As a Maryland driver since Nixon was mired in Vietnam, I've had my share of, shall we say, memorable motoring moments. The list includes a late-night rendezvous with a guard rail with my parents' car. Once, I sent a Ford Torino, also belonging to my parents, airborne, before making a soft landing in someone's yard. (How did I know there was a stop sign back there?) My all-time favorite: Being stopped and ticketed while piloting a 40-foot school bus—with a full load of hormone-ravaged kids, rolling in the aisles, laughing hysterically. This happened just days after I had been pinned with a One Year Safe Driving badge.
All that happened in another life. Now that I'm 55-plus, I have to be more mindful of what I'm doing. With time, we are told, comes invaluable wisdom. Time also can produce inattention and dependence on a body that, just like a new Lexus, loses value the minute it rolls out of the showroom.
As I readjust my visor and mirrors and launch into my spring awakening, I wanted a professional's take on what Boomers like me can expect as we hurdle toward the early-bird special at any Florida Denny's. So I went straight to a man who knows the score: Richard McLaughlin, chief of the Laurel police.
The chief, in an email, said when it comes to older drivers' dexterity at the controls, it is not a one-size-fits-all deal. It makes more sense to take it on a "case by case" basis "and not as a group," he said.
"Many older drivers do become complacent because they have been driving a long time. Many older drivers don't wear their seat belts, don't use the turn signal while changing lanes. Their reaction time is slower, and processing what to do in a situation is slower."
He also noted that even older folks are subject to the electronic forbidden fruit that we preach against to our kids: allurements like GPS systems, laptops and smartphones. He didn't mention applying eyeliner while barreling down Route 197 at 7:30 a.m.; battery-powered razors; inhaling frozen blueberry waffles; and using hand-held cell phones, but you know who you are.
McLaughlin also pointed out how physical and mental disabilities can impact older drivers. One other police officer I talked to said he has seen older drivers end up on median strips due to the effect of certain medications and even diabetes. Sleep patterns also change as we age, he added.
With that in mind, Chief McLaughlin emphasized that plenty of older drivers struggle with diminished "vision, hearing, concentration and memory loss. Police officers have the discretion to request for any driver to be reexamined by the state Motor Vehicle Administration if they believe that the person is a danger to themselves and others while driving."
Along with the MVA, the American Automobile Association is another resource to help older motorists brush up on traffic laws, safety tips and refresher courses.
In that other life I spoke of, I remember being ordered to attend traffic school. We saw the classic film "Mechanized Death," and were (hopefully) scared straight afterward. I recall one of the questions on a multiple-choice quiz we had to take there. See how you do:
Driving is:
(a): a Constitutional right; (b) a fast way to get somewhere when your feet hurt; (c) a privilege.
The correct answer is, of course, c. The guy sitting next to me in class circled a. Then again, while I was lucky enough to guess right, I still couldn't parallel park a skateboard if my life depended on it.