old driver obliviously drives wrong way on freeway

[LCHIEN]

I hope when i'm too old to drive someone takes my keys away before i do something like this:

http://www.asylum.com/2010/11/01/eld...-down-highway/

[cabinetman]

She may not be cognizant enough to drive, but it may have been she got confused with signage. In this area, there are plenty of retirees and seniors that drive in very congested areas. For what it's worth, the signage in some locations can confuse anyone.

It seems that some signs are too close to the exits or choices of roadway, and in heavy traffic with the speeds traveled, drivers have to make last moment decisions. It's fortunate that whatever her problem was that nobody was killed.
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[Sparky2002]

I was working along I-95 that day and saw some of the carnage left behind. It was reassuring that nobody was seriously hurt. We saw a truck stuck on the barrier wall.

I agree the signs are placed close to the exits and heavy fast moving traffic makes reading signs near impossible. On most of the ramps if traffic is light there is no problem with going down the wrong ramp. The only telling you that you are going the wrong way is the yellow line is on your left not right.

[toolguy1000]

once we get past 70, we should be road tested periodically, with the frequency of road tests increasing as we age. when we can't pass the test, we shouldn't be driving.

i've a friend whose father is 93 and he just renewed his license again, for 10 more years. he still drives a '72 cordoba daily in his neighborhood. i believe he is an accident waiting to happen.

[Daryl]

Reminds me of this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEZv0FUPtcc

[jking]

When I was in high school, we were in one of the school vans headed to a tournament on a four lane divided highway. As we got to the top of an overpass, in the adjacent lane a car driven by a older man was coming from the other direction. Somehow he'd turned into the wrong set of lanes & was southbound in a northbound lane. We were travelling in the right lane, if coach had been passing someone or been in the left lane for some reason, the result would have been pretty bad.

[LCHIEN]

She may not be cognizant enough to drive, but it may have been she got confused with signage. ...
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hey, she drove five or ten miles the wrong way with people honking at her and waving and still said later she didn't know she was on the wrong side or notice anything wrong. And somehow crossed three lanes, twice, to get to the inside lane and then exit.

A cognizant driver might make a mistake but would realize in about 3 seconds he was facing some bad -ass oncoming traffic.

Don't blame the signage, unless you are looking for an excuse...

[cabinetman]

A cognizant driver might make a mistake but would realize in about 3 seconds he was facing some bad -ass oncoming traffic.

Well maybe she thought the oncoming traffic was going the wrong way.
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[BobSch]

My wife's aunt just got her license renewed at 90. She had to have her DIL drive her to the exam station because she couldn't see well enough to get there on her own! Didn't stop the state of SD from renewing her ticket to drive.

[LCHIEN]

My wife's aunt just got her license renewed at 90. She had to have her DIL drive her to the exam station because she couldn't see well enough to get there on her own! Didn't stop the state of SD from renewing her ticket to drive.

A family of enablers doesn't help... Clearly no one wants to say no this aunt in your family. Nor the state of SD. Someone inthe family should step up to the others and call a pow-wow on the subject.

Maybe she needs a ID card so she can go drinking.

of all the ways to go in life, I don't want to be the one cut down by a little old lady in a mental fog on the way to the dentist.

[sparkeyjames]

At least she wasn't near a farmers market.

[Rich P]

When my Mom got to that stage I told her I wouldn't come to her aid if she hurt herself or someone else. That stopped her cold but of course I became her personal driver (at least in her mind).

I tried to get her set up with the Santa Clara Valley Transit senior/disabled door to door service. They came out to interview her (I wasn't there) and when they asked her why she couldn't drive her response was......."Oh, I can drive." End of interview!

Fortunately from that point forward the only thing she drove was me nuts!

[dbhost]

When my Mom got to that stage I told her I wouldn't come to her aid if she hurt herself or someone else. That stopped her cold but of course I became her personal driver (at least in her mind).

I tried to get her set up with the Santa Clara Valley Transit senior/disabled door to door service. They came out to interview her (I wasn't there) and when they asked her why she couldn't drive her response was......."Oh, I can drive." End of interview!

Fortunately from that point forward the only thing she drove was me nuts!

I wish Houston Metro's Metro Lift service came down this far. My BIL really shouldn't drive, and sometimes LOML or myself have other obligations when he has to go somewhere... That's usually when we get another of the in laws to help out, but that is like getting a lawyer to tell the truth...

[Richard in Smithville]

This is an excert from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

Drivers Aged 80 and Over
Starting at age 80, drivers are required to renew their licence every two years, the requirements to renew their licence include completing the following:

Vision test
Written test
Group education session, providing information on driving tips, age-related changes that can affect driving and ways that seniors can adapt.

[Rand]

I once met someone heading the wrong way down an exit ramp as I was getting off the freeway. We didn't crash but it's pretty scary.

I think people ought to be tested periodically no matter what their age. I'd really like people to be tested in a simulator to see if they can merge with 60 mph traffic.