I’ve found that safe driving pundits and even columns just like this one are quick to comment about the concerns, even the dangers, that older drivers can face when they head out on the road. But there’s another, much more positive, aspect to elder driving which never seems to receive much attention in terms of driving safety.

Older drivers have been there and done that and their experiences are often invaluable to those who have recently hit the road.

Example: When I was a kid my dad told me about a time in his own youth about riding a bicycle through the streets of Toronto. Up ahead he spotted a large roll of crumpled up newspaper laying in the middle of the road. It was a perfect chance for him to impress his riding buddies with some daring-do by smashing through that imaginary fortress in his path — showing guts and claiming victory. Too bad that the crumpled paper ball was actually a large chunk of rough concrete. Victory turned out to be surviving a few days in hospital. Oh, and the bike was destroyed too.

Lesson for me as a young driver: To this day, I never drive over any unknown object in the roadway if I can help it.

Vehicle technology is........

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