Stan Geiger

There Should Be an Age Limit

Last evening, KOTV ran another story on the terrible accident on the Will Rogers Turnpike that killed 10 people. The report said the brakes on the rig involved were fine. They weren't used, but they were in good working order.

It has already been reported that the driver wasn't drunk. Now it has been reported that there was no mechanical failure. I'm not an insider, but I'd say we are down to two possible explanations: Either the driver just flat missed that fact that the cars in front of him weren't moving or he fell asleep at the wheel.

The driver of the semi involved is 76 years old.

The KOTV report confirmed there is no age limit for truckers. A doctor that does required physicals for truckers was interviewed. He said it would be wrong to have an age limit. I'm afraid I strongly disagree.

There has long been a debate over elderly drivers in general, and possible limitations being placed on them. Old folks hate the idea, and I don't blame them. Taking away a person's driving privilege restricts that person's freedom to move around.

My mom recently celebrated her 85th birthday. She still drives herself. Do I have a problem with that? No, I do not.

Mom is still in control of her mental faculties, and she has no physical ailments that might pose a threat to anybody on the streets. She drives little. In a given month, she might log a whole 20 miles. She drives a small Ford. Expressways are, in many instances, the quickest route to take, but one doesn't have to use them. Any destination in town can be reached without getting on an expressway. And mom puts restrictions on herself. She doesn't drive in rush-hour traffic; she doesn't drive in bad weather; she doesn't drive at night.

There is a world of difference between the above and the environment in which a big rig driver operates.

When talking about truckers, we're not talking about making a run up the street to the grocery store. Hauls can run hundreds---or even thousands---of miles. A trucker is behind the wheel of 30,000 pounds of tank, not a small car. Truckers don't stick to city streets or country roads; they drive on highways at high speeds. Truckers don't pick and choose times to drive. They drive in traffic; they drive in bad weather; they drive at night.

Airline pilots are regulated out of the cockpit at a given age. If I'm not mistaken, the age used to be 60 but has recently been raised to 65. If pilots, then why not truckers?

There was an instance of late in which an airline pilot, 60 years old, died of an heart attack in flight. The plane was never in danger. The crew wasn't even aware for a time. They thought the captain had just dosed off.

It is much safer to have something go wrong with a pilot---or have a pilot dose off in flight for that matter--than to run into a problem with a trucker. There are no obstacles at 35,000 feet. Planes have autopilots and warning alarms. And, of course, planes come complete with copilots that can take over flights if problems arise.

If a trucker doses off, or has a health issue, while doing 80 miles an hour down a turnpike, well...

The point is made that truckers are required to have regular physicals, and that point is well taken. I'm sure pilots are regularly examined as well, but one died in flight anyway. And he was a lot younger than 76.

The hard fact of the matter is, a physical is no guarantee of longevity. A guy can be issued a clean bill of health by a doctor and drop dead in the parking lot on the way to his car. That can happen to anybody regardless of age, to be sure. But one must certainly acknowledge that the risk of such an occurrence increases with age.

Beyond that, age takes its toll on folks. Just because a trucker is ruled in good health by a doctor is no guarantee that he or she can stand up to the rigors of a long haul and be able to, say, stay awake for the duration.

One can't help but feel sorry for the driver in question. He acted with no malice. It was an accident and I'm sure he is devastated. But I must contend that 76 years old is too old to be licensed to drive a machine that has the potential to do such harm.

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