From There to Here

I’m rather perturbed this morning before work, and it’s not just because I’m up early and can’t fall back to sleep.

I’m watching a news report on television about the state taking away a license from another elderly person. A 86-year-old driver hit and hurt an elderly pedestrian badly this past week. This is the fourth such accident involving an elder operating a motor vehicle in the past month.

From the same story:

Two weeks ago, the state revoked the driver’s license of an elderly Canton woman after she allegedly struck and killed a 4-year-old girl in a pedestrian walkway in Stoughton. The driver, Ilse Horn, was cited by Stoughton police for motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation.

On June 2, a 93-year-old man drove his car into the entrance of a Wal-Mart in Danvers, injuring six people when he hit the gas pedal instead of the brake. The next day, seven people were injured in Plymouth when a car driven by a 73-year-old woman jumped a curb and ran into a crowd gathered at a war memorial.

I’m concerned about the double standard here. When a Green Line train crashed and injured passengers because the driver was texting, all kinds of new laws and regulations went into effect. The city of Boston banned texting in city vehicles, the state took up legislation to ban texting while driving, etc. From one incident on a train, we have a whole host of new laws and regulations for those driving cars. Meanwhile, four elderly drivers get in car accidents in one month, and nothing happens to elderly drivers.

To its credit, the state is meeting today to discuss having drivers 85 years and older be tested. I disagree with the age limitation — I would push for 75 and over — but I’m happy we’re taking steps to put this law on the books. I’m just confused as to the double standard; if someone driving a train is texting and is in an accident, we have all kinds of laws being proposed and things happening almost immediately for those driving in cars. After four high-profile accidents and the death a child, this legislation is only today being heard by committee.

The cynic in me has it figured out: young people text, old people vote. But I’d like to think that’s not a factor. Have there been other crashes caused by texting that aren’t as high profile? Sure. You can find countless examples all over the internet. And I’m not arguing against the ban on texting while driving. But we need to do something about elderly drivers as well.

It’s the toughest decision a family has to make, and can we really rely on them to make it? My aunt was an awful driver, but we didn’t do anything to take away her license. My grandfather is still an amazing driver; I’m sure the man would ace a driving test no problem. And he probably wouldn’t have a problem with taking one either. My grandmother still has her license, but she hasn’t driven in years. She has no intention of driving. But should she give up the license and get a state ID card? Why not? What’s the harm in that?

If families can’t have the hard conversation — and I can’t imagine ever telling my mother or father that the time has come and they need to stop driving — the state needs to step in and intervene for the sake of public safety. We should depend on the judgment of these families — they’re often the ones driving with the elder and observe them frequently in high-stress driving situations — but that conversation is just very difficult to have. I’m glad this hearing is happening today, and I’m hoping it leads to better regulations in licensing senior drivers so all of us throughout the Commonwealth can be safe on the roads.