I’ve driven in a lot of states and drivers in Florida have to be amongst the worst. How bad? It’s bad enough for me to write the State of Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to see what they’re doing about it…

Dear Road Rulers:

I must tell you that Florida is the scariest place I’ve even driven. I’ve never seen so many multi-vehicle accidents. It’s like a daily demolition derby out there!

Part of the problem is you keep issuing licenses to really old people, many of whom can’t see through their cataracts in their Cadillacs. Plus, too many have shrunk and it looks like no one is driving. If I’m behind a car with a headless driver, I immediately change lanes. If they can’t see over the wheel, you might as well hope the wind will propel the car because those folks can’t muster up enough power in their leg to step on the accelerator. Sometimes all you can see are two sets of knuckles on top of the wheel. Allowing people to knuckle-steer a vehicle with arthritis is a knucklehead idea. Many of these people can barely operate their walker, let alone a 4,000 pound vehicle.

Another problem is all the signs are in English, but most of the people in Florida don’t speak that language anymore. So they’re probably not getting the full message of the signs. I don’t know what SLIPPERY WHEN WET translates to in various languages, but for all we know, they could think it’s a friendly reminder to be careful in the shower when they arrive home. And some of the signs in English don’t make much sense even to people who speak English. For example: NO OUTLET. Seriously, just how many people do you think are driving around looking for electricity? Here’s a sign you might consider as a replacement: CAUTION: YOU COULD BE HIT MOMENTARILY BY SOMEONE WHO LOST THEIR REFLEXES 20 YEARS AGO!

What are you doing to keep Florida drivers safer from old people who can’t drive and those who can’t read, speak or pantomime English? Too many of them are accidents waiting to happen.

The Director of the Division of Driver Licenses responded with:

Thank you for your letter dated June 22, 2009, regarding driver safety.

Detection and remediation of unsafe drivers is one of our highest priorities. Florida has measures in place to re-examine any driver whose driving ability is questionable due to any physical, visual or mental impairment. Complaints received by our department of problem drivers are investigated, and if validated, re-examination is required. More information on reporting problem drivers can be accessed through our website at: http://www.floridagranddriver.com or http://hsmv.state.fl.us/html/dlnew.html.

The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles requires all drivers who are 80 years of age or older and are renewing their driver license, to pass a vision test. This test may be administered at no cost in a driver license office or at a licensed health care practitioner, such as a medical doctor, osteopath or optometrist.

Our focus is on capability rather than age as a determinant of driving ability. We are continuing to evaluate our testing procedures through research, pilot studies and model programs to find the best tools for driving skills screening. We are establishing a model program to identify drivers with physical and/or cognitive impairment who may be at significant risk for vehicular crashes through a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) cooperative agreement. This will, hopefully, promote early detection of problems through a tiered driver skill assessment system enabling local referral for remediation and/or treatment.

Our Florida GrandDriver® Program is an educational outreach geared toward our senior drivers with a website designed with linkages to information and resources on the issue. We encourage you to visit our website at http://www.floridagranddriver.com. Becoming involved by actively assisting local area transportation initiatives to meet the transportation needs of seniors is a great way to create solutions to safety problems.

As you probably know, Florida has a large population of people that speak many different languages. They must pass all of the required tests to acquire a Florida driver license, including traffic signs. Our department has no jurisdiction over the signs posted in English on Florida’s roadways. I recommend you contact the Department of Transportation, State Traffic Engineering and Operations Office at 866-374-3368, Ext. 5600, to express your concerns.

A change in law would be required for the department to make any of the changes you suggest. If you would like to learn more about the legislative process, including contacts for your local representative or senator, you can go to www.leg.state.fl.us. We do appreciate your concern and want to assure you that our department will continue to service all our customers to the best of our ability.

Final Thoughts: I’m impressed by this response, which was comprehensive, informative and addressed every one of my concerns. The State of Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is clearly being proactive and not staying idle on these issues. Let’s hope their efforts pay off because when you take the wheel in Florida, you may also be taking your life in your own hands, or at the very least, putting it in someone else’s arthritic hands.

When something that involves a consumer product (e.g. vehicles) isn’t the fault of the manufacturer (e.g. bad driving), sometimes you have to “state” your case before you Write The Company.