I know this is probably a touchy subject and I’m sure some will tell me to kick rocks but I think it should be a law that once you hit 60 years old, every 5 years people need to retake their drivers test. Too many older people are causing accidents because they don’t want to stop driving or think they drive fine and I’m sure majority do but there’s a lot that should have to retake their test. I was hit by a 65 year old man going 70 in a 45 and if there wasn’t a buffer car I would’ve been killed. Not saying any person of any age can cause an accident, it can happen to anyone hence the name “car accident” but in the situations I’ve seen it’s majority over people who are causing them.
Absolutely not. First of all, 60 is NOT old. Second, you’re connecting earth age with declining health which also couldn’t be farther from the truth. People “decay” when they stop taking care of themselves which happens at all ages. My husband and I both could literally run circles around and out lift people 25 years younger than he is because it’s not about “age” it’s about the condition of your body based on how you care for it. Not to mention a drivers license is actually unconstitutional anyway from my understanding. “The forgotten legal maxim is that free people have a right to travel on the roads which are provided by their servants for that purpose, using ordinary transportation of the day. Licensing cannot be required of free people, because taking on the restrictions of a license requires the surrender of a right. The driver’s license can be required of people who use the highways for trade, commerce, or hire; that is, if they earn their living on the road, and if they use extraordinary machines on the roads. If you are not using the highways for profit, you cannot be required to have a driver’s license.” I have a better idea, how about we teach people how to eat nutritiously. Get everyone off of ALL prescription drugs which severely impair your cognitive function as well as harm your physical body. Most of the reasons the elderly are in such horrible shape is because they are “listening to their idiot doctors” look at the side effects of the legal drugs, each one would/could impact someone’s ability to drive. Also, vision is a huge deal, most people don’t even know that they should be doing eye exercises each day and that THEY CAN FIX their vision and lesson their prescription. Eyes play a major role in driving. Why not teach people how to exercise… in my eyes if you can’t do at least 3 strict , perfect form-full extension, unbanded pull-ups in a row you shouldn’t be able to drive (which would be awesome for eliminating traffic) reason being that in the unfortunate instance of an accident, you wouldn’t be strong enough to free yourself/pull yourself to safety or help others… I know you think that sounds silly and it does… just as forcing a 60 yr. old to take a driving test every 5 years. In truth, the drivers test should be HARDER in the first place (if we’re staying with this system, we may not be…who knows) Why not require people to be able to change their own tire? That’s a road necessity. What about how to check your oil? Add oil? What about backing up and parallel parking a truck with a RV or trailer behind it? What about a test for driving in the snow seeing as most people can’t…or the rain? Personally, I had to pass my dad’s test in addition to the state test and my dad’s test was much harder. Most people have absolutely no business driving in the first place when you really get down to it, they’re incompetent beyond measure. I think we need to educate people not penalize them. I’m certainly not going to participate in ANY age based discrimination seeing as I am healthier, fitter and younger looking than most 35 yr. olds. I’m so sorry to hear that you were in an accident, sending you so much healing alchemy, however thinking back to the person who hit you… how was their physical health? Were they 80 but looked 50? probably not. I do see where you were going and I believe you had the best of intentions but you weren’t looking at the bigger picture and in truth we have to ask WHY people as young as 60 are in failing health and compromised then help them…not penalize those that are caring for their earth suit properly. I would get behind you if you suggested banning smoking while driving… I’m not sure how people think that holding a stick of fire while operating a gigantic potential weapon (if misused) makes any sense and yet people have been doing it for decades. Not to mention the second hand poison smoke that infiltrates every vehicle around, poisoning us all against our will AND the physical health implications smokers face which could impact their driving. Best of luck, Blessings!
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You say that as if old people are the only ones who ever drive over the speed limit.
I disagree! If your goal is safety then raise the age of obtaining a drivers license to 21. The teen drivers have far more accidents than those 60 and over. Also the over 60 frequently are on fixed incomes and your proposal would burden them unduly.
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The statistics don’t support going after 60+ year olds. If you want to improve safety lets focus on the 16-19 yearolds and the 20-34 year olds. Their safe driving records are much worse than seniors. Perhaps we should not let anyone drive until they are 35 yrs of age. Perhaps you live in an area where there are more seniors. What you propose may sound like a good idea but it just isn’t bourne out by the facts!
Teens (16–19)
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Crash Rate: Highest of any group. Per mile driven, 16–19-year-olds have a fatal crash rate 3–4 times higher than drivers 20+ (NHTSA, 2021). AAA’s 2014–2015 data pegs 16–17-year-olds at the peak—15 fatal crashes per 100 million miles driven.
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Fatalities: In 2022, 2,883 teens (13–19) died in crashes—drivers and passengers (IIHS). NHTSA says 2,116 drivers 15–20 died in 2021, with 203,256 injured. Teens are ~5% of licensed drivers but ~8.5% of fatal crash drivers.
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Why: Inexperience, distraction (39% of high schoolers text/email while driving—CDC, 2019), speeding (32% of 15–20 fatal crashes—NHTSA, 2016). Risk drops with age—16-year-olds crash 1.5x more than 18–19-year-olds.
Young Adults (20–34)
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Crash Rate: Still high but lower than teens. 20–24-year-olds: ~3.3 fatal crashes per 100 million miles; 25–29: ~2.3 (IIHS, 2021). NHTSA 2021: 25–34 group was ~22.6% of crash-involved drivers (17.5% of licensed).
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Fatalities: NSC 2022 data shows 25–34-year-olds lead in fatal crash deaths (~9,000–10,000 annually), but per mile, they’re safer than teens. Higher raw numbers reflect more driving.
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Why: Mix of inexperience and risk-taking (e.g., DUI—higher here than teens, per NHTSA). Safest in this bracket: late 20s.
Middle Age (35–64)
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Crash Rate: Sweet spot. 30–59-year-olds: ~1.4 fatal crashes per 100 million miles (AAA, 2014–2015). 60–69: ~1.3—lowest of any group (IIHS, 2021). NSC 2022: 35–54 crash death rate ~5.9 per 100,000 licensed—middle ground.
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Fatalities: 2022 NHTSA: ~12,000 drivers 35–54 died, ~5,000 for 55–64. Per mile, lowest risk—experience peaks, distractions drop.
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Why: Maturity, better reaction times, less recklessness. 60–69 often dubbed “safest” (AAA)—crash involvement and deaths per mile bottom out.
Older Adults (65+)
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Crash Rate: Rises with age. 70–79: ~1.8 fatal crashes per 100 million miles (IIHS, 2021); 80+: ~5.4—highest driver death rate (NHTSA, 2021). NSC 2022: 75+ collision death rate ~11.3 per 100,000 licensed.
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Fatalities: 2022: ~9,100 older adults (65+) killed, 270,000+ injured (CDC). Drivers 80+ have 6x the death rate of 30–49-year-olds per crash (X posts echo this).
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Why: Fewer crashes overall (less driving—13.4% of licensed, 7.1% of crashes—NSC), but fragility ups fatality odds. Reaction time and vision fade—85+ hit hardest.
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Although I agree that we should be ensuring safety with certain age groups of drivers, I think you are dealing with only half of the problem and you are starting the age bracket too early.
From everything I know about driver failure incidents, they are highest in the -20 and the 80+ demographics. So, perhaps we do not need required test retakes for 20-80 age group. 60 is way too early, and includes some of the safest drivers out there. My two cents.