The "65 and Still Driving" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Checking out the story in the newspaper about how many people 65 and older are on the road.  Record high right now and it will only be more in the future.  So what's wrong with that I ask myself.  I'm in that age group and I feel that I'm as good a driver as anyone.  Not sure what everyone else thinks of my driving, but then again, I don't care.  One of my friends tells me I drive like a maniac, but he's used to sight-seeing as he drives.  Story I was reading said that some people over 65 find it harder to maneuver their car, check the car's blind spots, and anticipate other traffic.  When I drive I use all my mirrors all the time.  I try to make sure I know where every car is that is close to me, whether it is in front, along the side or behind me.  I like to look for colors as I drive.  If a red car was in back of me and I would like to pass someone and can't see red behind me, it either turned off or is passing me.  Awareness of your surroundings really helps when you drive.  Thirty states have some sort of older-age requirement for drivers over the age of 65.  To me I feel that may be discriminatory.  It's not age that kills, it's health conditions.  Someone 30 years old with an heart problem is more apt to have an accident than someone like me who only has back problems, shingles, migraine headaches, osteoarthritis, and wears glasses to drive.  Yeah, I know it sounds like I have a lot of problems, but the heart problem will cause an accident sooner than the arthritis.  I have cut back on my night-time driving as have about 60% of people over the age of 65, but that is because I go to bed earlier and am not on the road past 7:00 PM.  Now, when I hit 85 I will reconsider, since those over 85 have the highest rate of deadly crashes per mile.  Even more than teens.  Right now there are 34 million drivers over 65 on the road and by 2030 there will be 57 million.  That's unless the teens kill off all the older drivers by then.  In Washington DC, starting at age 70, drivers must bring a doctor's certificate stating that they are still OK to drive.  How many drivers over the age of 70 have doctors who may be older than them?  Maybe the doctor's reflexes and vision are waning and they really can't be a good judge of another person who wants to drive.  In Pennsylvania, 1,900 drivers over the age of 45 are chosen each month for retesting.  Each selected driver is required to undergo vision and physical examinations.  If warranted, those selected may also be required to successfully complete a driver's examination and a driver's knowledge test.  I must admit that when my father died, when both he and my mom were in the same nursing home, I sold their car.  No way was mom going to be able to ever drive again.  At least I realized that and didn't want anyone hurt because of her careless driving.  It would be nice if people would realize when they can't safely drive a vehicle.  That's never going to happen, so I guess we have to hope we are not the unfortunate ones who are hurt or killed by a driver like that.  What else can you do but drive defensively!  As for me, well, I hope I know when to quit.  Maybe my wife or one of my kids will be thoughtful or harsh enough to suggest it to me and I will be smart enough to listen.  Hear that LDub!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.