getting "rear-ended" for being "too safe" can be dangerous.
 
I just renewed my license last year at 67 . It was hard passing the vision test. The bright lights of the machine make it hard to see. I haven't had a ticket in 12 years. I did have a fender bender (my fault) in 2013. Luckily insurance did not go up . But overall, I still think I am a good driver. I would die if I could not drive. :•(
 

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