News of the Wierd

[Longgone]

Today in the Virginia Beach ,Va. news, a 96 year old lady got in her Cadillac this morning to run some errands. In leaving her house she inadvertently hit the gas pedal instead of the brakes, crashing the car through a pole and into a pond behind her house. The car floated a few minutes and during that time she called Onstar, who summoned fire and rescue crews to the scene. She talked with the Onstar assistant while the car filled with water. Emergency teams didn`t arrive in time and she was drowned. I thought this was quite a story with the woman being 96 and then having the wits to call Onstar. I would hate to have been the Onstar operator on the receiving end of that call.

 

[Cerwin]

Im confused....

Do I laugh?

:toothy7:

or do I feel bad?

:sad:

 

[Longgone]

:wack: Yeah , that`s what I thought! Wierd huh!

 

[71 Dart]

Almost makes you wonder if the Onstar operator actually knew this lady was submerged in a pond ? This was part of an e-mail we received a while back:

"I've sure gotten old, I've had two bypass operations, a hip replacement, new knees. Fought prostrate cancer and diabetes, I'm half blind and can't hear anything quieter than a jet engine. I take 40 different medications that make me feel dizzy winded and subject to black outs. I have bouts with dementia. Have poor circulation, sometimes I can't feel my hands or feet. Can't remember if I'm 85 or 92, and have lost all my friends, they have died.......But thank God I still have my driver's license.

Point is, there are a lot of old people who may have perfect driving records, but there comes a time when they shouldn't be behind the wheel. What if: this old lady was driving down the street and ran upon the sidewalk and ran over a mother pushing a stroller. We maybe laugh, but it ain't funny.

 

['64 Cuda]

She might not have called Onstar. If the air bags deploy, the vehicle automatically notifies Onstar for you. I believe then they call you. Not that it helped much in this situation.............

 

[Cerwin]

I agree totally with 71dart, There should be a standardization of all vehical driving laws country wide. Once you hit a certain age you should be REQUIRED by lay to retake your test. physical, writen and driven. Im sure it would cut down on the amount of accidents and people would complain, but for those complaining.. They are the ones that know they wont pass.. If you drive fine, then you will get your license renewed for another 2 yrs say then you can do it all over again. cuz at that age you shouldnt be driving if you cant meet the requirements. plan and simple.

Who agrees?

 

[EvilScamp]

My Grandmother was 95 when she quit driving,she quit on her own because she said she didn't trust herself behind the wheel anymore.
In all that time she only had one accident about 10 years ago and it wasn't even her fault.
I never really thought about it before but not long after she quit driving she told me that she learned to drive on a Model T !
Kinda put things into prospective on just how old she is.

 

[fishy68]

Here in Illinois drivers over a certain age (age 80 I think) do have to take their test every 2 yrs. whether or not they have any accidents. Unfortunately even then it's still not enough. Point in case. Just 2 weeks ago I heard on the news that in the Shiloh/Belleville area a mid 80's lady was on her way to driving instructions because she had to retake her driving test in a couple weeks. On the way to class for some unknown reason she drove up a dead end street that ended up behind a grade school cafeteria and instead of hitting the brake she floored the gas. It was lunch hour. The car crashed through the cafeterial and killed a 9 year old boy. It was very saddening to hear.

 

[lawndart360]

I agree 100%. 1st story is a 99 year old lady, parked on main street in angled parking facing an eating establishment. Started the car, put it in gear, the wrong gear, when the car wouldn't move, against the parking stop, she mashed the gas and the eatery now had a drive thru, no major injuries thank goodness.
2nd one, I was 50 feet from that same location, watched a very old lady go through a red light and get t-boned right in front of me. She opened her door and started to get out. She was still belted and the car was idling forward. I ran up, just as I grabbed the gear selector, she mashed the gas, the car lurched to the rear, sending me for a loop, only a few bruises thankfully. Hit another person and a car before finally stopping. Both agreed it was time to stop driving.

 

[FASTBACK340]

Here in NYC you wouldn't BELIEVE how people drive..... Scares the hell outta me thinking of having the B`cuda totaled by some incompetent fool. I think it should be mandatory for EVERYONE to take the test upon renewal.


Whatta ya got to fear?

 

[Cerwin]

Here in NYC you wouldn't BELIEVE how people drive..... Scares the hell outta me thinking of having the B`cuda totaled by some incompetent fool. I think it should be mandatory for EVERYONE to take the test upon renewal.


Whatta ya got to fear?

i used to go down to NY from up in ontario.. for a day of driving around and having fun and my god.. ya i know what you mean..

 

[fishy68]

John a buddy of mine that lived here about 15 yrs. ago was a truck driver and had to make a run to downtown NYC once a month. He hated it because of what you described. He said them fools thought they could run over his semi with their Yugos and tried it every chance they got.

 

[magnumdart]

The highway is a dangerous place to be. One of the stupidest things we can do is climb behind the wheel of an auto, but we do because all that bad stuff happens to someone else, right? The scary part is there are quadroplegics out there that can't even feed themselves, but they have a license to operate a moter vehicle. My personal opinion, you need four years of college physics before you take the written test.

 

[DragginMAster]

having been a professional driver, I think everyone should be subject to the same restrictions of CDL holders.

Random drug screens, logging of your driving time and the same severe laws. As it is truckers allowable BAC is halved from a normal drivers. Why? a Buick is just as deadly as a Mack.

But I also think a 2 year stint driving a CDL required vehicle should be mandatory.

 

[magnumdart]

DragginMAster, I also own a 99 Freightshaker and you would have a hard time convincing me that everyone should have to drive a big truck. Some of the people out there cannot successfully navigate a shopping cart. Don't believe it???go to Wall-Mart and watch closely. However, they should be forced to go over the road with a real driver for 10-14 days just to see from up there how bad every one is doing. I get cut off about 150 times a day, and the worst of it is the other drivers aren't even aware they are doing it. They took a survey a while back and about 85-90% of the people said they were good drivers. The pro drivers who have a million miles consider themselves to be pretty good, but also believe they still have a long way to go to get as good as they would like. Just my $.02.

 

[DragginMAster]

I have seen people that should not be behind the wheel of a 4 wheeler, but they are. There are people that probably should be behind the wheel of the MAcks, Peterbilts, Kw's and freightshakers out there that were perfectly fit when they first got behind it, but are not.

Yet truckers do get yearly physicals. No such requirement for regular drivers. Random drug testing. How many of those people on I 15 to Vegas you think are stone sober on friday evening?

I don't think 10-14 days is enough time for it to become blatantly obvious. take a kid from the middle of Nebraska out to L.A. to show them how people drive, he will prolly come back with "They drive terrible in L.A., but thats ok cuz I ain't from there."

 

[68Valiant]

I have learned a lot of patience driving in NYC, especially when I am on the truck at work.

Russ