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repairs. The money they sink each year into maintaining their vehicles could be better used to buy into an on-demand car service, either operated by local governments or in a public-private partnership. Regardless, the prospect of one-in-four Florida drivers being older than 65 in little more than 15 years, when the state already leads the nation in traffic fatalities involv- ing senior drivers, is not anything we want to become a reality. Alternatives to unsound drivers must be found, and found soon. The state — especially the Legislature — might shy away from addressing this issue. Certainly, its long-standing temerity in dealing with the equally dangerous practice of texting while driving is an indication that resolving the problem of elderly drivers is one it would rather ignore. However, preventable deaths that occur on our highways are the worst sort of senseless fatalities. There is no such thing as "acceptable losses" when it comes to highway deaths. And, without action on the part of the Legislature, the problem will only get worse. % COMMENTARY In Nora Ephron's very funny and insightful book titled I Remember Nothing, she tries to console herself by rationalizing that her many relationships with men were not really all that bad — the reason being that she does not want to remember the hurt. I would like to tweak her title a bit and say that if it regards something electronic or mechanical (non-human) that is more than 10 years old, I have forgotten everything. This is a different take on "use it or lose it." If I do not continually use a gadget I have learned to operate expertly, the odds are excellent that I will lose my memory and, once again, know nothing about how it functions. I HAVE FORGOTTEN EVERYTHING By Harriet Cuthbert Contributing Writer As I wander around the house and notice odd-looking items still in their usual places, I wonder why we have not moved them out. Here is our ancient videocassette recorder under the new, HD/DVR cable box. I cannot even remember how to turn it on, let alone how to record a show at a later date. I used to be a whiz and never even asked the children for help. And what am I supposed to do with all the videotapes I have accumulated? I cannot remember how to play them, if only for nos- talgia's sake. I know I can transfer them to DVDs, but somehow that does not seem fair. Right next to the VCR is something that looks like a turntable that probably plays 10- and COMMENTARY OPINION Sarasota News Leader February 14, 2014 Page 90