Enticing elderly to give up driving

Enticing elderly to give up driving

news.yahoo.com

TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo businesses are to start offering benefits to elderly people who give up their drivers' licences, backing a police effort to cut back on the ballooning number of traffic accidents caused by drivers over 65.

Among more than 30 special offers, one small bank will give higher interest rates, while Mitsukoshi department store chain plans to provide free delivery from its Tokyo stores and a hotel will offer a 10 percent discount on meals in a program starting next month, Tokyo police said on their Web site.

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I don't see this as a bad thing. It is not forcing anyone but it is potential steps towards fixing a problem. I wish my country had something similar on offer.

I know my grandma has had 3 'accidents' in the last 10ish years that i would easily say were due to her age and diminished reaction times and awareness.

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Here in Canada if you're over the age of 70 and have an accident you automatically have to retest at the Ministry of Transportation to retain your license. Even if you're not at fault you have to pass a medical and do a written and road test to keep driving.

After the age of 80 you have to attend an annual seminar and have a medical exam to keep your license.

Australia was the first country to introduce the graduated license system for new drivers with Canada following shortly after. This new system really cut down on teenage related traffic deaths and accidents because it gave them more time to develop the skills necessary to operate a vehicle.
Part of these changes included the new rules for the elderly. It was sort of a graduated licensing in reverse as you got older.

One thing that was happening with the elderly was that they lived and drove in major cities, but they couldn't pass a road test where they lived. What they would do is go to a very small town with one traffic light and a stop sign to take an easy test, but then go back to the city and drive.
The new rules don't let them off so easy and benefits everyone that uses the roads.

Japan is definitely doing the right thing.

No one likes to drive Miss Daisy unless there's a paycheck involved.

We should be taking care of the elderly so they won't have to drive.

Dude! Sign me up!

I'd love to have incentives to ride my bike everywhere.

I don't mind having my daughter or wife drive me places that are too far, or use superhighways.

(I say this partly tongue-in-cheek, because, though I don't like driving much, I do go out in the car a couple times a month for errands.)

Older people shouldn`t drive, but no one should prohibit them to do it, if they pass examination, they should be able to do it in a safe manner

Older people shouldn`t drive, but no one should prohibit them to do it, if they pass examination, they should be able to do it in a safe way.