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Thank you Missouri, truly blessed here with good health at the ripe old age, look forward to another 10 good years of riding, then after that, well we shall see. Thanks again for the kind recognition. Enjoy this forum and looking for good nuggets of information.
In the conversation of this thread many have stated in effect, "I'll know when it's time to quit riding." I decided to ask someone who is in a position to know just how valid that assertion is. To be clear I'm referring to driving skills in general, not the physical ability to hold up and handle a two wheeler. I think most of us know when it's time to move from two wheels to three wheels. Three wheels riding experience is similar to car driving in terms of awareness, motor skills, reaction time, etc.
I meet with guys from church regularly at a local Burger King for breakfast. 3 or 4 DMV contracted driving testers meet their clients there to take them out for their driving tests. This includes teens getting their first license to old farts like some of us who are getting their last license. I asked him this morning, "Of all the drivers who have reached the point where they should not be driving any longer, how many know it for themselves versus how many have to be told by others it's time for them to quit?" His response, "Most all of them have to be told by a doctor, family member, or whoever, it's time to quit." Seldom does a driver know for himself/herself that it is time to quit. Age is a virtual non-factor. He's given tests to 97 year olds who are as sharp as a teenager. It's all the other factors of life that determine when it's time to quit, and that can vary from age 50 to 100.
I hope all of us will be wise enough to listen when we're told it's time to give up the keys.
Well said Idaho....
I am now 84 years old, I not only ride my RT regularly. I also fly my Jabiru 230 LSA aircraft even more.
I believe mental cognitive abilities has a lot more to do with stopping ( driving, riding, or flying) than chronological age.
Yes I had to look how to spell some of these words.
Ken Nix (EXDITCHDIGGER)
Welcome Sir X Ditch Digger.
I don't understand...Quote:
Originally Posted by Exditchdigger
Quote:
Originally Posted by Exditchdigger
How well and how fast your brain processes information is much more important than how old it is. When its processing capability starts to lag so that you don't process and respond to external stimuli quickly enough to stay safe, it's time to give up the keys.Quote:
Originally Posted by UtahPete
As the brain gets older the speed at which it processes information slows down. The time it used to take to process information, say 1 million cycles in 10 seconds, will slow down to, say, 1 million cycles in 13 seconds. That's why time seems to go by faster the older we get. We live by brain cycles, not the movement of clock hands. If one's brain slows down to the point it takes 20 seconds to process 1 million cycles, then the time to hit the brakes when the light turns red becomes longer, but the brain sees it as being the same as when it processed 1 million cycles in 10 seconds. So if you used to hit the brake within 1 second of seeing the light turn red, you now hit the brake within 2 seconds, but you still hit the brake within 1 million brain cycles. And if 2 seconds is too long between seeing the red light and hitting the brake because of the density of traffic, you stand a good chance of crashing into someone.
Okay, it was a grammar issue I think.
MoxieQuote:
Originally Posted by UtahPete
Wow, my brain is recycling.
IdahoMtnSpyder,
I sent you a P.M., rather then say it here, and get someone's knickers in a knot. I actually think that (that) was what UtahPete may have been alluding too.
Pete, if you read this, I'm actually agreeing with you.
I completely agree. You will know when its time to give it up. Not when someone has to tell you. Life is short enough as it is. Just live it to the fullest and enjoy every moment. Happy Trails.:riding:Quote:
Originally Posted by ladygadget
That's right. That's why it can be very difficult for both parties to have the conversation. AARP and AAA have articles about how to handle the situation.Quote:
Originally Posted by ladygadget
I you observe actual driving problems you have an obligation to report that to the person's doctor, or a responsible family member, or even an LEO.Quote:
If you know someone who is questionable, observe quietly.
That is what gives rise to the great resistance people have about giving up driving, or even thinking about it.Quote:
The worse part about getting older is losing your freedom to move about as you see fit.
Be careful. That way of thinking is the first barrier to rationally addressing the issue of when it is time to quit driving.Quote:
Originally Posted by Two cats
If personal freedoms are to be taken seriously, then this has to be considered an acceptable risk to society (people driving past the point considered safe by others)Quote:
Originally Posted by Two cats
In California, my step father took at test at the doctor's to evaluate his ability to drive when it came under question. That is the most objective answer I can think of, and I would think that those kinds of tests are available in most states. That still assumes that you feel safe and in control.
Not to be rude or anything. But acceptable risk to society should start when your young also. I'd rather ride around with my 60, 70 and 80 year old bike riding friends that watch what's going on around them than be around people looking at their cell phones and blowing threw stop signs and red lights in a 2 1/2 ton car. In the past week I've almost been t-boned 4 times 5 times from some 20 and 30 something year old looking down at their phone. You do make a good point. But I wish there was a blocker on cells if your car is running the phone doesn't work.Quote:
Originally Posted by UtahPete