There needs to be a mandatory second drivers license test!!!

[sscamaro]

I'm 78, look and feel like 65. I drive like I'm in my 50's. When I turned 75 my insurance went up 30%. I asked the insurance company why it went up so much and they said because the rates increase once you turn 75. I haven't had an accident in over 30 years. I'll admit I'm not a slow driver, but I'm not a crazy driver either.

[upflying]

Originally Posted by AdamEL

. And with my tires screeching, she finally sees me and stops!

How do your tires make a screeching noise when you have abs?
Be thankful you don't live in Ca where 15% of drivers are unlicensed.

[GEEKFREEKSCOTTY]

Seems appropriate:

[Frank in MD]

Originally Posted by upflying

How do your tires make a screeching noise when you have abs?

I must have special tires b/c mine make screeching noises all the time. Usually when my tires make those sounds there's a burning smell and it's usually accompanied by white smoke....

Maybe I should take my car to service?

[GMTool]

One little incident creates this rage? Get used to it. It will never stop. Maybe she was texting. If you ever get hit from behind because some young person was not paying attention, then what will be the subject of your thread. When you are in that situation again, expect the car to backout in front of you. Defensive driving. Dont ever assume that someone sees you. From your story it sounds to me like you saw it coming way ahead of time. You just went to school.

[Bonanza7]

Originally Posted by AdamEL

So I'm on the way to work this morning, and I'm not even one minute down the street from my apartment when some old ass granny starts pulling out of the grocery store parking lot and into the street, right as I'm approaching that area [I'm not pulling in the store entrance, I'm just headed down the street that runs in front of the entrance]. I see her pulling out, and think she'll for sure stop when she sees a bright red Camaro in plain sight, just a few yards from her. But she doesn't stop. She just keeps pulling out. I lay on the horn [and keep on it, I might add], but she still doesn't stop. She's now just feet away from my car, and slightly increasing speed, which would inevitably land her in my passenger seat if she doesn't stop. So I slam on the brake and swing the wheel to the left, steering the car in the opposing lane of traffic, just narrowly missing the end of the newly built concrete median. And with my tires screeching, she finally sees me and stops! I slammed on the brake so hard that my sunroof interior lid went slamming shut and my lunch in the passenger seat went flying to the dash and on the floor. Now, at a complete stop, I look over at the old meemaw in the 90's Ford Taurus, and she has a look on her face like she had done absolutely nothing wrong, and she just slowly backed up back into the store's parking lot. I raised my fist at her [but not my middle finger ] and sped off...
I know that some of you that are reading this are going to know my pain. And then some of you are going to think I'm being an insensitive ass. But I'm not a jerk who "hates old people" or anything like that. I am just a FIRM believer that there is a certain age where people are TOO OLD to drive safely anymore. The woman that I "met" this morning was a prime example of that. She looked like she was 100 years old, and obviously had no clue what she was doing behind the wheel. My car is pretty easy to see, but yet she didn't see me until she was almost a permanent part of my passenger side door. And keep in mind that I was LAYING on the horn. So she didn't hear me, either. I think there needs to be a mandatory second drivers license test for seniors, and that test should be given every few years after that.
I realize that there are plenty of seniors that are in great health, and they can drive just as well as they could when they were young. My parents, for example, are in their 70's, and they both still drive perfectly fine. But there are a TON of seniors out there that are just not physically or mentally able to drive safely anymore, and it puts them, and other's lives in danger.

Sorry for the obvious forum rant, here. And I know there's nothing anybody on here can do to make a mandatory second drivers license test happen, but I knew that a lot of you would at least understand what I'm talking about. I have no problem with our senior citizens, but some of them need to get the hell off the road... If you have a similar story, please share it. And thanks for reading my rage post...

A lot of states have a re-test at age 65. Everyone is different, so the re-test is supposed to sort them out.

[Bonanza7]

Originally Posted by upflying

How do your tires make a screeching noise when you have abs?
Be thankful you don't live in Ca where 15% of drivers are unlicensed.

More than 15% in AZ. None of the illegals have a license, well not with an ID they didn't steal. And we have a lot if illegals here. Others, many, still drive with licenses revoked. And no insurance

[Bonanza7]

Originally Posted by woodj

People texting on their IPhones are just as dangerous and harder to spot until they pull out in front of you.

