Japanese driver caught at 100
December 19, 2007 by Matt Brogan
100 years old that is. Mr Masaru Hori from Sendai, Japan was caught by police for the second time this week for driving without a license after he hit an umbrella held by a child standing on the footpath.
Fortunately the seven year old child was unharmed but Mr Hori was arrested over the incident and his family told to get rid of the car. Mr Hori had also been involved in a hit-run in August.
Perhaps re-igniting the debate as to what age elderly drivers should be re-tested, Mr Hori claims that driving helps him ward off senility.
As of 2009 Japan will introduce legislation to re-test drivers over 75 years old. As always, CarAdvice welcomes your comments on this issue.
Print it: 
His senility or a child’s life.
He can not control his car, he should not be driving. It’s like why you can’t drive under the influence of alcohol, You can stil function and get to A to B just fine. But it’s the ‘higher’ more refined skills you lack etc… When your brain is not doing as well it used to your in the same boat…
I think as much as we may make light of it, this is a very serious issue. I know I’d hate to have my license taken away just because I’m a certain age but by the same token am all for re-testing once I’m deemed ‘too old’.
I guess that’s the defining point, picking an age where you are in need of a re-test.
I am all for restesting. I have seen some crazy things done by elderly drivers reversing on a main road had to be the worst of all.
if your responses arnt as good as they were or you have no confidence on the road then you shouldnt drive
Should it be an issue of age or driving ability regardless of age?
I would be more in favour of advocating a system of periodic review of all drivers competency skills.
Thats a good point Lcat
I am with you Lcat.
I recommend for all drivers under 50 a retest every 5 years, age between 50 and 75, retest every 2 years, then after 75 you do a retest every year.
The number of road rules that have changed since I got my license (15 years ago) is huge. Imagine the changes since when the majority of baby boomers got their license…
Have you seen how old people use roundabouts? They are atrocious.
HEY, IS THAT A CHEVROLET HE’S IN?
I remember Those APIA ads saying how good over 55 Y/O drivers are and they drive allover the place. Driving slow on the right hand lane and supose to be good.
people over 80 should not be allowed to drive. their reaction times are way to slow.
Supercujo: “I recommend for all drivers under 50 a retest every 5 years, age between 50 and 75, retest every 2 years, then after 75 you do a retest every year.”
Excessive and expensive.
We all forget that we are being monitored on a history, if you do something stupid you end up in court and can loss your license. You speed to many times, you loose your license (and or car etc etc)
Age is the relevant factor in the deterioration in mental compacity, thus effecting the ability to drive. Lets not forget the facts just to satisfy political correctness.
Anthony, ref: para 3 @ 2.51pm post
The only ones that have a history are the ones that get caught.
Could be ME…….a 57 ?Hard to tell a lot came out that colour in the 50s
Oh yeah Supcujo……..we didn’t even have traffic lights when we got tested!hahaha…Na not really . It still blows me away regardless of age how at an intersection people opposite you don’t know who gives way…so they wave you forward!!
My Dads 68 and is a fantastic driver……would out drive me!So I don’t know I guess in some cases age doesn’t apply to !
He recently volunteered to drive the local Country School Bus and passed with a perfect score!
And I second that Lcat… Anthony I can assure you there are an obscene number of people on the road who have never been fined for anything who’d fail another test in a hearbeat.
I’m stunned at how many people get a licence in the first place. It beggars belief just how bad some people are and even leads me to believe that many people in fact don’t bother in the first place. There’s often no conceivable way that some of these people could pass a test based on some of the erratic, dangerous and inconsiderate behaviour I experience daily on the roads. I’m not one for bias although the vast majority I see tend to drive a particular brand and type of car based on what I see day in, day out. No need to mention it though as I’m not into brand bashing.
I’d also support re-testing every 5 years up to 50 where the user pays, then more regular tests from then on until you can no longer pass a test as Supercujo states. I’d HAPPILY pay $100 or $150 every 5 years if it meant there were much harder and more stringent standards stopping people from just randomly getting a licence by chance.
Whats the big deal, there is an age limit in place for when we can start driving based on general mental maturity/physical ability etc, why not an age limit to stop driving based on general mental maturity/physical ability.
We don’t want to spend millions testing people every year. We don’t go around testing 13 year olds in case they are capable of driving a car.
I wonder if caradvice can find us some statistics on how many 75+ year olds there are on our roads? This would need to be a stat from an insurance company or racq based on members as I’m sure there are allot of older citizens holding licenses but not actually driving.
What are other countries doing?
Bob: “I’m stunned at how many people get a licence in the first place.”
If there is an issue with the testing process, then how is periodical tests going to help?
And bob… how long ago did you get your license? There pretty tight these days (I got mine 4 years ago). Now even smart people are prone to acts of stupidity from time to time, its part of being human.
I just hate the idea of painting the issue with such a uninformed broadbrush…
Do you blokes really expect anyone to believe that this is a picture of a 100 year old Japanese man?.Tell the truth;it’s someone in your office’s Grandad.Or,are you implying that Japanese start looking more Western as they age?
