Oldest driver in NZ, 105, still upset over only ticket
Source: Agencies |
June 6, 2013, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
BOB Edwards was born before the first Model T rolled out of Henry Ford's factory in Detroit. He learned to drive in a French car that had a lever instead of a steering wheel. And he's still on the road, only now in a red, four-wheel-drive Mitsubishi.
The oldest licensed driver in New Zealand, and one of the oldest in the world, has been driving for 88 of his 105 years and has no plans to give it up, just as he intends to keep working out every morning in his home gym, and to keep regularly cooking meals for himself and his wife, who's 91.
"In fact, I don't think I'm old," Edwards says. "Not really."
He's been involved in just one crash in his life and has gotten just one speeding ticket, a citation that still gets him riled years later. When he broke his left hip three years ago, his doctors told to stop driving for six weeks but he didn't pay them much mind. He says he drives an automatic and only needs his right leg for that.
In New Zealand, drivers older than 80 must have their health and vision tested every two years to stay on the road. Many countries in Europe and US states have similar requirements.
While stories about elderly drivers making mistakes or causing crashes often make headlines, it's young drivers who tend to cause the most damage.
"Older drivers, on a per-kilometer-driven basis, are involved in far fewer crashes than younger drivers," said Andy Knackstedt, a spokesman for the New Zealand Transport Agency, which oversees driver testing.
According to Guinness World Records, the world's oldest driver was American Fred Hale Sr. who was on the road until his 108th birthday in 1998.
Edwards drives three times a week to a store 15 kilometers away. He picks up groceries on Sundays and the newspapers on other days. Occasionally he drives farther, to an appointment or to visit friends.
The oldest licensed driver in New Zealand, and one of the oldest in the world, has been driving for 88 of his 105 years and has no plans to give it up, just as he intends to keep working out every morning in his home gym, and to keep regularly cooking meals for himself and his wife, who's 91.
"In fact, I don't think I'm old," Edwards says. "Not really."
He's been involved in just one crash in his life and has gotten just one speeding ticket, a citation that still gets him riled years later. When he broke his left hip three years ago, his doctors told to stop driving for six weeks but he didn't pay them much mind. He says he drives an automatic and only needs his right leg for that.
In New Zealand, drivers older than 80 must have their health and vision tested every two years to stay on the road. Many countries in Europe and US states have similar requirements.
While stories about elderly drivers making mistakes or causing crashes often make headlines, it's young drivers who tend to cause the most damage.
"Older drivers, on a per-kilometer-driven basis, are involved in far fewer crashes than younger drivers," said Andy Knackstedt, a spokesman for the New Zealand Transport Agency, which oversees driver testing.
According to Guinness World Records, the world's oldest driver was American Fred Hale Sr. who was on the road until his 108th birthday in 1998.
Edwards drives three times a week to a store 15 kilometers away. He picks up groceries on Sundays and the newspapers on other days. Occasionally he drives farther, to an appointment or to visit friends.
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