Is 70 the age to stop towing

[Supercharged]

I think maybe if you drive a motorhome at 70 you are safe, but pulling anything behind it is not safe.

[fullmoonoversal]

I just met a woman who is 81 and just drove up the Alaska Highway. Yep, in the winter. She is going to stay with her grandson who is in the Coast Guard here in Alaska. Her DH dies last summer, she sold everything, bought a Winnebago Revel and drove it up. She was still practicing medicine until 2 years ago when her husband became ill. She plans to find a place for a base from which to travel in the next couple of years.

She had a thorough physical, and took some kind of driving course - she will email me the info - before starting out in early October. She spent some time semi-stranded in a couple snow storms, but did well. She is from Maine, and I know how the winters are there. She was well prepared.

I sure wish her well and a lot of miles in her future.

[ppine]

My Dad is 95 and he still drives three sports cars.

[Cloud_Dancer]

You don't hear of any young person looking for "the fountain of youth". Speaking for myself, at almost 80 I'm looking at every way possible to live a safer life. I've never made contact with another car, on a public road. And NOW, I'm looking for ways to become an even safer driver.

[TomG2]

Not sure where you're getting your information but AAA said that drivers 60 to 69 are the safest age group per one hundred thousand miles and going up every year after that. I thought this thread was something about drivers over 70 years of age.

[JimK-NY]

TomG2 wrote:

JimK-NY wrote:
Accidents per miles driven are still way lower for those over 80 than for drivers under age 30.

I wish the insurance companies believed that. Do you think the old folks drive as many miles under as many conditions as the young drivers? They stay home when the conditions are bad. Even the slightest rain keeps grandma and grandpa away from the roadways. I used to drive 25,000 miles per year no matter the conditions, now less than half that and only when it is safe. Which is more likely to be involved in an accident?

This is why I specifically looked at accidents per mile driving.

[TomG2]

I would prefer to ride with the 47 year old who can still see, hear, feel, and react quickly to a situation. We have "safe" older drivers who rip along in the center lane at 47 mph on the freeway where everyone else is driving at the posted 70 mph. "They" are the only ones who think they are safe. At 76, I don't kid myself that slow is always safe or that I have the talent that I had thirty years ago. Do some mental and physical tests if you don't believe me. Some of my older friends forget why they got in the car in the first place. Yours may be different, but I doubt it.

[cummins2014]

TomG2 wrote:

cummins2014 wrote:

Not sure what you mean by driving skills, but so far I feel confident in what I am doing at 72, no decline in ability. I can drive all day, but I don't have too ,and I won't .

Last month, I did a 700 mile 14 hour day with no problems. So, it can be done. Ride with some of your over seventy friends to see how we really perform. I know that I am uniquely qualified, but we can't all be. Just kidding, I am not as good as I was ten years ago but better than I will be in ten years. Just the way life works. A quick proof is to compare the time it takes to look from full left to full right with a fifty year old person. Do any reflex speed test for further evidence.

Sure it can be done , I have done 900 miles, but I am not going to anymore. I guess there could be a reason , but at this point I don't need too or want too .

I have rode with the 88 year old mentioned ,and I have rode with my 47 year old son, I can tell you who I would rather be riding with , the 88 year old 🙂 The 47 year old hasn't learned how to slow down yet .

Absolutely , no doubt ,reflexes etc decline.

[TomG2]

JimK-NY wrote:
Accidents per miles driven are still way lower for those over 80 than for drivers under age 30.

I wish the insurance companies believed that. Do you think the old folks drive as many miles under as many conditions as the young drivers? They stay home when the conditions are bad. Even the slightest rain keeps grandma and grandpa away from the roadways. I used to drive 25,000 miles per year no matter the conditions, now less than half that and only when it is safe. Which is more likely to be involved in an accident?

[JimK-NY]

Accidents per miles driven are still way lower for those over 80 than for drivers under age 30.

[TomG2]

cummins2014 wrote:

Not sure what you mean by driving skills, but so far I feel confident in what I am doing at 72, no decline in ability. I can drive all day, but I don't have too ,and I won't .

Last month, I did a 700 mile 14 hour day with no problems. So, it can be done. Ride with some of your over seventy friends to see how we really perform. I know that I am uniquely qualified, but we can't all be. Just kidding, I am not as good as I was ten years ago but better than I will be in ten years. Just the way life works. A quick proof is to compare the time it takes to look from full left to full right with a fifty year old person. Do any reflex speed test for further evidence.

[cummins2014]

TomG2 wrote:
Noticed a difference in my driving skills from about age 72 to 76. At this rate, people will not want me sharing the highway with them in about five years. Not terrible now, but not one hundred percent either. Still better than most of my buddies, but that is not good enough for me.

There are a lot of factors involved as we age, eyesight, reflexes etc. IMO I am actually a better driver now then when I was younger. Simple fact I use more common sense ,I have slowed down , more cautious etc.

Not sure what you mean by driving skills, but so far I feel confident in what I am doing at 72, no decline in ability. I can drive all day, but I don't have too ,and I won't .

I mentioned in a previous post that we are panning a three month trip to Alaska this coming summer with the fifth wheel. I will see how we do. We estimate it will be a 10K mile trip, stretched out in that time period we shouldn't have to put in too many long driving days.

Got a couple friends ,One quit the fifth wheel towing at 88, he felt that he no longer was as capable to tow. The other got some health issues, and HAD to quit towing at 90. I hope that I am still able at those ages, and have the good sense to at least , like the 88 year old ,to call its quits if necessary.

[RoyF]

Turned 80 in June. Last fall, DW and I pulled the fifth-wheel from Arkansas up to Goose Bay, Labrador, and down the Labrador highway to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. I felt good the entire way.

I walk two or three miles daily and am fit for my age. I know that I'm not as strong as I was a few years ago, and a look in the mirror shows why, but I did manage to change a trailer tire last summer after a blowout.

[TomG2]

Noticed a difference in my driving skills from about age 72 to 76. At this rate, people will not want me sharing the highway with them in about five years. Not terrible now, but not one hundred percent either. Still better than most of my buddies, but that is not good enough for me.

[BigRabbitMan]

80 yrs here. I don’t know about towing, but my motor home and I have a lot of miles to travel! California next week, Nebraska next June and who knows where else after that.