"When should Azlheimer's patients stop driving?"

This is a pretty tough issue. I wonder if legislation will ever be introduced on this issue - although personally, I kind of doubt it will happen because of the potential political ramifications.

There isn't really a way to discuss this issue without seeming ageist. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating that people should have their licenses taken away once they reach a certain age - the opposite, in fact. But I'm glad they're coming up with tests to determine if people are still safe to drive. I think not only elderly people but people in general should be required to take some sort of test every ten years to determine driving competency, and perhaps every five years once they reach a certain age. As I understand it, the system now is to allow people to drive until their licenses are taken away, OR until someone writes in and asks the DMV to retest a driver (which can be done anonymously). The current system doesn't come close to taking into account how awkward that can be. In October of 2007 when I went to visit my grandparents, my mom asked me to determine whether or not my grandfather was competent to drive - which is a hell of a lot of responsibility for an 18 year old. I didn't think he was the safest person on the road, but he later made it clear in a discussion with family members that he would never forgive someone if they interfered with his driving, which to him was a mark of his independence. If a system is developed to regularly test and determine if drivers (of ALL ages) are safe, it would both keep the roads safer and minimize the number of families having to make these sorts of painful decisions.