« Face-à-face » 5th December 2004

The two opinions given in this article under the question « Faut-il limiter le permis de conduire à 65 ans ? » moved my eyebrows up more than a few notches, and result in my having to write to you in my native language. Sorry, but my French is just not good enough !

First of all, I wonder if the bad driving in Mauritius (which has often been mentioned in your own as well as other Mauritian newspapers) is just looking for a scapegoat, in this case the senior citizen drivers ? Outside observers, and not necessarily from as far away as Mars, consistently note that driving teaching is not always up to international standards. How many driving schools, for example teach as a basic the need for courtesy and respect for other users of the road ? Most of the unnecessary and terrible road accidents in this lovely island are the result of lack of attention to speed limits and those solid white lines that say

« Don?t overtake here ! » Paying heed to such items of good driving behaviour is apparently not important to every driver, but you can be sure the over-65s do not normally take such risks.

So much for accidents, and much more can be learned from Government and Police reports on road safety.

Then there?s the acknowledgement of a slow-down of the human brain and body with age. Ask an expert if this is a consistent phenomenon, affecting everyone, (as he or she advances in age and experience) and at the the same rate, and see what reply you get. Petrarch started studying Latin when he was 75, Moses was 80 when God called him, Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the sistine chapel when he was turning 91 and Titian painted his classic « Battle of Lepanto » at age 98 !

Okay, they weren?t driving cars in Mauritius, but there wasn?t much wrong with their coordination, was there ?

I don?t want this to be in any way personal, I love Mauritius and have been here, on and off, since 1991. That was the first time I?d driven a car here, I was 61. That makes me 74 now, a proud holder of a Mauritius Driving Licence as well as a British and a German one. Those countries do not believe that an automatic age ban makes safety sense, they do believe in medical advice. As an « oldie » who has driven cars since 18, and aeroplanes since 20, (and who has just, again, medically renewed his private pilot?s licence for another year), am I to be considered unfit to drive our family car in a few months time ? Shame on you, Mr Comarmond, Secrétaire du Senior Citizen Council ! Advise more frequent medicals, acknowledge the diversity of human nature, and we?ll all be with you !

« Soon to be 75 » Driver