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I realize this will cause hardships for the elderly who don't have family support systems and because of the woefully inadequate public transportation system in the State, but I really do think this is a good idea.
Some (not all) people over about 70 have no business being on the road, because as we get older, our reflexes do slow down. And some older people know they should stop driving, but their independent streak makes them want to continue to be on the road, endangering themselves and others.
There have been enough incidents in recent years of elderly people mistaking the gas pedal for the brake pedal (one incident in Santa Monica, CA last year resulted in many pedestrians being killed and injured by an elderly man) that having a road test to prove your reflexes are still good enough to allow you to be on the road is a good idea.
It really doesn't smack of age discrimination if everyone over a certain age (say 70) has to be tested every other year. People over 70 probably shouldn't be driving at night, at the very least.
Miulang
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar.../ln/ln19p.html
Some (not all) people over about 70 have no business being on the road, because as we get older, our reflexes do slow down. And some older people know they should stop driving, but their independent streak makes them want to continue to be on the road, endangering themselves and others.
There have been enough incidents in recent years of elderly people mistaking the gas pedal for the brake pedal (one incident in Santa Monica, CA last year resulted in many pedestrians being killed and injured by an elderly man) that having a road test to prove your reflexes are still good enough to allow you to be on the road is a good idea.
It really doesn't smack of age discrimination if everyone over a certain age (say 70) has to be tested every other year. People over 70 probably shouldn't be driving at night, at the very least.
Miulang
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar.../ln/ln19p.html