Letters: More testing for older drivers

Re “Safety and older drivers,” Editorial, Aug. 31

Along with age come the maladies of life, including diminished vision, hearing, reflexes and agility. Even with all the modern gizmos allowing driving to be easier, human frailties catch up with us.

Evaluating safety on the road can be as easy as we do for pilots in the air: Develop driver simulators. Measurement of visual perception, hearing acuity and reflex time using computers can quantify driving ability. Subjectiveness from human evaluators as we now have can be replaced by these modern gizmos.

If it made our airways safe, it can make our roadways safe too.

Gene Dorio

Santa Clarita

The idea of testing older drivers more frequently is a good one, but my recent experience at the DMV would indicate that another method needs to be employed.

I observed two very elderly, very shaky gentlemen trying to read the eye chart. In both cases the clerks coached them on which letters they had missed and told them to try again. After several attempts at reading the overhead charts (and failing), each very senior citizen was led to a machine purported to be easier to read. Both men struggled and were again coached by the DMV clerks.

Neither of these men should be allowed to drive, so why would the testers go out of their way to help them pass the exam?

Sandy Wells Cook

Sherman Oaks

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