I actually think that they should raise the minimum driving age to 25 at least so some of these young blokes (and girls)could learn a bit of sense before writing off all their mates at high speed.
“I recommend for all drivers under 50 a retest every 5 years, age between 50 and 75, retest every 2 years, then after 75 you do a retest every year.”
Who is going to do the testing, here in Victoria is it Vicroads? today it takes over 1 month on average to book in to get a licence test. imagine the load it will bring to the system,
Theres many many more strong arguments why you cant… So i dont think so…
imagine you are 70, then you wouldn’t be talking this cr#p.i go to work every morning along a 90kph road and every morning drivers in the right hand lane wont go past a semi but they just sit there so no body else can either, and they are not 70 or any where near it. queing across intersections not 70. double parking on pedestrian crossings EVERY morning in their truck while his mate gets his breakfast from the shop not 70 nowhere near it. it takes me 15 minutes to get to work and if i got $1 for every young dumb sh#t doing something dumb in that short space i wouldnt have to work. granted older people do some silly stuff but it ussually happens at a pace that doesnt end in death. whats the phrase older drivers dont have accidents they just cause them, well if you dont have them your not the cause of them. if the person that has the crash was paying attention or not driving above their capablities they wuoldn’t have them either. I use the word accident, I shouldn’t, they are crashes. an accident is an act of god. car crashes happen because somebody did something wrong or stupid or both.
retesting,LOL, maybe people should HAVE to LEARN HOW TO DRIVE before being tested properly. how do people that cant speak or read english get a licence. how do they read road signs(written signs).
but nothing will change, do you think govt care? sure! how much money do they rake in from traffic offences, if everyone drove with common sense and thats all it takes road deaths would stop.
Simon:
I actually think that they should raise the minimum driving age to 25 at least so some of these young blokes (and girls)could learn a bit of sense before writing off all their mates at high speed.
We learn from expirence. Restrictions are not teachers, they are barriers.
It’s like saying lets drop the speed limit around the country to 30km an hour everywhere. That idiot that crashed his car was doing 150km, he was not interested in the rules.
I work at an insurance company (woot for me =/) and i see some plenty of stupid men (and women) above 40 writing cars off driving like a mad bastard. Don’t attack the sterotypes you see in the news thinking you’re informed.
The Punchman seems to be a racist. Most road signs are obvious in any language.
As for the old boy. If he’s competant at driving then hoe should be allowed. He’s proven that he’s not on two occasions so lets have his license.
HET YOU LOT STOP WRITING LONG SCRIPTS….THEY ARE BORING AND NOT READ BY ALL
Simon, I think you’ll find that picture is what’s known as a “File Photo”.
Anthony: I was kidding; just responding in kind to supercujo’s extreme suggestion .Some people are old enough to drive at 16.Some are never old (or sensible enough).My son did a defensive driving course and he says that it’s saved him more than once.Maybe this sort of thing should be compulsory?
Casey: I understand that this is the case;just wondered why they couldn’t find a pic of some elderly Japanese guy.
If they r so quick to get on the back of all us young drivers with power ristrictions n shit like that, hit old people (70years n above) with the same shit that we have to put up with. Make them drive a car with 200kws or less n No V8 or any forced induction cars. Also make them sit a driving test n if they fail, they klose it n they will have 2 go back the next day. There quick to bad mouth young people, so its about time they cop the same shit, because the car crashes i have seen is when OLD PEOPLE pull out from no where n crash into YOUNG PEOPLE!!!
Fair enough Simon, i didn’t pick up on the satire sorry.
Cobra, being a part of that bracket your talking about… I don’t think your rant did us any favours?
I agree Cobra 302, The old people need ristrictions as much as young people with there bad driving and attitude to the younger.
I love how he keeps hitting people and driving off
life is too cheap!
is this old guys action any worse than a young hoon?
Can appreciate Phil’s point but it is common sense once past 75 if not earlier issues can start to surface.
The test needn’t be onerous just a short drive around the streets is enough to show up deficencies in alertness & perception.
On the other hand:
Days after four 17-18 year olds were incinerated after doing 140-160 on Melbournes Westgate in the non speed camera zone we had a spate of young drivers doing all sorts of dumb stuff like 180km/h on the Eastern.
The drivers obviously have perception problems.
Deafening silence from Caradvice.
IS COBRA302 SERIOUS?He has issues if he needs to be always behind the wheel of something with 200kw OR more.
i think all older people and first time drivers should be forced to drive new benzes. that way they would be a bit more careful on the road and not scuff, bang or ding your car in the parking lots.
maybe an e class 1.8litre. if it exists.
im very pissed of old people and youngsters driving hyundai excel bangers.
“If they r so quick to get on the back of all us young drivers with power ristrictions n shit like that, hit old people (70years n above) with the same shit that we have to put up with. Make them drive a car with 200kws or less n No V8 or any forced induction cars.”
Only a premier/government who wishes to lose the next election would do that…
This dude ain’t Japanese he’s some old Digger driving his FB down to the local RSL.
Somebody should pimp his ride with a gen3 and give him 200kwrw. Make it look like a baby 56 Chev. The least we can do for an old Digger!