A co-worker has told me that her 89 yo father has very poor eyesight, fluctuating blood pressure, intermittent dehydration and possibly the onset of dementia. He has also failed to renew his drivers license as he doesn't think he will pass the eye test. He drives daily during the early morning to meet his friends for coffee during he height of school bus activity. He also drives daily to the grocery store during the height of school buses dropping students off at their homes. I am terrified that he is going to strike a student going to or from school. I have begged her to make him stop driving as he is a danger on the roads. She won't. Should I contact the town's police department and report him? What should I do?
clarity2008-10-08T19:27:19Z
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You definitely need to contact the police department. Your friend need not be involved in any way. You are doing what is best for one elderly man who no longer understands what he is doing, and for lots of innocent people who should not have to deal with his bad decisions.
There are many Seniors on the road that should have stopped driving long ago. If you live in a small town, then you can give location of where this man lives. The best bet would be to follow him and write down his license plate number. Also note anything you see that may be a problem. Then you will have something to say when you go to the Police Dept. They will also need his license number if they are just going to watch him
California law says that any diabetic on medication is subject to having their license pulled. Also any Opthalmologist that has a patient with low eyesight is required to notify the DMV of that fact. Also, any Senior on any medication that would make them sleepy or slow response time are not supposed to drive (but they still do).
One who doesn`t see or hear well, has slow reflexes or who travels 25mph in a 55 mph zone all pose a hazard to self and other drivers. Also elderly drivers who easily get lost or are confused can end up on the wrong side of the road, driving against traffic.
If he 'doesn't think' he'll pass the eye test,then it's a racing certainty he wont. If he's driving on an expired licence,then his insurance will be void,so any accident he's involved in he'll have to pay,the unfortunate victim may not get anything. He should be told that if he persists in driving,he'll be reported. I wish eye tests were compulsary every year,Failing eye-sight comes slowly and is rarely noticed until it's too late
You can report him anonymously. I know that some people might think this is an underhanded thing to do, but the police will probably just pull him for a routine traffic check and discover he has no license. Quite honestly, it would be doing his children a favor because they won't have to be the bad guys. This is one of the hardest things that grown children must deal with when their parents are no longer safe drivers.