Too Old?

John&Joey wrote:
Reaction time is simply the time an event first occurs to when the reaction is finished. Much like pop up targets. Stop over thinking it.

And that is precisely what I'm trying to communicate is NOT that important.

Reaction time is simply the time an event first occurs to when the reaction is finished. Much like pop up targets. Stop over thinking it.

I guess I would see a measurement of reaction time, of how quickly one's foot gets to the brake, when a ball rolls out into the street. I would much rather he recognize kids playing ball in the yard, 1000 feet ahead, but yet be able to keep the rig on the road. In other words, as people age and their mind goes foggy, do they start focusing more on what is on the road in front of them, and less to their surroundings, because they can not process their surroundings and still drive. (or do their surroundings distract them and cause them to wonder off the road) I would consider that much different from a typical reaction time test, where some random emergency pops in front of them, and measuring how quickly they can get their foot on the brake. 90% of road emergencies are not random, but are predictable, giving one with a slow reaction time all day to react.

Daveinet wrote:

John&Joey wrote:
For my own information does any of these DOT tests (or others that people are posting about) take into account reaction time? That to me would be the big one given the size and weight of these things and the safety of the public.

I don't know how much weight I would put into reaction time. Knowing what to do is more important than how quickly it is done. I think I would be more inclined to test judgement and ones ability to comprehend large quantities of information and keep it straight...

That's my point about reaction time. It all goes together.

When ever the DMV will not give you a license for reasons of maybe your eyes or some other physical condition, But if you are healthy and still very capable of driving, keep driving.

My aunt is 87 and still very capable driver. But I think this is the last license for her.

John&Joey wrote:
For my own information does any of these DOT tests (or others that people are posting about) take into account reaction time? That to me would be the big one given the size and weight of these things and the safety of the public.

I don't know how much weight I would put into reaction time. Knowing what to do is more important than how quickly it is done. I think I would be more inclined to test judgement and ones ability to comprehend large quantities of information and keep it straight. I would also suggest that one can train themselves to judge road hazard way ahead of time, which usually mitigates reaction time. I used to drive a motorcycle into downtown Chicago every day. While it did not improve my reaction time, it did train me to recognize potential hazards long before they were an issue. I became very good at second guessing driver's intentions, long before any hazard would exist. Reaction time became irrelevant, as the hazard was predicted, long before one needed to react. On one of the motorcycle forums, there was a link to an online test, that showed a picture of the road ahead for about 3 seconds, and then asked several questions about what was critical about the situation. Out of 20 photos, I got 100% of them correct. Going back to the time in my life when my reflexes were much quicker than they are now, I doubt I would have gotten 50%. I really wish I could find that test now, as my kids are taking driver's Ed. I'd like to find some online exercises to help them improve their judgement.

My dad got to a point where it was clear we had to take the car away. Of course with the onset of dementia he thought he was just fine and did not want to go along with that program at all. We went to his doctor who agreed he could no longer drive so he sent the paperwork in to DMV. It took DMV months to send my dad a letter and then they didn't want to take the doctors word for it. They wanted him to come in and take a test and if he didn't show they gave him a date another two months out that his drivers license would be revoked by. We had already taken the necessary steps by then anyway to keep him out of the car.

I would think that it's not so much about the age of the vehicle, but how it has been treated since it came to existence! This go for all vehicles, but an RV/Car owned by some teenagers, aren't going to last as long as an RV/Car owned by a more mature audience. What makes you ask the question of when to replace one?

For my own information does any of these DOT tests (or others that people are posting about) take into account reaction time? That to me would be the big one given the size and weight of these things and the safety of the public.

FWIW, I've been in snowbird parks during the holidays where some of the snowbirds that drive big rigs get confused in the holiday pot luck buffet line. I'm guessing those same snowbirds would be able to pass both an eye test and physical from the looks of them. Now do they have the right to drive...yes, do they have the right to drive something that can really harm the public while in unknown area's of the country....?????...

W H A T !! I have a Class A? :E
W H E R E ??

Hmmm Maybe it's 66? :h