analog

Teens are responsible for the most fatal car accidents because of drug and alcohol use, and inappropriate driving choices like racing. This has absolutely nothing to do with competency driving, and everything to do with their choices BEFORE they get behind the wheel.

All the DRIVING education in the world won't help a high or drunk teen, or a teen who is pressured into racing his buddies, from getting in the car. You can be the best driver there is, and still make inappropriate choices like drinking and driving, or getting pressured into racing someone.

To reduce the fatality rate of teens in auto accidents, the source is alcohol and drug prevention education, not driving education.

The elderly, on the other hand, are not a danger on the road because they're drunk or high. They are a danger because they have high likelihood of reduced response times, slow reaction/coordination of movement, often poor muscle control or weakness, and many other things. Their issue is purely with being able to perform the task of driving safely within the limits of necessary psychological and motor skills to do so.

I have a customer who always drive up to the pharmacy to pick up her medication. The woman is very frail, has terrible tremors, and can't pick up much anything more than a few pounds. In addition to her weakness, she moves very slowly due to her arthritis, among other ailments. But she still drives. There is no way that woman has the appropriate, necessary physical capability to pilot that car safely. It takes her a solid minute to reach out and pick something up from the drawer, and you can tell she struggles to do even that.