Saw a motorcycle rider texting as he drove his bike. Went 2 miles on a city street, texting and not looking up. He will be part of the natural selection process.

[Wabbit]

Originally Posted by tonyko1

Do you have one in BC for all the new immigrants from China that are first-time, first-generation drivers, maybe a moniker that is HMOGANCD.......which is Holy Mother of God, Another New Chinese Driver.

Not being racist or anything, but there is no history of them driving or used to being in a car or their parents teaching them the ropes. Don't believe me, drive up to Vancouver, BC sometime.

I don't usually go into Vancouver proper, just the outskirts. Usually where we are at, it's not too bad. But watching them after they cross the border in the US, watch out! They drive fast here.

[camarowa]

Originally Posted by midnighter

It's a good thing people can't just buy their driver's license. "It's an EARNED privilage"

.......

[AdamEL]

Well, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one that feels that certain seniors should be off the road. Now, to address some of the comments.

First of all, thank you to the guys and ladies that had friendly comments and suggestions. I'm definitely happy that it ended safely, and that nobody was hurt.

And to the people that think that I'm just flipping out over nothing, or that teens are just as bad [etc.], clearly don't fully understand the point of my post. I wasn't just implying that this ONE old lady made me so mad that I had to go whine about it on the Camaro5 forum. I'm 38 years old, and have been driving for 22 years [with a flawless driving record], and I've encountered countless situations like this with senile old drivers. And as I stated in my original post, not ALL older people are crappy drivers. It's the old people that are not of sound mind anymore that I'm referring to, and the lady in my post fits that exact description. And yes, I do realize that teens/new drivers can sometimes suck at driving, too. But in my OPINION, old people that are not fit to drive anymore are worse and more dangerous. Maybe there's just more seniors on the road versus teens out here... And about that "driving defensively" thing - I LIVE by those words. If I had a motto, that would probably be it. So please don't think that I drive like a moron. Memphis drivers are among the worst in the country, so I was taught to drive defensively as a teenager, and have driven that way ever since. My driving record proves that.

Now, for a few shout-out's...

@SirNuke - That horn is BADASS!! So here's the golden question - How often do you get to use it???

@Sikoriko - Man, that hurt just reading that! I can't imagine what that must have been like. I'm glad you lived through that horrible event!

@Bonanza7 - I literally had no idea that a mandatory 2nd drivers license test even existed in any state! I would love to see the statistics for accidents involving senior citizens in those states versus states without that law. That's awesome information, thank you for sharing.

@Upflying - You're actually right. I didn't use the right adjective, and nor did I explain that the newly outfitted concrete median that I almost sideswiped while trying to avoid said old lady, left a bunch of gravel on the street. I slammed on the brakes directly on that area and my tires slid briefly across the loose rocks.

@GMTool - I addressed most of your comments above. So for the record, I didn't just "go to school". I think you just jumped to conclusions without knowing the entire picture.

[ROBOSSRS]

Originally Posted by EnjoyLife

I have no problems with mandatory driving tests. The only problem is that you cannot implement it on just the elderly. If you want to go down this road, it would be for everyone.

Seems only fair to me.

[skipinminn]

I think EVERYBODY should retest every 4 years. You fail you lose you DL for 3 months < period > You get a learners permit and must pratice < YEP >

[patternpilot]

I agree there are poor drivers of all ages. The part I take offense to in this tread is the comment that all people over a certain age should have mandatory testing each year. It seems a lot of folks here agree with that, and I am sure they are all young. Now if you think that people over a certain age should be tested each year, I think that everyone under the age of 25 should be tested each year as well. Not that their driving skills are bad, just their ability to pay attention to what they are doing needs tested. Perhaps driving school every other year to renew their drivers license would be appropriate.
Not all of us older drivers (over 25) have diminished skills. We need to be fair here, and whatever rule is applied to one group is applied to all groups. It sounded as if the OP had warning before the lady pulled out in front of him. Perhaps earlier braking would have helped the situation. I drive motorcycles and never assume anyone sees me. In fact I try to drive for them and anticipate what they will do next. It's called defensive driving.