I hate this mindset, lots people get killed by senior driver with impaired vision/reflexes and it's always the same bullshit "but it would kill him to take away his independence".
well, tell that to people that will eventually be under his wheels.
well, tell that to people that will eventually be under his wheels.
I’d also suggest a little empathy for people in such a situation. “Taking away their independence” sounds so minor and practical, but often is basically a euphemism for “removing the sense of self-determination that allows them to stay alive”. It’s not as simple as saying “Old Joe shouldn’t drive anymore”, because the implications can be pretty severe. That doesn’t mean that it’s a great excuse for Joe to keep driving! But it does mean that there are some pretty big philosophical conversations to be had about it. And if/when self-driving cars come around, a lot of those drawbacks vanish in a puff of smoke. Then we can say, as a society, “we want you to keep just as much independence as you’ve always had! You just don’t need to be the one working the controls of the car anymore, but it’s still going to take you on every errand and friend visit you’d ever want to go on, and actually help you be even more capable.” That sounds pretty damn splendid to me.