I wish there was a solution for the seniors problem. Perhaps an officer on the scene of an accident or infraction could indicate somewhere on the citation the need for testing. It isn’t a great solution, but I have no better ideas.
For drunk driving, my solution (often stated) is to impound the car of enyone failing a field sobriety test, the car to be return if acquitted and confiscated if convicted…whether the car belongs to the driver or not. Take a drunk driver’s car away and stop him/her from being able to borrow one and the impact should be tremendous. My suggestion, by the way, is NOT in lieu of fines and jail time, but IN ADDITION TO fines and jail time. The current system clearly isn’t working. Perhaps mine would. You can’t drive drunk if you don;t have and can’t get a car.
I got my license in Europe some 18 years ago. In today’s money the price tag would probably $3000 for all mandatory driver’s ed classes, all those hours with an instructor (25 hours minimum are mandatory, in a specially equipped car owned by the driving school) and the exams (written & driving). I failed the driving test once because during parallel parking I held up an oncoming driver (I should have waited for him to pass before lining up). This as an illustration how strict they are. I remember countless hours (well 25) with my driving instructor working the kinks out of my driving. Look over your shoulder when turning, signal ahead of time, shift down downhill, how to take off with a stick on an incline using the hand brake, going 100 mph on the Autobbahn, … Intense!
I did the same in California some 8 years ago and paid $30. The most challenging moment was when the tester asked my where the emergency brake on my vehicle was. Being a foreigner, I did not now that emergency was synonymous for parking Back then, I was shocked that every 16-year-old can for over $30 or whatever it is now, have no professional instruction that works “the kinks out of your driving”.
Back then I thought America is crazy. I saw people not signaling, not understanding the basics of driving. Then I went back to Europe. And guess what: People did the same thing. So why do they have to pay $3000 if the end result is the same? The American system clearly (and quite miraculously) works. And Europe is complaining about the “driving school lobby”.
Knowing both systems, I am asking myself if one could find some middle ground. I am still not entirely comfortable with how easy it is for anyone to get a license here. I’d feel a little safer if people were required to show knowledge of and proficiency in a little more than driving through town for 20 minutes. But overall I doubt that any of this administrative overhead will make much of a difference on the roads these days.
You want more Government intrusion into your life?? Exactly what problem are you trying to cure?? FIRST, you must PROVE there is a problem before you offer a solution…
First you must PROVE more frequent drivers tests would save lives…Just because you THINK it MIGHT save some lives is not enough…
People think Safety Inspections “save lives” but half the states don’t have them and insurance companies will tell you they make no measurable difference in highway safety…
An amazing number of people drive with no license at all…They don’t care about your stricter testing requirements…
Maryland has graduated licensing. Young drivers can’t drive anyone but fairly members and have to be home by dark if they are alone, unless they are returning from work. Later, they have a midnight curfew. Eventually they can drive any time like other adults.
I can assure you that 90% of those tickets were totally undeserved and if the stories behind those tickets were related you would see what I mean.
Have I had some tickets I deserved? You bet, but they were comparatively minor in nature.
Speeding 65 in a 55 (on a deserted stretch of Interstate in the metro no less), illegal front fender, etc.
Heck, a friend of mine and myself went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant one evening with some friends (no alcohol, iced tea) and shortly afterwards I was stopped and accused of being in possession of drugs and/or intoxicated. After 3 car searches, 3 friskings, and a half dozen times of demanding a blood or breath test I was cuffed and hauled off to jail, where I spent the entire night. At that point I didn’t even know what they threw me in jail for. I was simply told “you’re going to jail. We’ll figure out the charges later”.
This turned out to be several trumped up traffic charges and a “Concealed Weapons” charge.
The concealed weapon? The lug wrench in my trunk, about which they demanded to know "whose head are you going to break open with this?"
My response was that it was used to remove lug nuts believe it or not.
When I showed up for court some weeks later the DA was falling all over himself to keep me out of the courtroom and apologized for “any misunderstandings and inconvenience”. Really.
To add to that escapade, one of the 3 cops who carried me up in the booking elevator pulled a knife out of his pocket and asked if “the sheep dog wants a haircut”. I’m not stupid enough to say anything but I was thinking this guy wouldn’t be so tough out in the boondocks without a badge and gun.
They even put a K9 dog on me while awaiting the jailer. The dog sat about 3 feet away snarling the entire time and you can bet I was not even going to move.
This is probably one of the worst examples but you get the point.
Back then, I was shocked that every 16-year-old can for over $30 or whatever it is now, have no professional instruction that works “the kinks out of your driving”.