Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: Road Traffic Rule for Driving Age Upper Limit.

Question
Dear Tom

Do yo feel there should be a Road Traffic Rule for Driving Age Upper Limit i.e. Old people who are above 65 and Above should not be allowed to drive private and self owned vehicles ?.

Do you feel because of old age eyesight, the chances of accidents happening might be more o the road and because of this Road Traffic Office should come out with this rule of prohibiting them to drive vehicles on the road ?.  

Awaiting your reply,

Thanks & Regards,
Prashant S Akerkar

Answer
Prashant,

Thank you for the question. As a current motorcycle safety trainer and former head of driver testing for the state licensing department I see people of a variety of ages riding motorcycles. It is my observation that there is not a certain age that makes a person more or less safe to themselves or others.

Please allow me to explain. I ride with a group of riders in my local BMW riders club who are well over 70 years old. A few of them even had racing experience as younger riders. I am much more at ease in the company of these skillful riders than I am in the company of riders who do not take renewing and improving on their riding skills seriously. Far too many riders and automobile drivers are under the belief that once they demonstrate the requirements to earn a drivers license that their learning is sufficient. That is certainly not accurate.

Driving and motorcycle riding require lifelong learner skill sets.

The age that a person's vehicle operating skills declines is as individual as the person them-self.

Thank you for your question. I hope I have sufficiently afforded you my experience and perspective.

Tom Wright