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The death of a pedestrian after being struck by a 93-year-old driver with dementia has raised questions about licensing in Florida. Frank Penela, spokesman for Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, said after age 79, state-licensed motorists only need to pass a vision test for renewal. The length of the license renewal hinges on whether the motorist has traffic convictions. What are your thoughts on the issue?
It’s not the old drivers that worry me. It’s the young whippersnappers that have to race to the red light, or race behind you at high speed & then almost hit your bumper before they swing into the other lane to pass. The police need to give more tickets for reckless driving. The nascar wannabee’s are the ones who ultimately cause the most injuries. Crack down on the reckless drivers, please.
Did i mention i had a truck driving diploma and a dot license and yet i still am kept from getting a license due to the dmv’s incompetence and greed?
Don’t tell me the dmv is’nt full of them selves i know it all too well they have screwed me more times then i care to count here in FLorida with excessive fines and penalties resulting from tickets that cannot be taken care of without decent representation in court
ITS ALL ABOUT MONEY MONEY MONEY with these jokers!
Nothing but a cash cow !I want to leave this state they won’t let me because they want to hold my life hostage until they get their money, oh the State got theirs now its their turn !,Thats why you see all these people getting jailed for driving on suspended licenses ! because of prior convictions that the dmv will not take off or wants more money from,And yet my mother who is 72 can barely drive after a febuary accident,Does not want to drive,(and barely can for that matter!)you tell me whats wrong with the dmv?!?
i would love to see a civil suit against the dmv!
i have a two tickets they have refused to take off my license and keep under suspension and they ARE PAID TICKETS !so hence i cannot even get a license elsewhere,Oh and of course i had a d.u.i three years ago and they still want me to pay a couple more thousand for that !Nothing but a cash cow !I want to leave this state they won’t let me because they want to hold my life hostage until they get their money, oh the State got theirs now its their turn !,Thats why you see all these people getting jailed for driving on suspended licenses !And yet my mother who is 72 can barely drive after a febuary accident,Does not want to drive,(and barely can for that matter!)you tell me whats wrong with that picture?
I now live in Florida having moved here from the UK. In the UK the driving test is three quarters of an hour long and is conducted on REAL roads with REAL traffic, hard luck if you get an early test or late afternoon one, you take it during the rush hour traffic. I was absolutely amazed to find the Florida test is just round the car park for ten minutes with no other vehicles around. Also the rules for elderly drivers are more strict in the UK. I am also amazed at how many bad drivers there are in the USA, make the test harder.
I was in an accident on Thanksgiving day 2005. A 75 year old man crossed the center line and him us head on. I was the driver of our vehicle and I had two children in the vehicle with me. The man was alone. We still dont know why he crossed the center line but I was told stroke and hearattack was ruled out.
CONTINUED: I am only 28 years old, a single mother and I dont receive child support. I was two weeks away from getting hired on with the city when this happened to me. I had been trying for years to get on with the city. It was a great job with great benefits for me and my child. I would no longer have to struggle financially either. That was ripped right out from under me. Not to mention the injuries me and the children suffered.
The children each had bruising that lasted for five weeks after the accident from their seatbelts.
CONTINUED: They also had abdominal bleeding and a cracked pelvis. As for myself, I am not going to walk for a year or more. It is still unknown how well I will recover. I had an external fixator drilled into my leg for three weeks and one surgery was performed on the outside of my ankle. (my ankle had exploded into many pieces) They inserted a metal plate about four inches long and five screws. The second surgery was about a month later and required a metal plate about eight inches long and eight screws. Three of them stick out and cause problems with being uncomfortable.
Along with all of that, I have suffered a seizure, anxiety attacks, an infection, and they took me off the pain meds too early so I have suffered a lot of pain.
CONTINUED: I cant drive because it was my right ankle that was injured and I have to rely on city transportation which is not the best to deal with.
On top of all of that, I have no income, the bone in my leg is not growing and may require another surgery where bone will have to be removed from my hip and placed into my leg. And my medical bills exceed the amount of $85,000.00. I use to do some small time local modeling and had to turn down a job offered to me for spring break as a spokes model @ $25.00 an hour because I cant walk for one and for two, my leg is so scared, I will never be able to model again.
CONTINUED: These are just a fraction of things that I have had to deal with and go through due to this accident.
The man had insurance but not enough to cover all the expenses, lost wages and so on. The Dr. has told me that I will have problems the rest of my life with my leg that will lead to arthritis and that I wont be able to remove the plates ever because the bone in never going to completely heal.
It has only been 4 1/2 months since this accident. In that time period, I have been in almost 9 other accidents due to some one swerving suddenly ( with nothing to swerve from ), crossing the center line, stopping suddenly or riding the break, pulling out in front of us and so on. All these people being over the age of 60.
CONTINUED: We have witnessed several other accidents and almost near accidents to. All from elderly people. My sister came out of the post office a month ago and an elderly man was sitting in her car. When she came out, he said he was sorry then walked ACCROSS THE STREET, to the car he belong to.
I have emailed the senator and have not gotten a response. I am only one littl person. What can I do?
