My following statement does not apply to the OP’s question.
I object to the idea “seniors” are unique in their requirements. By any definition I am a “senior”, when used car prices went through the roof, what did I buy?
A new Mustang, as a “senior” I am very happy with it.
3 Likes
I also object to people who think it is their right, responsibility, duty, to decide what other people should do, and get all puffed up with pride doing it. We used to call that MYOB. But we’ve had this conversation before.
1 Like
AAA offers driver safety courses for seniors.
Guy’s it’s time to lighten up because the truth is that “Seniors” really are unique in their requirements.
For the first time in most of our lives we have an absolutely secure source of income (Social Security), no family responsibilities, no daily work responsibilities and no Boss to Kow Tow to. Frankly, it’s like being in college again except you have more than $2 in your pocket and a lust for Mary Lou. 
I actually enjoy being older, with most of my faculties intact and 3 sports cars (2 stick shifts) and 1 practical sedan.in the garage, but also realize that it’s not going to last forever.
When that point comes, hopefully with my mental faculties intact and after my college class, I look forward to telling my Uber driver, “Homeward James and be quick about it!” 
4 Likes
This is from the OP’s first paragraph. We’re not off base, they can take or leave our advice.
5 Likes
Statistics again. Yeah I had the class. Ya gotta remember though that the death rate for folks over 80 is higher than any other group period, driving or not. In most cases, old age causes death.
2 Likes
That’s the death rate per 100 million miles driven. I don’t see how the general death rate for 80 year olds has anything to do with it.
2 Likes
When someone asks for advice from others online, they’re apt to get it.
2 Likes
Yeah sure but the question was what kind of car to get not whether to Uber or not due to “advanced age”. We called that Ageism.
Whether you realize it or not, advanced age slows reaction time.
If that hurts your feelings, that’s a shame. Would you like some chocolate milk to make you feel better about it?
You be nice! Those facts and figures are ageist! 
1 Like
I call it going based on what OP has told us. They’d prefer dad not drive. Presumably, there’s a reason for that beyond “I want him trapped in the house where I can torture him,” especially considering that OP is looking into enabling dad to keep driving.
I don’t particularly care for people “deciding” what other people should do either, until we reach the point that what those other people want to do is a danger to others. I think it’s just fine to arrest drunk drivers, even though I’m sure the drunk really does want to drive. I have no problem with impinging on the drunk’s freedom to drive until he sobers up, even though that is, I fully admit, “deciding what other people should do.”
And note that OP is not telling dad what to do, but OP is thinking about buying dad a car despite not wanting dad to drive. Point being, even though we sometimes shouldn’t tell other people what to do, that doesn’t mean we have to enable their pursuit of activities we don’t want them to do.
If someone wants to shoot up heroin, as far as I’m concerned that’s their lookout and I’m not inclined to stop them. On the other hand, I’m not going to buy them the heroin either.
What you seem to be, probably unintentionally, asserting based on the topic you’re replying in is that if someone wants to do something dangerous, not only must we allow them to do it, but we must also provide them the equipment with which to do it lest we impinge on their freedom, which sounds an awful lot like socialism to me and I’m sure you wouldn’t like that.
4 Likes
I had to take the keys from my Dad and Mother-In-Law. But you just can’t take keys away and NOT provide an alternative. Everyone in the family had to step up and help out. My Dad didn’t like it at first…but after a month he was fine with it. He realized he couldn’t drive well anymore.
My Mother-In-Law didn’t mind either. At first she did, but she got use to it.
And neither of them missed one activity they normally did outside the house.
2 Likes
See that’s the issue. There is hardly anything that cannot be somehow construed to be a danger to someone else if you look hard enough.
I don’t drink milk though, chocolate or otherwise.
I guess you could make the argument that people in the age range of 16-21 shouldn’t be driving either. I have no idea what the statistics are, but I bet they aren’t good for that age group! 16-21 year old me did some stuff with cars that middle aged me would definitely consider a safety issue.
3 Likes
Well, y’know, that’s how society works. We get together and try to figure out what restrictions we need to put on people to keep other people from getting hurt. That’s why I’m not allowed to throw rocks through your window, or pour acid on your car, or shoot your wife.
Most of the things we’re restricted from doing, most people generally agree are good restrictions. Things like murder, and robbery, and driving drunk.
Some of the things we’re restricted from doing aren’t good restrictions, because the restrictions only prevent individuals from hurting themselves rather than others. We should, I think, be free to injure ourselves without legal consequence. That’s why I’m pro-drug legalization. If you want to snort cocaine, it’s not going to hurt me as long as you don’t drive afterward. So you should be allowed to do it.
Some of the things we’ve been restricted from doing in the past weren’t good restrictions, and they’ve been eliminated. Things like interracial marriage, or gay marriage, or driving cars with square headlights (which actually was illegal at one point).
Anyone who is opposed to all restrictions on behavior, even behavior which harms others, is by definition an anarchist, and they’re simply not going to be happy living in a civilized society that promotes law and order.
I think there may well be an argument to be made there. In the years since setting the ages people can drive, we have come to more fully understand that brain development is incomplete at 16. In other words, teenagers make idiotic decisions because in many cases they are not capable of making non-idiotic decisions.
I think there’s a very real discussion to be had as to whether or not people who are not capable of making good decisions should be allowed to drive multi-thousand pound death machines, regardless of the age of the person who is incapable of making good decisions.
That does not mean that I am advocating a ban on driving for teenagers, or on the elderly. It means I think we need to have a better system of testing and policing such that if you are a bad driver, you will have great difficulty getting a license regardless of age. The flip side of that is that if you are a good driver, you can get a license, also regardless of age.
I have no problem with a 110 year old driving as long as they can do so safely. I also think some people even younger than 16 are potentially capable of driving safely (provided they can reach the pedals 
)
And I think some people in their 40’s should never be allowed anywhere near a car.
2 Likes
Agree with you. Except for the coke. Pretty easy to make the argument someone geeked up on certain drugs tends to make poor decisions in general, thereby becoming a hazard to the rest of us. Trust me, I work at a scrapyard. I see irrational behavior daily from some of the clientele. However, I admit, that’s more likely meth than coke. Now if you’re saying it should be legal for “home use”…I might go along with that in theory. But if they weren’t out and about, on drugs or with drugs, they’d theoretically rarely get caught anyway. Unless they were slapping around their significant other for whatever reason their chemically altered brain told them to do so to illicit police arrival at their home.
From what I’ve seen, people make bad enough choices without mind altering chemicals. We’d (society as a whole) be better off without alcohol, to be honest. But the cat’s out of the bag on that one and I like beer! I’d be awful scared to open the bag more.
Let’s repeal the seatbelt laws though, if you’re over 18. Car seats for kids being mandatory, I agree with. But if a guy wants to risk banging his own fully grown head into a windshield, no skin off my back!
Keep looking on craigslist. You can find good deals there. Bring someone who knows cars with you. Not letting him drive is like slowly killing him. Getting old sucks.
1 Like
Yeah I’m pretty familiar with how society works. I’m also pretty familiar with the need for law and order which I think has been slipping a little. But you must study a little more about Eastern European history, or Chinese history, or Cambodian history, and even Cuban history to understand the danger of promoting fake “dangers to others”.
driving cars with square headlights (which actually was illegal at one point).
[/quote]
Also at one point four head lights was illegal
2 Likes