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Older drivers? The question is, how old is too old. Some might question 50 year old people with disabilities being able to drive safely, and some might argue that 18-25 year old people have no regard for the "rules of the road" and are a danger to themselves and others. Some might say deaf people should not drive, but they get licenses. Most family members know when their "elderly" family member is not capable of safely driving and most, not all, but most, put an end to them driving. Other older drivers know when they need to give up the ghost and do so voluntarily. Should it be regulated by some arbitrary age limit? Maybe. But, where do you start? 70-75-80-85? Where do you draw the line? Additional testing as people age? Is this just another money maker in the making? (i.e. charging to have the older driver tested every 2, 3 or 5 years)...problems and logistics and fairness need to be balanced - Massachusetts seems quite incapable of never doing that. More importantly, there are very young drivers that pay no attention to the rules of the road, drive in a negligent manner and some wonder how they ever got a license to begin with. Yes, I would say that there are many older drivers that are a risk to themselves and others, but I would say equally that there are many much younger drivers that are a risk to the rest of us. Hard line to travel, hard line to balance, and even harder to make a "carte blanche" determination. My own mother voluntarily decided she did not want to drive anymore when she was about 85 - primarily because it was "just too crazy", as she says...so, people need to take responsibility for their own actions - if you cannot drive safely, you should not - no matter what your age.

That's a very good point. If I'm 80, I'm sharp and I'm a good driver, I'm going to take offense to the state saying I need to come in for extra eye exams or tests. Age, as they say, is just a number.

In many ways, this is similar to the cell phone driver argument. Are there drivers on cell phones who are safe drivers who aren't distracted? I believe so. I think "bad" drivers frustrate all of us, regardless of age or reason. I sometimes wonder if we should all be required to take a road and written test every 10 years. The logistics of that, however, could be a nightmare.

Easy way to solve this issue. Make it mandatory after the age of fifty a eye exam every five years along with a dexterity test to check reflexes. Use a point system for both tests making it fair for all. You could also add in a "driving scale" based on number and type of incidents after 50 and when you reach critical point, game over. License is revoked, no questions asked, no chance for appeal. After all driving is a privelege, not a right.

I never did answer the question are older drivers a risk to themselves and others.
They can be. I know it is difficult to take someone's independence away from them but some should not be behind a wheel. Most people retain sharp minds until well into their eighties, nineties and beyond. The problem is two-fold. In reflex and awareness. As we age we tend to forget things, right? That tells me the brain, although still sharp does have areas where things are different. Such as. Me, I am mid fifty, albeit retain most brain function there are times I find myself not as quick as I used to be. Can that translate into a driving miscue? Very possibly as I age even more. It's an experience to blank out, let me tell ya. It's quite remarkable to find out that what used to be easy is now becoming just a tad bit harder at times. Age will do that to all of us, I am told. So, knowing this I can see how one could be perfectly fine one second, hit a blank spot next second and end up inside Wal-Mart. Aside form that, our reflexes certainly slow over time. Mine haven't yet, but I am certain that when arthritis and other ailments hit us aged folk it does slow you down when moving arms or legs. No one wants to admit it to themselves but we will all hit that proverbial wall and have to become a passenger in life instead of the driver. It's nature's way of dealing with us, I reckon.