Drivers license rant

kaiser715

kaiser715

Doing hard time
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Location
7, Pocket, NC
Caution, rant follows:

I just had it out with my Uncle over driving. He is 86, can't half see, and the doc told him a couple of years ago he should stop driving. We've kept his car from him since that time, but lately he's been raising a ruckus about driving, and it came to a head today.

Of course, nothing is wrong with him. ;) According to him, at least. He has macular degeneration (which he denies), dementia (which he is oblivious to), and a few physical ailments (that he thinks won't hurt his driving -- like leg cramps and numbness).

A few weeks ago, he lost his drivers license (misplaced). He got a ride down to the DMV to get a replacement. "Nice" lady at the DMV, since he was just a month or so from having to renew, offered to do it as a 5-year renewal instead. He failed the sign test, and failed the vision test (miserably). She gave him a license -- for 5 years -- anyway.

WTF?

It would have been so easy for her to fail him on the vision (acutally, fail the vision part...he'd then have the option of an eye doc signing off on it)...but she gave him a license.

Grrrrrrrr.
 
She should at least be reprimanded for that. I'd bring it to the attention of her supervisor. Florida will renew by mail. My G-Mother-in-law got her's renewed from here in NC, where she sat with alzheimer's disease, completely unable to drive. Her hubs did it just so she'd have a picture ID, but it's that easy.
 
Years ago I got behind a very bad driver in town,wandering in and out of lane slowly, 35mph 5 lane. I was about to honk as they sat at a green light for 10+/- secs. as the other lane drove on. That's when I recognized the car, It was my grandma! I felt horrible about my anger and her driving ability also. I called my mom and told her what I saw and she said the family had been trying to get her to stop driving for months but she was very stubborn and determined to keep driving. My phone call was the last straw. She was finally stopped and about this time she started to loose perception due to dementia a few weeks later. The DMV screwed up and someone could be fired for this I would think. I would not take this lightly. And try to be as understanding as you can be when dealing w the ol man. Good luck.
 
Back in 2000 I was driving down Independence Blvd in Charlotte and a 96 year old man driving a Chrysler LHS came across the median and landed on top of my car. He had changed lanes in the oncoming lane and hit a Ford Explorer which turned him. Instead of hitting the brake he floored it and jumped the dirt hump in the median and landed on my 92 Subaru GL. Thanks to him I now have back problems, as screwed up left shoulder and ankle and memory problems from the massive concussion. If and when my parents get too old to drive I will personally take their car away from them and take their license.

The person who renewed his license should be fired immediately. You need to notify his insurance company that he is not safe to drive. Once they pull his insurance the rest will be academic.
 
catfishblues said:
She should at least be reprimanded for that. I'd bring it to the attention of her supervisor. Florida will renew by mail. My G-Mother-in-law got her's renewed from here in NC, where she sat with alzheimer's disease, completely unable to drive. Her hubs did it just so she'd have a picture ID, but it's that easy.
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Problem is, she IS the supervisor of this office. And retiring in a few more days. I don't think there is anything I can do thru the state to get him recalled and retested -- until he has a wreck.

I'm thinking tomorrow I'll offer to bring his car, keys, etc over...IF he'll do one thing....go to an optometrist, and get him to sign off that he sees fine, and vision is good enough for driving. I know he won't pass.
 
kaiser715 said:
Problem is, she IS the supervisor of this office. And retiring in a few more days. I don't think there is anything I can do thru the state to get him recalled and retested -- until he has a wreck.

I'm thinking tomorrow I'll offer to bring his car, keys, etc over...IF he'll do one thing....go to an optometrist, and get him to sign off that he sees fine, and vision is good enough for driving. I know he won't pass.
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Offering to take the car back to him is a mistake. What are you going to do when he takes it back then drives it and hurts himself or someone else. Stand your ground. Tell him it is not safe for him to drive and you will not bring his car back.
 
Does the DMV worker know him personally? If he has been diagnosed w cognitive impairments perhaps his doctor could recomend his time for driveing is over. Warbeast, I hope you got a sizeable settlement out of your run in w the elder driver. I'm glad you were not killed or brain damaged any more than you describe. I hear this type of thing happens frequently in Florida for obvious reasons. Another problem w old drivers are the speeds and heavy traffic they did'nt have to deal with when they were younger.
 
TheWarBeast said:
Offering to take the car back to him is a mistake. What are you going to do when he takes it back then drives it and hurts himself or someone else. Stand your ground. Tell him it is not safe for him to drive and you will not bring his car back.
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Agreed...driving is a privilege, not a right. I think too many folks forget that these days...be it parents signing off on their teenager who is nowhere near ready/responsible to drive, DMV associates issuing licenses to folks who obviously shouldn't be driving or even experienced drivers that take unnecessary risks. IMO, driving is like handling a loaded weapon, it's tough to take back a misdirected 4000lb bullet.
 
Yeah, giving him his car back would be only under the condition of him getting signed off by an eye doc...which would not happen.

Only problem with getting him diag'ed with dementia....like many, he can pull himself together and appear perfectly normal for a short time...like when going to the doctor, etc. Some days, he's crazy as can be.
 
TheWarBeast said:
You need to notify his insurance company that he is not safe to drive. Once they pull his insurance the rest will be academic.
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This is the only route you can go that will automatically have the license revoked.

Remember, in NC you license is automatically void if you don't have insurance. So see to it that the insurance is yanked, and it'll happen.
And, conveniently you/he can blame it on "the system" (e.g. the big mean insurance Big Brother system wtaching everybody) for him losing his license, as opposed to him seeing it as you being the bad guy...
"Wow Uncle, that's too bad, I have no idea how they found out about it..."
 
Insurance Co.?

Couldn't he just go to another Ins.Co.? Anyway, I be going higher up with DMV; inspector , or someone. How do you Fail the eye test, & get a license? Limited?, maybe, as in 45mph max, no interstate, & daytime only! I've known oldsters, with those, that still drive in their neighborhood.
The opposite, thing happened to my Mother years ago. Don't recall how the DMV got involved, but after she had cornea transplants, & recovered to 20/20-20/30, she was still required to have her eye surgeon, sign off for her, EVERY year! DMV Raleigh Doctors, refused to change the requirement[dumbasses], & she drove for 15 more years, until other complications, set in.:shaking:
 
The AARP has one of the most powerful lobbying orgainizations in the country. This problem is not going to go away.
 
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