[deepclutch]

that video can be a learning experience for the few 4 wheeler drivers who don't care for the bikers who may be coming either the right or wrong way!

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

So in conclusion, the law exists and is pretty well thought out. Only in terms of implementation, it fails leaving old unfit drivers on our roads anyway.

Yup. So, in further conclusion, this thread can be closed

[fiery enzyme]

I Disagree. My grand father has a Sumo for his daily drive and he is 81.

Yea he has had that for 7 years now and no scratches yet.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

So in conclusion, the law exists and is pretty well thought out. Only in terms of implementation, it fails leaving old unfit drivers on our roads anyway.

I would just take the word old out of the sentence. Lots of young unfit people get licenses in the first place too, and I am not talking about this fitness in the medical sense ! I guess the least people can do is to disqualify themselves if they are medically unfit to drive, as a friend of mine has done, while he was still in the early thirties, once he found he had epilepsy. His wife learnt to drive. My father decided to give it up in his early seventies once he found he could not see at night well enough to drive a car. I renewed my license at 50 this year, via an agent for sheer convenience, and the question of going to a doctor wasn't even raised. In this case, even if I wanted to do the right thing, finding a doctor who could lay down an objective pass/fail decision would have been hard to find. One usually knows one's state of fitness better than any doctor. For this purpose, for any rate.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

if you can set a minimum age, I dont see the problem for a maximum age.
And besides, its not like they will be deprived of a license. They just have to show they can drive to get it renewed.

But given the state of things , I have a feeling that even if implemented, nothing will change. Just the RTOs and agents will make more money

Exactly my point!

It is a medically proven fact that beyond a certain age reflexes do slow down. So there should be a blanket ban on driving over the age of 80. The licence should be valid upto the age of 80 and can only be extended if approved by a panel of doctors. To avoid corruption, the panel of doctors should also be made liable incase an old person commit a grave accident due to a medical condition.

[sgiitk]

I think I see more 20 year old's driving like crazy that 70 year veterans. There are many factors -fitness, reflexes, and experience. It is a matter of fact that the maximum risk of accidents is between 2 and 5 years after learning to drive.

Also, remember an aged person is higky unlikely t be driving long distances. Most likely she/he will be driving on daily errands for distances of under 5 km!

As for the video we see enough people doing this on our roads - age immaterial.

I saved and converted to mpeg and viewed it full screen. The drivers looked to be be more likely to be in his sixties, he was clearly indicating going right, the motorcyclist was too fast for the lane (compare with the traffic in the 'faster' lanes. The way the car suddenly turned from the middle lane indicates to me some problem, could be a punctured tyre. Only his hazards were not flashing.

[CBlazer]

In theory we could have an upper limit like we have a lower limit. The elderly drive till a ripe old age in the US simply because driving is so simple on those roads. All they need is to follow rules. Of course reflex does matter. But, the problems in India are completely different. How safe are our roads for the elderly or for that matter any rule abiding driver?

Reckless driving is no longer a rarity. It's getting increasingly difficult to get from point A to point B without encountering these super smart drivers/bikers. (People don't even let you stop peacefully at a red light.)

It's getting increasingly challenging to drive even on ordinary city roads. This means a driver's reflexes also needs to improve constantly - which is not possible beyond a point. So who's going to decide what is the right time to stop driving? I have a colleague who is perfectly healthy, one of the smartest in my organization, once a big fan of bikes, but has given up driving at the age of 35. He feels he just can't match the growing stupidity on the roads.

I believe our authorities need to make roads safer for rule abiding drivers rather than spending too much time on such technicalities.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

So there should be a blanket ban on driving over the age of 80.

The younger members here seem to propose banning elderly drivers from the roads, or placing severe restrictions on their getting a licence, while...

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I think I see more 20 year old's driving like crazy that 70 year veterans.
Also, remember an aged person is higky unlikely t be driving long distances. Most likely she/he will be driving on daily errands for distances of under 5 km!

...the more senior members here appear to be proposing that elderly folks be allowed to drive if they can.

IMO, the elderly folks have their pool of experience to fall back on while driving, and they are quite aware of what they are doing. They do realize the fact that their driving and their faculties are not what they used to be (lower eyesight, slower reaction times), and after a point they themselves refuse to drive any more because of the risks involved. Even if they do, it would be in an emergency situation, where they are left with no other option.

Let's trust our senior citizens a little more, and let them decide themselves, whether they should or should not drive.

[ACM]

Should be decided by a combination of compulsary testing after X age and the medical / pysical and mental fitness of the person.

My dad who drove from when he was about 20 stoped at the age of 71 on his own - he is 77 today - At home all of us are happy he stopped at that age on his own.

[shankar.balan]

yes. I agree of course that the elderly amongst us must be allowed to drive - provided the concerned person is medically and otherwise fit with good eyesight, a proper knowledge and understanding of the road rules and the confidence necessary to handle today's higher speeds and mad traffic.

I know a number of people in their late middle age who dislike anyone else driving their vehicles because i ve heard them say, "none of the new-fangled fellows change gears properly and care for the car properly".

Originally Posted by ACM

Should be decided by a combination of compulsary testing after X age and the medical / pysical and mental fitness of the person.

My dad who drove from when he was about 20 stoped at the age of 71 on his own - he is 77 today - At home all of us are happy he stopped at that age on his own.

[sanjayatarizona]

I am sure any person, especially the older folks would realise the limits of what their body can do and what the mind can take and understand the risks of driving in today's insane traffic.Their risk perception would be much better than that of the younger lot, who can be swayed by bravado.

If they feel mentally and physically upto the task, they should be allowed drive,no matter what the age.

[T_Girl]

It is advisable and much safer to keep a limit. Obviously, with age the person's health, in both the aspects (physically and mentally), will get deteriorated. So, better safe rather than be sorry later!!

[Yeldo]

Originally Posted by sanjayatarizona

I am sure any person, especially the older folks would realise the limits of what their body can do and what the mind can take and understand the risks of driving in today's insane traffic.Their risk perception would be much better than that of the younger lot, who can be swayed by bravado.

If they feel mentally and physically upto the task, they should be allowed drive,no matter what the age.

I second you. And let us not give the lawmakers any ideas of having a "retirement age" for drivers!

But the medical certification procedure for renewal of driving licenses, especially the eyesight tests, should be made foolproof. Nowadays, most RTO consultants just pay a bribe to some doctors who issue certificates without even seeing the applicants!

[Raccoon]

I'm surprised that some members are proposing a blanket ban based on age! Why do they think its so simple? For eg. I have a relative in Bombay, who at about 80 - 85 drives with such deftness and at such speeds, it can put anyone 1/3 rd his age to shame! In fact I wish I had the guts to drive like that... AFAIK he has never had an acident and his cars are almost scratchless. I know some other, lesser examples too.

On the other hand, majority of older people on the roads are a huge nuisance. I'm sure everyone knows why, so wont elaborate. Point is who is to decide whats right? IMO, nothing can be more naive than saying a particular person is unfit to drive because he is x years old. It depends on the person.

[patil]

i say no but my grand father is about 80 years old and he drives himself to the court and clubhouse. he is a good driver but i have suggested him to stop driving as he is old. however he feels offended when i tell him to stop driving. till date not a single accident by him not even a minor one. so it depends as to how one drives and on the state of mind of the driver.