Recently there have been several accidents on the highway causing injuries and death and invariably people begin to question why it happened and the two most common license holders that are targeted are the elderly and the young (new) driver.
One is targeted because the reality is reactions do slow down and may not be as quick to make decisions while the other is targeted because of inexperience.
Is it fair to single them out? The statistics would seem to back up the claim, but the reality is everyone whether new, old or in between drivers are all guilty of something while we are behind the wheel.
We as a license holder are expected to know all the rules of the road and obey said rules yet few do. Everybody knows somebody who is a bad, scary or dangerous driver. Yet everyone of us has broken the driving rules, and many - and I do mean many - do not know the rules that we are bound to drive by as a license holder.
A list of some of the more common infractions are speeding, illegal lane changes, failure to use turn signal, failure to stop for pedestrian, driving with a cracked windshield, running yellow and red lights (yes running a yellow can net you a fine and points) and the list goes on.
Some of these are minor some are major and everyone who holds a license is required to know the laws and know what the signs mean.
Back to the original question: Should we single out certain drivers for license reviews?
In my opinion no. I think every driver who holds a license should be subject to periodic review. Will it happen? I doubt it.
Dean Soiland
Prince George
