Re: Police in Saanich criticized for not ticketing speeding 100-year-old (News, March 23)
Driving ability should be based on a person’s driving record – infractions and crashes.
Most seniors should be aware of their limitations and strive to mitigate potential problems. Seniors’ doctors should be more involved in assessing their patients’ cognitive skills and also adverse effects from their medications. Perhaps a professional psychometrician should do the cognitive tests rather than a clerk without professional credentials.
People whose driving records signal attention deficit disorders or other problems that indicate undue risk to the public when they drive should also be required to be tested on and pay for DriveABLE and psychological tests.
Lack of attention to the demands of driving is a risk among people of all ages. For example, seniors are less likely to be talking on cellphones compared to other younger groups. Past behaviour is a predictor of future behaviour so ICBC could target high risk groups rather than discriminate according to age.
The media could do a statistical story on groups of people (demographically) who are responsible for a large number of driving infractions, crashes, injuries, deaths, etc. and are still driving so we can be apprised of the unfairness in our present system.
John Philion
Saanichton