Older drivers in Missouri need alternatives to car use
Lewis DiuguidIt is perfectly OK for the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety to be concerned about older drivers.
The coalition has started a new program called “Arrive Alive After 65,” The Associated Press reports. The organization wants to persuade aging motorists in the state to stop driving when it’s no longer feels safe for them to be on the road.
But a lot of older drivers feel about their cars like Charlton Heston felt about his guns, saying you’ll only get their car keys if you peel them out of their cold dead hands. Automobiles give seniors a sense of freedom that they otherwise wouldn’t have without the wheels.
Automobiles in this country were in their infancy, and licenses weren’t even required when some started to drive.
The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety helps train health care workers to spot seniors who might be a roadway safety threat. But the state also should work to have more good, alternative transportation programs available for older people so they don’t lose their sense of freedom and independence.
Taking the car keys away has to be accompanied with something better that people will look forward to getting.
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