Elder Drivers

According to the statement made in Health In The Later Years book, "The leading cause of accidental deaths among people between 65 to 74 years old are motor vehicles and it is also the second leading cause of death for those who are over 75." There are many people who feel that the elderly are bad drivers and should be required to take a driving test once they reach a certain age. The question of whether Florida should adopt a mandatory testing of drivers over the age of 65 is debatable for me. Although there are some elderly people that are bad drivers and are more accident prone, I do not think it is fair to require all people over 65 to take a driving test because there are also people young to middle-aged that have caused a good majority of fatal accidents not only to happen to others but also themselves. I feel that the testing should be done based on individual circumstances because there are quite a few older people that are still very alert, safe, and excellent drivers. My dad is 68 years old and is still alert with good reaction time when driving. Just recently, he has driven from Florida to New York all by himself with no problems. I know other people in my dad's age range that are regular drivers on the road and have great driving record.

I feel mandatory testing should be done for the elderly who have medical issues that affects them physically and mentally and might prove to be hazardous to them and other people driving on the road. I know that the ability to drive oneself is a sign of competence and independence, imposing mandatory testing on those over 65 who are competent and capable of driving themselves would be a waste of time and money.