When will you hang it up?

[Rich]

Nick's thread made me wonder when I'd put up the driving shoes

I'd like to think I'll die in my 60s so I don't have to worry about it. I'd guess once I start having more than one near miss of my own doing a year is about the time, though.

When do you think you'll give up driving, if at all?

[SVT666]

They will have to pry the keys from my cold dead hands...after they use the jaws of life to extract my body from the car.

[shp4man]

61 here. Still drive, sometimes fast, ride a motorcycle and a mountain bike. I'm not as crazy as a young guy, though. 

[Raza]

It's funny, but I find thinking about dying far more agreeable than thinking about getting old.

[MexicoCityM3]

When they ban me from the roads because of autonomous cars. Even then, I'll still go to the track just as horse riding fanatics do today.

[Cookie Monster]

I'm hoping I go out before I get to the point of being too old to drive or take care of myself.

[Rich]

They will have to pry the keys from my cold dead hands...after they use the jaws of life to extract my body from the car.

Hopefully you're not cold and dead because you made a judgement error due to old age and killed a few others in the process. 

[12,000 RPM]

I look forward to getting old. I will just move into a condo in a walkable neighborhood at that point. People tie way too much of their identity into driving. I love it, it's a huge part of who I am, but it's not that serious. Theres always Forza.

I plan on staying physically active with exercise and sports for as long as possible so hopefully that will help. As a lot of old peopel I've met demonstrate, the human body is very use it or lose it. You dont keep your body up and your reflexes sharp you will be useless in old age.

[veeman]

Very hard to predict when you won't be able to drive.  You might take good care of yourself but end up with early onset Alzheimers, some other neuromuscular problem like a stroke, or poor vision. 

Also it depends if you're in an area or have a situation where you have easy access to other transportation or have enough cash for cabs.

I'll know its time to start preparing to hang it up if I don't feel confident driving at night.  Hopefully I won't be so pig headed to ignore it but I can't predict that either.  I'm much more pigheaded than I was 10 years ago and I know it's just going to get progressively worse.

       

[Laconian]

I'm young and invincible and immune to aging. So, never.

[Rich]

I guess I meant more along the lines of what events need to happen that you know it's time to stop driving. Some above thought I was referring to a specific age. (I just assumed my senses would be shitty by the time I get well into my 60's)

[Lebowski]

I imagine it's very hard to judge once you are at that point but best bet is probably when those you trust (children etc) tell you it's time to hang it up. I remember it was a bit of a challenge for my dad and uncle to convince my grandma to stop driving, but she was a danger at that point having caused several minor accidents, the last of which iirc she could not remember clearly what happened.

[Rupert]

My grandmother stopped driving at night a decade or more ago. Then maybe four years ago she backed the car into a parking structure, totaled it, took the insurance money, and gave up her license. She's 90. Seems about right.

But then my grandfather on the other side is 93, senile, clueless, slow, a scary driver, and he passed the state old man drive test a year ago.

[12,000 RPM]

I think a lot of people are reluctant to do it because they dont plan for it.

Like I said I hope I won't live in a way where I need a car to live when I can't drive anymore.

[Cookie Monster]

I'm hoping by the time I'm old, conventional cars will be used for shiggles only (like on a track, kind of like horses now) so if I do something stupid due to old age I don't take anyone out with me, or I hope that they just figure out how to stop people from aging. That would be better.

[shp4man]

I'll only quit if I can find another way to get to my Walmart greeter job at age 85. 

[Lebowski]

I think a lot of people are reluctant to do it because they dont plan for it.

I think more than that, it's a sign of losing your independence.  It's basically one step away from being moved to an assisted living facility.  I imagine it being a very hard thing to accept.

I live in an area where you definitely need a car as a young/working person, but when you get that old that you shouldn't drive (~90ish for my grandma) you probably don't need to get around much anyway, and can use a service for those things you do (grocery shopping etc).

[2o6]

I'm young and invincible and immune to aging. So, never.

As I learned yesterday, we gays are immortal

[280Z Turbo]

What will happen if you become too gay to drive?

[Laconian]

Fly off to Neverland.

[Payman]

When I die peacefully in my sleep... not screaming like my passengers.

[Byteme]

When I die peacefully in my sleep... not screaming like my passengers.

Dammit.

I was going to post that.   

[Soup DeVille]

When I can no longer piss standing up.

[ChrisV]

I think more than that, it's a sign of losing your independence.  It's basically one step away from being moved to an assisted living facility. 

Yup, when they told my father in law he couldn't drive anymore, he started physically and mentally deteriorating rapidly because he never really went anywhere like he had when he was driving.

I know a guy whose rookie year of road racing wha the year he retired, at 65. And a few others who were still into sports cars well into their 90s (like Paul Frere). So I'm hoping that I can keep my faculties around long enough to join that group.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I figure being old and senile is a good excuse for driving foolishly fast. I look forward to it.

[RomanChariot]

I figure being old and senile is a good excuse for driving foolishly fast. I look forward to it.

My father just decided to hang it up this week. He has been having some problems with passing out recently and decided it was not safe to drive anymore. He is 80. I respect the fact that he made the decision for himself and we did not have to take away his keys.