How old is too old to drive?

BABY BOOMERS ARE GETTING OLDER, INSURANCE COMPANIES KNOW THAT. tHIS IS THE BIG PUSH TO INCREASE INSURANCE RATES ON US

Sorry, this is not a how old question but a how healthy question. I agree that there are seniors out there driving when they should not be allowed on the road, but the answer is to beef up the legislation that says a doctor must report any health related concerns to motor vehicles......regardless of age! Also the Driving under the influence, distracted driving, Speeding and so on need to be enforced. Finally, lets have some reasonable speed limits Canada wide...90Kl. just doesn't cut it when you're driving 4000 Kl across country.....

I'll admit, old people on the road scare me, not necessarily a number, just how they look driving when you finally managed to get around them as they drive 20 under the speed limit with their noses against the windshield. Though I've seen people approaching 80 who drove just fine, you can't really paint an entire generation with 1 brush. Just remember, everyone ages, some worse than others, if you find yourself someday driving the way that currently instills fear in you when others do it, hang up your keys. It will make the roads a safer place.

It's fine to say "take away their driver's license" but depending on where the person lives has a great bearing on whether or not they can still drive even with a mild impairment. Driving in city traffic can tax anyone, but a small town can be a safer place if the person realizes their limitations.

My late mother-in-law used the car to go to the grocery store and to get her hair done once a week. She didn't drive out of town or into cities. She took a psychological test at one point when she was being evaluated for driving capability. She was shown a line drawing of an octagon and asked what it was. She replied 'an octagon'. Wrong - the correct answer was 'a stop sign' . . . I would've failed that one too. They hadn't said it was a sign, just asked what the shape was.

When my Dad hit age 80 I thought, 'great it'll get him off the road' as he was a terrible driver and always had been. He'd received his driver's license way back when and had never taken any of the testing for rules of the road etc. Well, he got the brochures, studied up and passed the road test and the written test. . . . and continued to drive for another eight years until giving it up voluntarily.

Something else to consider is that those living in rural areas need the vehicle as a lifeline in many cases while city dwellers have the options of taxis and public transit to get around.

Perhaps there should be gradations of licenses for the mature driver, as there are for the beginning driver, some not allowed to be on multi-lane highways, for example.

Realistic has obviously been moving in the wrong circles if he feels that generally people over the age of 50 are dangerous!

I can see where this is going. Get ready for a hefty rate increase, effective at 12:01 on your 65th Birthday.

The insurance industry has been pushing this since it discovered their exhorbitant young driver rates are keeping new drivers out of the driver's seat. That and city dwellers are using transit more often. To maintain their income, insurance companies are going after the emerging consumer bracket, the 60 plus.

get ready for the the new wave of senior shuttles this is a good model for a new enterprise

Wait aminute!! Didn't I just recently read a study about how we're all lving longer and so we should work longer before we can retire??? Something about Harpo boosting retirement age to 67?? And how are we supposed to do that if we can't get our A--es to our place of work? And anyway which one is it? Are we able to work longer because we are in better shape or are we senile and can't be trusted?? Either the pension thing is a scam so the government doesn't have to pay us or the driving thing is an attempt by insurance companies and government to fleece us , or maybe both.

While there are some seniors that should not be driving, there are many, many more teens
and people in their early twenties who also should not be on the roads. Perhaps these
people also need to be looked at.

Article needs to be better researched. It says:

"In Ontario and B.C., an 80-year-old driver must submit to a medical fitness exam."

The truth is ... in Ontario, drivers must take (and pass) a written driving test every two years after they turn 79, in order to retain their licence.

The media loves to pounce on things. Sure, there are people with problems. Competent doctors SHOULD recognize those. Old people aren't old fogies! Women are the victims of sexism, ethnics of racism, and seniors now of ageism. To slightly distort Charlton Heston "You can take my driver's licence from my cold, dead hands!" Quit the pitbull attack on us just because some of us have challenges!

I think the age limit of 70 is a good idea or at least requireing medical and optic pass before allowing renewal and maybe a refresher course of the signs and changed rules of the road seem fair. Just as I think learners permits (G1s) should be raised to 18 with required intruction. I have had enough close call with dumb kids and scary elderly drivers that I now almost refuse to drive during busy road hours :(

I have an 85 year old mother in law who has never had a traffic accident nor a ticket. I have a 25 year old son who's had three accidents in the last year. Guess who's going to driving school so they can get their licence back?

why dont we eliminate a person at the age of 70...no more danger to the young folks on the roads... ( the only drink, do drugs and drive ) no more pension to pay and the hospital beds are not taken up.The can then be used for the people that overdose. I ask you readers is 70 years to old ? perhaps 67 is better ? let me know

There are some very poor drivers including older people. I am far more concerned about the immigrant people who have drivers licences and cannot read a word of english. The most scary and agressive drivers on the roads are not the 19 to 25 males, but 19 to 25 females. They are extremely aggressive, take huge chances, drive at excessive speeds, dont yield for pedestrians, etc. The young males have always had a bum rap but the young females have taken over that role. They are always texting or talking on their cel phones (even though there are laws banning the practice and huge fines for doing so.) As far as the seniro drivers, some may have medical conditions and should not be driving, but the family doctors should be advising the appropriate authorites. Is this another ploy by insurance companies to implement hefty insurance rate increases for older drives?

I did a study and report over five years ago on this. Yes kids are bad, but seniors have and cause more accidents. They are the number one on the list. Not only for what is mentioned in this article, but many drive under the influence of their medication, even after their doctor told them not to. With seniors, it's not age that they should be judged on. You could have an 80 year old that is more obvious than anything that they can't drive, but you can also have an 80 year old that is still in great condition. In B.C., the insurance company just care for the money, not human life. A problem that can very easily be fixed, but money comes first.

How about implementing mandatory re-testing for every driver, young or old, every few years? It would force people to correct (or at least think about) their unsafe driving habits, and identify the people who become unfit to drive.

It is funny how an article about older drivers turns into older people blaming younger drivers in the comments! Too funny. Younger drivers like them or not go through a graduated licence program in most provinces and can lose their licence at the drop of a hat, and they also pay much higher insurance premiums to drive in the first place.Like it or not the biggest problem drivers are the youngest AND the oldest. Yet the oldest do not lose their licences at the drop of a hat, and pay really low insurance premiums. It doesnt seem right that there is vastly different rules and policies for the worst two driving demographics, if is just about accidents per mile driven, they should have the same rules. Why is it an such affront to seniors at say, 70 years old to show up once a year to the drivers licensing place and do a simple vision and cognative test, just like the written test and eye exam that 16 year olds do?

No doubt the insurance companies are already salivating at the prospect of using this as an excuse to raise insurance rates for seniors, just in time for all the boomers to turn into seniors.
The only factor insurance companies should be allowed to consider is your personal driving record. Of course in Ontario, which is the insurance companies shangri-la, they'll be jacking those rates quicker than gas goes up.
My experience with seniors driving is that most of them do just fine. The most dangerous drivers on the road seem to be just about everyone during the afternoon rush when they're all frustrated from work and anxious to get home.

Alberta is the only province that doesn't require doctors to inform the government when a driver is no longer capable of physically driving, regardless of the condition, i.e. eyesight, physical limitation or mental capability.