So, here is my point, me and those two children could have died that day, the accident was horrible. Our lives are changed forever in a dramatic way. I feel like the world is saying “oh well, accidents happenâ€.
CONTINUED:
The thing is, it is illegal to drive under the influence because you could hurt or kill someone, it is illegal to drive before you are 14 or 15 without a permit AND an adult in the vehicle because you are too young to make appropriate choices while driving and you could hurt or kill someone. Why is it not illegal to drive when you are past a certain age and your reflexes are not what they use to be or your health. That could cause and HAS caused people to be hurt or killed.
Eye exams are not the only test these people need to pass, a reflex test should be done and a document from their Dr. stating that they are medically fit to be behind the wheel.
CONTINUED: I am sorry, that is the bottom line! I am going to be that age one day and it might be a hassle, but I would rather not have to live with the fact that I hurt someone or even worse, killed them because I was too stubborn or proud to give up the keys and my independance. Is that more important than another life?
I really want something done about this and I am quite sure that there are many more that do too. This is a retirement state that is full of elderly people. A lot of them dont need to be behind the wheel.
If you cant help, please tell me someone I can contact that will.
Because of elderly drivers I personally am in debt by almost $200,000. On June 28th of 2005 a 74 year old man had a seizure, slammed on the gas, and hit my CUSTOM car doing appox 60mph by running off the road into my car. On Nov 24, my Truck was hit head on by a 73 year old man severely injuring my girlfriend and our two daughters. He didn’t see the big silver truck in front of his Hundai. Being the only one that can work, I am in debt in vehicle bills, med bills, etc. It adds up since my girlfriend will not walk for at least another year. I was 5 classes shy of my degree now I have had to quit school and work a second full time job, take care of my girlfriend, and our kids. Anything for this cause.
People should be able to demonstrate competency in driving regardless of age.
Hey you finally figured it out! I said 6 years ago when I arrived “Wow,I can’t believe all of the elderly drivers here don’t have yearly testing”. Congratulations! after all these years and numerous accident’s and deaths you finally figured it out!!! It’s just to bad it took a body through a windshield driving down the road to figure it out. Keep up the good work! 
When my mother was in her 70’s I knew that she would be lost without a driver’s license but I did manage to take the keys away so she couldn’t drive. She still had a driver’s license until it expired. The older one gets the slower reaction time is. I am over 60 and I firmly believe that if a state has driver’s licenses based upon age, they should be limited in time, certainly not 5-9 years, but after the age of 50 every year. Health changes quickly and I realize that many people would disagree with me on a yearly test, but I think it would be safer for all.
From people who can’t handle a tricycle barreling around in SUVs, to careless kids, to the elderly beginning to suffer from dementia, the roadways are deathzones. From age 65 a mental evaluation every 2 years (till age 72 then every year) should be implemented to hold a license. Plus potential SUV or large truck owner should be required to take a course on how to properly handle these vehicles. We need to stop a growing problem with these kinds of drivers. People should start taking some responsibility for themselves but who am I kidding to think that people now a days will actually step up to the plate and take responsibility for thier actions? So by all means let the law step in and start mandatory mental evaluations starting at age 65.
Most elderly people are under the care of some type of physician. When there are no close family members to monitor them, I feel that their doctors are the only observers of dangerous behavior, and they (the doctors) should be responsible for reporting this to the DMV if the public is endangered.
The issue of extended testing for elderly drivers will have to be addressed. Perhaps future renewal testing should include a certification from the driver’s physician verifying the driver’s physical and mental limitations. Also, the renewal frequency should be shortened after age 65. A person’s physical and mental condition can change significantly in 7 years.
How has this discussion gone on for so long without anyone placing blame where it belongs on this issue. George Bush. We all know that George Bush due to the Republican voters that he needed to win Florida did not allow his brother Jeb to take away the driving ability of the elderly, and maybe threaten their ability to get to the polls.
"Age”, in and of itself is not the issue. Many elderly drivers (though slow) do just fine. Healthcare providers are required to report suspected cases of child abuse to the state, why not require them to report mentally incompetent clients to the DMV who could then require testing.
We are missing the problem on this incident. This individual certainly shouldn’t have been behind the wheel, but revoking his drivers license wouldn’t have stopped the tragedy unless we had a way to insert the drivers license into the ignition to make it start. I think refresher drivers tests, in person, should be given at all license renewals for ALL ages. A 40-year-old aggressive SUV driver talking on a cell phone is every bit as dangerous as a 93-year-old. Skills, not age, should be the determining factor. The larger question is how do we encourage ALL our fellow drivers to respect their driving privelege and not run over people. My guess is that more traffic deaths are caused by 40-year-olds than 93-year-olds.
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Posted by Jose Jimenez, Tampa on 10/18 at 02:15 PM
Remember, driving is the most dangerous thing you do every day. Not putting on your mascara, not sitting at your boring job, and not watching “Deal or No deal"… piloting your one ton machine. Everyone stop and take a long look at how you drive and be honest with yourself. Do you speed, run that red on the way to work, swerve in and out of traffic, or tailgate? All of these things can easily kill someone, and it’s not something that just “happens to other people”. You know who you are, stop and think… then make a change.