Yes it's a pain in the arse but; I believe annual medical testing does assist in preventing road trauma - I know it assists in funding my doctor's pension fund.
I am also aware that there are many that utilise "friendly" doctors to pass medical exams when in fact they shouldn't be on the road. I am similarly baffled how they can use private driving instructors that for a fee will pass a monkey in a driving test.
Don't get me started on how some people get a mobility impaired parking permit - I see them all the time at local sports club, they can play golf/tennis/cycle but utilising mobility impaired parking spaces.
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I guess that I could be in the category of being an "elderly" driver at the tender age of 86. I have held a driving licence since 1955 and driven just about anything on wheels. To get to your views Brodie, I would like to think that I will know when it is time to cease driving, and take the necessary steps without the need for medical intervention.
I can understand why some drivers cannot accept the fact that they are a danger on the road, to lose ones ability to get around is a decision that's hard to take for some.
Both my Parents stopped driving of their own accord, Grandparents as well. All stopped driving at night a few years earlier.
All the older people we know have stopped driving because they feel it's all to difficult.
Even then they were all, for the last few years only driving to the shops & doctor etc, very local driving & at the quiet time of day, 10am to 2pm.
A friend lives in an area of Sydney with no public transport, she is looking at selling & moving to an area with public transport, due to her licence issues at 80 years.
Effectively she will have to pay tens of thousands of dollars in stamp duty to avoid driving!
Other half has stopped driving a few years ago even though she still has a licence. Actually she can drive a motorcycle as it was transferred from German licence, she never has! She won't even ride her push bike any more.
But she still will walk across roads within 20 metres of traffic lights. Let alone >20m.
P.S. Speaking of trying to get across the road. A few decades ago driving in Collaroy, Sydney, the car in front of me fairly suddenly stopped, also the cars in the other two lanes.
The driver got out of his car, ran around the front, he dropped down to the ground.
He raised up appearing with a baby in his arms looking around for the parent.
Turned out the baby crawled out of the house & was making its way across 6 lanes to the "beach!"
P.P.S. One of our neighbours who we knew very well & since 1989 when we bought into our block of Units, she lived in the block of Units next door & also owned a Unit in our block.
For years she had been using a mobility scooter. She rolled it a few times, in her 90ies. Her Toy Poodle was running for its life in tow at the stretched end of the leash (We helped out with a bit of personal care for her).
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I object to the obligation that the Doctors have to report health issues to the Health Dept. There's quite a long list and they are adding to it all the time. So much for privacy between Dr and patient.
-- Edited by msg on Wednesday 6th of March 2024 02:22:38 PM
It's such an irrelevant content test that has so little meaning for
motor driving. Maths, number memory, and the like - goodness
knows how a poor education or 10 years sitting on one's hands
and going slow has relevance.
The link to a human benchmark on the first post has a few tests that
I believe are to be soon incorporated into a new testing programme
that Gov is working on at this moment.
What brings this matter to my attention is news that one of my
friends has had his licence cancelled by some medical person
that has no idea of the mechanics and skills of driving but is
a goo MD. Just an opinion has caused untold grief for my friend.
He's always been extremely slow in mannerisms and I have to
say, barely educated at all. His marbles have always rolled slowly.
Bloody sucks.
My test comes up soon - I will be taking the opportunity to watch
carefully and god help the doc if there's any trouble.
The other problem this causes is that elderly drivers will avoid going to their doctors for fear of some over zealous pill pusher will take it upon themselves to have them retested, without the doctor ever getting in a car with them.
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