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goufgators's avatar
goufgators
Explorer
May 08, 2016

Just wondering....

I'm 75 years 'young' and beginning to wonder if that's not too old to be driving a MH. While in relatively good health, I can't help but wonder if my reaction timing in an emergency situation (possibly need for quick braking or turning) is not somewhat diminished . Would like to hear back from you if you are older than 75 and still driving and/or are about 75 and have decided that it is no longer safe for you to continue driving. Thanks/ Larry
  • As we get older, those of us who will be survivors will adjust their driving styles, lifestyles as a whole really, to our diminished physical skills. We become less aggressive, mostly.

    I quit riding a motorcycle 10 years ago, though my cousin eight months oldet, still rides. I quit based on my evaluation of my skills, situational awareness and reactions vs the absurd behavior of cell phone addicted cage drivers around me. A friend, homocide detective, quit riding here 20 years ago when cell phones became common, based on his experience investigating "accidental" deaths in traffic. The death rate, in my age group, for motorcyclists quite high, particularly for those who started as novice riders in their old age. But what does that have to do with RV driving skills? It is an analogy about the age vs skill issue.

    Another one. At my 40th high school class reunion, I got reacquainted with a classmate who had been an OTR driver for 35 years, atl least 5,000,000 miles accident free. OK, he didn't keep driving for another ten years, and has by now retired before his 75th year, but he kept going that long adjusting his driving to hus changing skills and the changing environment on the road.

    While that's not directly relevant, it deals with the principle of the problem. The environment changes, our skills change with age. Numbers on ages don't mean much, some folks are more capabile at 80 or 90 than others ever were in their youth. Because you are asking the question, maybe you are thinking you have reached your limit. It is a good thing to be thinking about, but 75 is not a magic number, there are 90 year old drivers still more capable than most 50 year old drivers distracted by their mental reviews of the workday.

    I think you just have to figure it out for yourself. At 72 I'm still comfortable with my motorhome, more happy doing my road trips in a full-size van, have given up on the motorcycle for now (but if the cancer treatment doesn't work might rethink that one) and am starting to become wary of distracted motorists when getting around on my bicycle. It is up to you to assess your own skills vs the risks you perceive. Chronological numbers don't work for this.