Be more realistic about senior drivers

I am an 80-year-old driver with a very good driving record and have had no responsibility for any accidents. I was appalled reading Mr. Parker’s litany of what we older drivers do when we drive.

I won’t waste time arguing about the silliness of his statements. His conclusions however leave room for plenty of arguments. His idea to restrict drivers who turn 85 should not be allowed to drive at night, just because they are 85, appears to be age discrimination and appears to be illegal. I would not object to a senior age 85 who has trouble seeing at night being required to have his physician evaluate whether or not he should continue driving at night. As a practical matter, most seniors try to avoid driving at night.

He would also mandate that as soon as any driver reaches age 90, they would be required to discontinue all driving. This is absolutely unnecessary since we super seniors must show up frequently to show the state of Illinois that we can still drive.

My laundry list of things that are wrong with drivers age 70 and under is they drive too fast; they show their frustration with us who do not speed by following too close and angrily passing us when it is not safe to do so. That is not all they do wrong but that is sufficient.

How about this to get drivers off of the road who are not safe drivers? With each moving violation they are found guilty of, here are the penalties: In a calendar year, first moving violation: a fine and a five-day driving suspension; The second moving violation: a fine and a two-week driving suspension; The third violation a fine and a minimum driving suspension of two months. For folks who still need their car to get to work, or for super seniors to get to their coffee klatch, this should promote driving safety and courtesy.

Mike Dressendorfer

Antioch