Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION
Young drivers can get into trouble because they don’t have the experience to avoid dangerous situations.
These fit and vibrant teenagers can also have a sense of fearlessness and a feeling that they can cheat death while behind the wheel.
Older drivers can get into trouble because they’ve forgotten what they’ve learned over the years.
These frail and feeble seniors can also have physical limitations that have creeped up on them over the years, even though they still insist they can drive just fine.
In Manitoba, we’ve had tragic examples recently of very young and very old drivers finding themselves in very horrific situations.
And while police investigations continue, in at least one of the fatal incidents, driver inexperience was cited early on.
The community of Glenboro was left reeling following a single-vehicle rollover that claimed the life of a 15-year-old girl late last month.
Police said the crash happened shortly before 10 p.m. on a gravel road just south of Glenboro after a 16-year-old male driver from the area lost control of a 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche and rolled into an adjacent field.
There were four people — two males and two females — in the vehicle at the time of the rollover and police said the dead teen wasn’t wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. The other three occupants were not injured.
According to police, driver inexperience was believed to be a contributing factor in the rollover.
Then, this past Wednesday, a 90-year-old Morden man died after a two-vehicle collision in the RM of Hanover.
RCMP said the man was travelling west on Road 40N around 5:15 p.m. when he was hit by a northbound minivan as he attempted to cross Highway 12. The senior was found dead at the scene while his female passenger was extricated from the vehicle and airlifted to a Winnipeg hospital with undetermined injuries.
The driver of the minivan, a 29-year-old man from Blumenort, was examined on the scene and suffered no injuries, the Winnipeg Free Press reported.
Alcohol is not considered to be a contributing factor in the accident, which was still under investigation as of yesterday.
The debate over whether elderly drivers should undergo mandatory testing in Manitoba was also rekindled recently after a young girl was hit by a car that was operated by an 86-year-old man in Winnipeg.
The 10-year-old is recovering in hospital with a neck fracture and a fractured leg after she was struck near a parking lot.
She was walking home after school with her mother when a car that was initially reversing slowly from the parking lot suddenly sped backwards. The vehicle kept going until it finally crashed into a tree.
Criminal charges could be laid against the 86-year-old man who was behind the wheel of the car.
There is no mandatory retesting policy in place in Manitoba for drivers in any age group, including seniors, according to Manitoba Public Insurance.
In Ontario, drivers who turn 80 years old must pass written and vision tests — and road tests for those who have demerit points — to ensure they are still fit to drive, reports the Winnipeg Free Press.
Since 2010, British Columbia has required drivers to go through a driver fitness test every two years once they reach the age of 80.
While many young drivers learn from their mistakes, older drivers sometimes are simply too stubborn to hand over the keys and start taking cabs or public transportation.
But many of us know first-hand how painful it is to watch as a parent simply starts to become a bad driver because of age.
And the loss of freedom that driving brings for some can be emotionally crippling.
However, some older drivers are not only just a danger to themselves, but to others on the road — or on a sidewalk.
While some seniors retain their driving skills longer than others, we don’t see any problem with having mandatory retesting every five years once a driver reaches 80 years old.
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition October 19, 2012
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Young drivers can get into trouble because they don’t have the experience to avoid dangerous situations.
These fit and vibrant teenagers can also have a sense of fearlessness and a feeling that they can cheat death while behind the wheel.
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Young drivers can get into trouble because they don’t have the experience to avoid dangerous situations.
These fit and vibrant teenagers can also have a sense of fearlessness and a feeling that they can cheat death while behind the wheel.
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