Before the COVID-19 pandemic threw a monkey wrench into long-distance driving and visiting states on Pennsylvania’s forbidden list, I made a 1,000-mile trek to see my son and his family in South Carolina then went on to see some other family members in the Nashville area.

At age 80, I thought how fortunate I was to be able to drive long distances without any major consequences or hassles. While I am dislocating my arm patting myself on the back, some of you may have recoiled wondering why an octogenarian is risking his life and the lives of other motorists by making such a long trip.

Shame on you for your ageism thoughts, but on one level I can understand it. Quite frankly, between you and me, when I was in my 50s I thought the same thing when I read in the newspaper than an 80-something driver was involved in an accident.

Slowing reflexes, dimming eyesight and fading hearing can all impair an older person’s driving ability. Many diseases and overmedication also increase the risk of crashes.

Now that I am at this age myself, I have a different view. I am in good health. I take an AARP-sponsored driver’s safety course every three years, and I have given explicit orders to my three children that if they perceive that I am becoming a danger to myself and/or others, I will go quietly. If I don’t, I told them, turn me in, and take my keys.

Let’s face it: Most of us equate the open road with independence - the idea that we can go and come as we please.

Those who can’t drive because of age-related disabilities or reaction-time issues must either rely on others to get them from point A to point B or, basically, stay at home. Some are fortunate enough to have family members serve as chauffeurs; some live near public transportation, and a few others might have the wherewithal to summon a taxi.

Like most of you, I started driving when I was 16. I practiced learning to drive in a wide open area between two cemeteries in Summit Hill, my hometown. I learned on my father’s 1951 Chevy panel truck, which he used for our family’s grocery store business. (Oh the memories that were etched in that panel truck, but that’s a story for another day.)

When I first got my license, I cruised down Ludlow Street, Summit Hill’s main drag, and Lansford’s Ridge Street often with friends sitting on peach baskets in the back of the truck. That’s right. There were no seat belts. Aside from the driver’s and front passenger’s seats, there were no other seats in the truck.

When my dad was in a really good mood, he handed over the keys to his pride-and-joy: our 1955 red-and-white Buick Roadmaster.

The automobile was my passport to exploring new communities, new states, cool sites and getting attention from females. It was something I pretty much took for granted.

As I have aged, I notice slight discomforts. I have to stop more often (if only to pee). Depending on the time of day, I can get really tired. It is not uncommon for me on a four-hour trip to central New York state, where I once lived and worked, to pull into a rest stop for a 15-minute power nap.

The wave of older drivers and high profile accidents involving my age group have caught the attention of law-enforcement and state officials, prompting both to call for programs that would aim to allow seniors to keep driving if they can do so without endangering others and themselves.

According to USA Today quoting U.S. Census projections, the number of U.S. drivers 65 and older will jump from 41.7 million this year to 55 million in 2030. Today, about 20% of all drivers on the road are 65 or older, and that number will soon jump to 25%, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

More and more states are implementing additional and more frequent testing of seniors, particularly those who are in my age group - 80 and older.

In Maryland, state law allows doctors, police and residents, especially relatives, to refer suspected unfit drivers to the Motor Vehicle Administration’s Medical Advisory Board. Police have been referring about 700 drivers a year - about 60% of them 65 and over. In some cases, drivers are retested.

A 2004 Florida law requiring older drivers to pass a vision test before getting a license renewal has helped cut the death toll among drivers 80 or older by 17%, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The problem in trying to come up with a solution to this touchy issue is that people age so differently that it’s impossible to devise a fair single standard for ending driving privileges. One 80-year-old may be perfectly fine and responsible behind the wheel; another 80-year-old motorist can be a ticking time bomb.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com