Most important National issue
11/27/07
Most important National issue
With the upcoming primaries, elections and other various assorted money-wasting, carbon footprinting, and human excrement-slinging blow hard politicians all gathered in mostly one place we need to discuss perhaps this decade's greatest threat to mankind.
Its not border security, Iran, Iraq or Afghanistan, not religion, not Roe vs. Wade, not democrat or republican, not even our French speaking friends in Montreal....
ELDERLY DRIVERS
Now I have yet another friend whom has either lost limb or life in a motor vehicle at the hands of some wrinkled prune who cant see 10 feet in front of their face or the bluehairs whom can see fine but get mentally confused about how to get up out of bed in the morning.
GET THESE BASTARDS OFF THE ROAD. I would personally vote for the next Gubernatorial candidate here whom MANDATES driver testing and real-road-driving test accepted standards for any person over 55 yrs old. Yes it will cost more money, tax me, I'll gladly pay it. Yes it will be an administrative nightmare to oversee, what could be worse than our welfare system already?
I am in serious doubt of the NTSA's finding on the number of accidents of our young, middle aged and elderly. I'm all about real-world facts, figures and findings. Every accident I see along the side most ALWAYS has some wrinkled up prune whom is obviously lost standing amongst the other victims waiting on a cop to take the report.
To any bluehairs reading this:
*Please drive within 5mph of the speed limit.
*Please do not drive at night if you have trouble seeing in the daytime.
*Push the turn signal lever down for left, push it up for right.
*Please do not drive between the hours of 7:30-9:00am and 4:00-7:00pm.
*Please stay home on the weekends. Leave the roads to us whom work during the week that are trying to get all our errands done unencumbered. Drive during the hours of 9:30am and 3:30pm Monday-Friday only.
*Please do not take your Chihuaua, Pekingnese or other small animal on your lap while driving.
*Please do not use the left lane unless you're ready to turn left, not right.
*Please consider hiring someone to do your running for you, its cheaper - especially when you consider my rates won't go up when you wreck, not to mention all the people who you're going to put in the hospital.
*Please consider giving up your drivers license if you have trouble remembering your children's names.
*Please consider giving up your drivers license if you own more than 5 cats.
Get better Gary Mount, We're all praying for you.
D.
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Comments, Pingbacks:
I've posted on elderly drivers. The thing that irks me the most is that after a major incident there will always be a record of how many 'near misses' or 'minor incidents' the person was in. I'm not certain how often a person should be tested over 65, but clearly if they keep hitting the fucking mailbox each time they back out of the driveway, or clipping the garage door on the way in then they *need* to be looked at.
The other issue I have is that when elderly drivers kill, injure or maim someone they almost always get off, and I never read that they get their license revoked. If you kill or hurt someone through negligence then it's your responsibility, and just because you're "old" doesn't mean you should get away scott free...
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11/27/07 @ 13:19 Must be a rough job, but I guess they're the front line keeping the rest of us safe...
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11/27/07 @ 13:22 As it turns out she's 82, house has been reverse mortgaged, no 401 money, no stocks, no bonds, no estate.. nothing. Her insurance has paid its max and he's stuck with 135k in hospital bills to repair his crushed pelvis, broken, cracked ribs, broken arm, broken collar bone and right leg amputation. That number does not include the prosthesis he's going to need.
She was only cited for failure to control, 2 points, $195.00 fine... and is still driving today.
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11/27/07 @ 15:08 Many of our vehicle are too big, making them even more dangerous for people who opt for smaller ones or are pedestrians. More and more people shun an urban life for a suburban one, making driving a necessity. Even if the elderly are willing to live where transportation is not an issue, city dwelling tends to be more expensive and a fixed income may not go so far. This problem will only get worse before it gets better with the baby boomers reaching retirement.
That is another point, no legislature will ever be willing to pass a law against the powerful AARP constituency. Old people vote, politicians know this.
More infrastructure needs to be in place to accommodate transportation needs of the elderly. Before you say "senior housing" consider the restrictions they place on people who have owned their own home for possibly decades. For example, the local senior housing in my community does not allow pets. My neighbor wouldn't give up her dog and move. Would I give up my cats and move in? Fuck no! If they truly want to protect the community, then they should be a bit more lenient. (Oh, and the 5 cat comment is uncalled for - I have two friends who have or have had 5 or more cats each and their driving skills are just fine, thank you)
Ask your self honestly - am I going to be willing to hang up the car keys? Do not be willing to force upon another those same things you will not be willing to give up in 20, 30, 40 or more years.
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11/27/07 @ 16:58 There is no room here for bleeding hearts. This is a genuine issue.
And to answer your question, yes, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. When I reach 55 i will gladly take the test just like everybody else does.
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11/27/07 @ 18:18 Young drivers destroy 1000's of lives, too. In my local area we have been having a report on the local news every other day on this or that teenager or young adult killing a passenger or people in another car. Most of the people I personally know that were in accidents where they were seriously injured, the accident had nothing to due with someone being "old", it had to do with people being distracted, just plain stupid, or raging - not seeing a light was red, talking on a cell phone, driving too fast for the conditions and lord knows what else. Therefore its not always an old person's fault. In fact, my aunt and uncle, who you would likely consider "elderly", were killed when they were cut off by a younger driver. The police report indicated that the other driver was 100% at fault - she ran a red light. I know my uncle was a good driver - I rode with him many times.
Bad driving is a genuine issue - but it does not only have a wrinkled face and gray hair.
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11/27/07 @ 23:47 GG Jeanette Sliwinski.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-sliwinski_webnov27nov27,0,4853493.story?coll=chi_tab01_layout
On Monday, the victims' families learned that the driver, former model Jeanette Sliwinski, could be out of prison by the time they mark the fourth anniversary of the Chicago musicians' deaths in July 2009.
A defense psychiatrist had testified that Sliwinski, who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, suffered from a bipolar disorder with psychotic episodes, leading her to crash her car at 87 m.p.h. into stopped traffic at a Skokie stoplight.
She told authorities she had gotten in a fight with her mother in the family's Morton Grove home July 14, 2005, before she got in her car, drove east on Dempster Street and slammed into Dahlquist's car at Niles Center Road.
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11/28/07 @ 09:54 Right on the AARP website you can see where they lobby against mandatory testing and restrictions on driving due to age. The government has obviously gave into the largest lobbying power in the USA, AARP. Sure they'll obfuscate the numbers to make the young and middle aged drivers pay more for their wrecks.
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11/28/07 @ 11:04 Leave a comment:
bman
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