Restricting Driving Priviledges for the Elderly

[kani-lehua]

anyone besides me taking care of elderly parents? try taking their car keys away from them. whoa boy! get ready for a big fight/argument.

we had to take mom's keys away from her before she either killed herself or someone else. she would stop in the middle of the road because she had forgotten where she was going. we did that and then she would see her car sitting in the garage. so, we had to sell it. she would spend hours looking for her keys. mom has alzheimer's.

then there's the neighbor across the street who has parkinson's disease. she came over to give us some brownies in reciprocation for the guavas we had given her. i walked her back to her house; helped her get her mail which she kept dropping; helped her in her house; helped feed her lunch and washed her dishes. where was her husband? ON THE GOLF COURSE! he called. she passed me the phone (she doesn't like talking on the phone). i asked, "when are you coming back?" he says, "another couple of hours. we're not done yet." this family is in serious denial. the husband said that the wife was supposed to eat portuguese bean soup for lunch. HELLO?! she's so afraid of choking that she only could manage to eat some potatoes, macaroni and what little broth that was there.

families, neighbors, friends, etc. need to be more involved with their loved ones as they age.


malia paha o lohe aku

perhaps they will hear

[aprild]

It was pretty easy to get my mom to give up driving when that elderly man killed all those people at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market a few years back. The timing was perfect for me.

I can't believe that man's family didn't take his car keys away before he hurt and killed all those people.



april

[kani-lehua]

sorry, a little off topic. but, take a look at this video: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/caringforyourparents/. also, has anyone seen the movie the "notebook"?

malia paha o lohe aku

perhaps they will hear

[Bob Orts]

According to ALL studies, drivers age 16 – 19 are the worst and most dangerous drivers in the US. You are more likely to be killed by a teenage driver versus a driver in all three of the senior categories (65-75, 75-85, 85+) which spans 20 years instead of only 4 years for teenagers.

[Bullwinkle]

one of my favorite quotes...

"I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather, not like the screaming passengers in his back seat"

[Guest]

quote:

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Originally posted by Bob Orts

According to ALL studies, drivers age 16 – 19 are the worst and most dangerous drivers in the US. You are more likely to be killed by a teenage driver versus a driver in all three of the senior categories (65-75, 75-85, 85+) which spans 20 years instead of only 4 years for teenagers.

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Stats are skewed.

There are much more drivers in that age range then the senior category.

On Oahu, there are very few drivers that are over the age of 60.... (like less then 20 % of people over the age of 60 drive...just a guess no facts here)

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The more we speak up... the more they will listen.

[Les C]

I dunno, Damon. My mom drove in Honolulu until she was 85. She was a very sharp person. But when she saw a story in the newspaper about an 85 year-old woman running down and killing another elderly person on Waialae Ave. in Kaimuki, she wisely said, "Maybe I shouldn't be driving anymore". And that was that. My dad drove until he was past his capability. We had to take away his driving privileges. I see a lot of elderly folks, well over 60, still driving in Honolulu. Makes me shudder. One difficulty for the family is in taking away part of someone's freedom at a time of life when so many other options become less available. It's not easy, but in many cases, quite necessary.

Now, keeping kids (who haven't quite figured out what responsibility is) out of cars is a whole other subject. A tough row to hoe when you see parents giving their very young kids their own cell phones, etc.

[Bob Orts]

quote:

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Originally posted by Damon
Stats are skewed.

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Only if you don't agree with them.

I bet if Hunter Bishop posted the stats on his site, you would flip-flop like a republican caught with an escort.

[DrJ]

Stats are screwy. I read a book which I'll link to at the bottom, which was very informative about how easy it is to manipulate a statistic simply by wording, placement and demographics. Always read statistics with a grain of salt. But that's off topic.

Again it's ability. I don't trust 16 yo drivers either. They are just as dangerous. The problem is that 16 yo are usually the ones speeding and doing stupid things. Elderly are usually the ones who stop in the middle of traffic, merge dangerously etc. It really depends on the person. Some can keep driving some can't, so it's unfair to simply say "when you turn 75 turn in your DL" We should probably have a system in place saying once you turn ___ (certain age) you will be tested every ___ years for driving ability.

Here's link:
http://www.amazon.com/Lies-Damn-Statistics-Manipulation-Opinion/dp/0393331490/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208536335&sr=8-1

p.s. Flip flopping like Spitzer you mean? Oh wait.. he was a Democrat []

[mella l]

I don't think the stats are skewed.

Agressive behavior, feeling of omnipotence and raging hormone levels tell the story. Even seeing teenage friends die in accidents, no matter the cause, doesn't seem to educate some of the youth.

mella l