Silver alerts offer proof some elderly shouldn’t be driving (Opinion)

According to NJ.com, police Friday morning were asking for the public's help in finding a missing 83-year-old man. They put out a silver alert. Much like an amber alert which is for missing children, a silver alert is to help locate senior citizens.

In this case, the 83-year-old was last seen in Scotch Plains. He is described as being "disoriented" and having heart disease for which he needs medication. He would be driving a 2008 Toyota Avalon with New Jersey plate KPB-71Y.

In many cases I find the irony in silver alerts a tough pill to swallow. The very same government puts out these silver alerts that allows elderly folks to continue driving, unchecked, untested. So here you have New Jersey admitting this person is driving a car yet is disoriented and has a serious heart condition.

Very often these silver alerts are about older people suffering debilitating Alzheimer's and/or with severe medical conditions, yet New Jersey has no problem allowing them to drive. Too often the information contained in a silver alert is like an admission that the government has failed in its duty to keep the public as well as the elderly person safe.

According to TheSeniorList.com 31 states now have some alternate set of standards for licensing older drivers. New Jersey remains in the minority of states that does absolutely nothing to ensure public safety.

It's time law makers started worrying about elderly lives rather than elderly votes.

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