Comments on: It's Funny Until It's Not http://www.kipesquire.net/2008/08/its-funny-until-its-not/ A Stitch in Time Saves Nine ... But Haste Makes Waste Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:02:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: KipEsquire http://www.kipesquire.net/2008/08/its-funny-until-its-not/comment-page-1/#comment-6871 KipEsquire Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:32:46 +0000 http://www.kipesquire.net/?p=5184#comment-6871 Walker is certainly not the median 72-year old driver. Point conceded. On the other hand, outlier tradegies such as this should remind us also of the lesser externalities that are imposed by incompetent drivers every day: near-misses, fender-benders, even clogged intersections all add up. The question is when the correlation between age and competence becomes large enough to warrant government action. The two extremes: (1) no one ever gets to drive at all; (2) everyone gets to drive until they kill someone, are both non-starters. Walker is certainly not the median 72-year old driver. Point conceded. On the other hand, outlier tradegies such as this should remind us also of the lesser externalities that are imposed by incompetent drivers every day: near-misses, fender-benders, even clogged intersections all add up.

The question is when the correlation between age and competence becomes large enough to warrant government action. The two extremes:

(1) no one ever gets to drive at all;
(2) everyone gets to drive until they kill someone,

are both non-starters.

]]> By: dolphin http://www.kipesquire.net/2008/08/its-funny-until-its-not/comment-page-1/#comment-6870 dolphin Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:51:08 +0000 http://www.kipesquire.net/?p=5184#comment-6870 I recall the first year I had to get my license renewed fell on the same year as my step-dad's father needed to get his renewed. I, at age 20, had to go into the DMV and take a vision test to get my license renewed. Meanwhile my parents helped him, I believe he was 88 or so at the time, point and click his way to a renewed license online without ever leaving the house. I don't want to take driving privileges away from safe drivers who are simply old, but I think after a certain point it makes sense to retest the necessary abilities with increasing frequency (though since this man had no license anyways, it would not likely have made a difference). How to turn that into a libertarian viewpoint I'm not sure. Have a private company do the testing and licensing? I recall the first year I had to get my license renewed fell on the same year as my step-dad's father needed to get his renewed. I, at age 20, had to go into the DMV and take a vision test to get my license renewed. Meanwhile my parents helped him, I believe he was 88 or so at the time, point and click his way to a renewed license online without ever leaving the house.

I don't want to take driving privileges away from safe drivers who are simply old, but I think after a certain point it makes sense to retest the necessary abilities with increasing frequency (though since this man had no license anyways, it would not likely have made a difference). How to turn that into a libertarian viewpoint I'm not sure. Have a private company do the testing and licensing?

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