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Elderly Drivers In Japan Could Be Limited To Vehicles With Automatic Braking (japantimes.co.jp)
AmiMoJo writes:
Japan's National Police Agency has proposed several new rules to regulate elderly drivers, including limiting them to vehicles with automatic braking systems to increase public safety. "The panel was tasked with finding ways to mitigate the risks associated with dementia, poor vision and deteriorating physical strength associated with seniors," reports the Japan Times. "Deadly traffic accidents caused by people 75 or older are on the rise, though fatal accidents overall are on the decline." Automatic braking systems apply the car's brakes if a collision is imminent. Separately Japanese authorities are offering elderly drivers who give up their licenses a discount on their funerals.
why are you letting demented, blind, weak and slow people operate heavy machinery?
I can scarcely imagine something more awkward and frustrating than trying to convince an elderly person that they are incapable of doing something... They will get insulted to say the least.
Just hide their keys. In plain view usually works after a certain point. :-)
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Its not just the elderly. Teenagers. Distracted drivers. Epileptics. Narcoleptics. Suddenly incapacitated people (heart attacks, strokes). Drunk drivers. Texters. Everyone would benefit from cars that maintain their lanes and automatically brake. This is technology we already have and we already mass produce. This rule should, and most likely will, be expanded to all drivers in all cars - all the time.
Elon Musk: "In the distant future, I think people may outlaw driving cars because it's too dangerous. You can't have a person driving a two-ton death machine."
Its happening.
It's not just vision and response. There's also hearing and the range of motion of the neck to consider, as well as what medications they're on.. Then there's also peripheral vision, which can't be checked with an eye chart. And night blindness, which is a big thing for many drivers of all ages who don't seem to be aware that they're leaning forward over the steering wheel at night to try to read the signs better, and don't even notice they're doing it since it crept up on them slowly. And then there's increased chances of stepping on the gas when they want to brake. Or the two-footed drivers who never learned to drive properly and jam on both in an emergency. ...
Plus the idiot who's driving along the highway streaming the football game on his phone and decides to step out for a beer during the commercial.
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
The laws of pointless accidents do care if you're paying attention, though.
You try that, sonny, and I'll stick my cane so far up your ass it'll improve your posture.
Being old only makes me more dangerous, and that's how I like it.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Why not mandate this for all vehicles?
Are we trying to preserve the right for a privileged demographic to crash into things?
That's not one bit funny. I've got no problem finding my keys, thank you very much, once I find my glasses.
You are welcome on my lawn.
I can scarcely imagine something more awkward and frustrating than trying to convince an elderly person that they are incapable of doing something... They will get insulted to say the least.
Try beginning dementia, that's worse. When they're too far gone it's like a stuck record, but while they're falling apart part creating chaos and part remembering the chaos is agony. About driving it's mostly that they don't see any alternative, they've driven for 50+ years and being elderly they don't have the same ability to walk/use a bicycle/take public transport as young people so everything revolves around going places by car. It's back to being dependent on others, either friends and family or taxis/home delivery services and I think a lot of upper middle class elderly would easily drop $100-250k on an autonomous car that let them keep their independence. I just hope it's ready for my retirement in a few decades.
Very often it's tied in to the other big life change that is moving, like you could live out here when you were 25 or 50 but now that you're 75 you need an apartment somewhere central. Less house and garden to maintain, less stairs, preferably a grocery store and other basic amenities in rollator distance. It doesn't have to be a nursing home or anything like that, just the easy life. Of course you also have those where being out and about is what keeps them running, the moment they get their apartment they sit in a chair and waste away. But you have to do it in moderation, some elderly refuse to recognize that they're getting older and want too much which can lead to them to some form of injury or breakdown. Sometime you just have to let the old find those limits themselves, though.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
The elderly vote. More so than any other group. And they vote to protect their own self interests. So government officials who value their careers will do nothing to offend them.
Have gnu, will travel.
Um.... its LIDAR (light radar) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lidar. Visible and near visible (ultra violet and near infra red) light that is being sprayed around. You know, like what surrounds you all day long, especially while you are outside? So, while its true that the detection uses photons that are on the electro-magnetic spectrum, its not the same risk as from microwave frequencies.
I have to be sure I leave them in one of a few places if I leave them anywhere else I will have to spend at least a half hour looking for them.
I'd have gotten bright neon frames on my glasses if they had been offered.
Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!