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Subscribe to RSSPolice in Los Angeles, Calif., are investigating whether bad brakes caused an elderly driver to reverse his car into a crowd near a school, injuring 11, mostly children, and leaving one in critical condition. The man said he was 101, but gave a birthdate that would make him 100. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.
Updated at 9:25 p.m. ET: A driver who said he was 101 years old jumped a curb and crashed into a group of pedestrians Wednesday afternoon outside a south Los Angeles elementary school, injuring 11 people, mostly children, officials said.
The accident occurred about 2:30 p.m. just after Main Street Elementary School let out for the day, NBCLosAngeles.com reported.
"I was backing out of the parking lot (of a grocery store) to go home and lost control," Preston Carter, the driver of the powder blue 1990 Cadillac, said.
See more about this story at NBCLosAngeles.com
"It was not on purpose, because I love everybody," Carter told NBCLosAngeles.com. "I put God first."
KNBC
A car hopped a curb near a south Los Angeles school just after classes let out Wednesday. Several people were injured.
His daughter, Rose Jenkins, told the station that she had wanted Carter to stop driving for the past year.
"I think this is a wakeup call for him and I don't think he will be driving any more," Jenkins said.
After saying he was 101, Carter gave his birthdate as Sept. 5, 1911, making him only 100.
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Carter has a current driver's license valid until 2013, the Los Angeles Times reported. He was required to wear corrective lenses while operating a vehicle but had a clean driving record, according to the DMV, the Times said.
Eleven pedestrians were injured when 100 year-old Preston Carter backed into them with his Cadillac. KNBC's Michelle Valles interviewed Carter and his daughter after the accident.
Aerial footage provided by the station showed a child in a pink t-shirt being loaded into an ambulance as firefighters and police officers interviewed witnesses at the scene.
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Los Angeles County USC Medical Center said six accident victims, including five children and one adult, were brought there. The adult was discharged, four children were stable and one child was in critical condition.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
If he really is 101, he should not be driving under any circumstances, and it should be illegal in every state. Some people are SO selfish.
Stupid kids, always hogging up the sidewalks and trickling as slow as possible through crossings while we're stuck going 15mph; Amen to this man for taking one for the team;;Parents...teach your kids to walk faster, it's your fault
Who are you to judge. I know people in their '90s and up who are excellent drivers.
@Zoeysmom92081, I doubt they are technically as good as you think. There is no way they still have the reflexes necessary to be safe drivers. You are kidding yourself.
By the time any of us are 100 the cars will drive themselves.
Even if he had a good record,and he was in good shape,would you want him being the pilot of the plane you were on.The same goes for this guy driving on the streets near my kids on the sidewalk.
Hey I'm all for it, if a 101 year old wants to drive, it's O.K. as long as he can pass the test. Accidents happen.
Oh yeah...soooo selfish. Seriously? I'm fine with mandatory driving tests every few years after a certain age. But "selfish" to want to remain independent in old age? That's a bit rash.
I mean, who's safer? A teen driver who's been on the road for less than 3 years or an able elderly man who's been driving pretty much since cars were first sold? I'll share the road with the old man every time http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/28/13516181-man-killed-during-alleged-bigfoot-stunt?lite
undr thirty is dangerious as well most accidents are caused by young people, one old person gets involved in one and you go nuts shame on you . lets make it so you have to be 30 to drive and after 60 you give it up. I do agree with more testing. its the sensible thing to do, and I hate saying that because I'm getting old. I also agree if you are young you should have a couple years driving with someone responsible. when I was young a license was only good for two years, allot can change in two years. 8 to 10 years that is a bit much and after 90 take the driving test or give it up, hell 85 sounds better, and while we are at it lets put a $hit load of restrictions on the young drivers like a probable need or no job no license, what is wrong ith the buss, I was driving when I was 13 but that was then and working on farms was a excuse so if they have a excuse or reason that would be different till then take the buss. one old man hits some people total kayos teens slaughtering on highway no problem. deserves a note.
damm old GEZZZZAAARRDS !
At least twice a week driving on the parkway I see the sign lit up that there is a silver alert out for an elderly person with dementia that's driving when they shouldn't be. If family members were responsible they would disable the elderly person's car so that they could not drive it any longer instead of "pleading with them for over a year to stop driving." I get that they don't want to admit that they can't do it anymore. It's up to their kids to make sure that they DON'T drive when they can't do it anymore. If families would take that responsibility seriously then we wouldn't need laws to prevent them from driving. Bottom line is this guy had reached a point that his daughter was afraid he would cause an accident if he continued to drive and she continued to allow him to drive for a year. Now a kid is in critical condition, that means she might die, because this ashole didn't want to wait for someone to drive him to the store.
Cadillacs don't kill people, people kill people...well in this case I guess that is true. He wants to drive and kill, he should get life...
It does not seem possible that the DMV would issue license to someone who is 100 yrs old. I guess if he passed all tests and has a good record, he should have a license.
I do have doubts about his age. He seems more with it than some 20 year olds.
What a childish comment to make on Aug 28 2012!
... using air or ocean water
Some of you saying "long as he passed the test"
Hope it was a tad harder than the one I witnessed at the local bmv just couple years back.
Feller 87 years old. Looking thru the eye test thingie....the girl says...
Do you see the blinking light sir? (no) The blinking light on the right? (oh, yeah)...
Do you see the letters in the center? (no) Do you see the blinking light sir? (no) The blinking light on the left sir? (yes)
Step down here for your picture sir.
Bout 20 of us in line WERE snickering, thinking.. NO WAY.. then ... we all just stood there dumbstruck.
My late WWII vet grandfather was 86 and passed all his gubment "tests" at the state government run DMV to continue his license. All the way up until he turned left on a red light (red left turn arrow, green going straight) thinking it was safe. He said the sun was in his eyes. He about killed himself and the two people that T-boned him. His car was totaled (as was theirs) and we told him he could never drive again. Behind our backs, he bought another car and caused another wreck two months later stating he "thought the coast was clear to pull out and turn right"...right in front of a minivan with a family of five. After that wreck, we threatened to throw him in an old folks home. He finally gave up driving. The "government" didn't stop that, WE did. So all you libs out there stating the government does its job mandating road safety from old people, you are WRONG!
That was the hardest thing we ever went through...taking an old man's keys and independence away (before he killed himself and more importantly someone ELSE) that the "government" you libs love so much and trust in FAILED to do. Yeah that's right, to shadow Obama's comments, "others" didn't take grampa's keys away, WE did.
Couldn't stop him from plowing into the mini van, could you? He bought another car "behind your backs"? Get real.
What do you expect the government to do? Threaten to throw everyone over 80 into a nursing home unless they forfeit their licenses and vehicles? I thought you were for less government regulation.
Some people.
@Kevin C: Wow it's so noble of you, offering to drive this elderly man every where he needs to go. I'm sure though that there were people just like you lining the block to drive him everywhere, because we know how unselfish people are, that is except for that selfish old man who only wanted to go out driving probably not even for anything important maybe like for a Doctor's visit or medicine or (here's a good one) food (yeah I know right? Ridiculous! Like someone would need food). Good thing there are unselfish people like you in the world though, who will give up their time to make sure the elderly are cared for. Good for you friend.... Good for you.
I'll be there evenutally, as will all of us; and I hate to say it, but elderly drivers must have more stringent testing to ensure they are still capable. It is very possible this gentleman was no less capable than someone who was talking on a cell phone or texting while driving, but this article suggests that older drivers may need addtional training or restrictions to hold a licence.
Unselfish!, I did a job as Roadisde Assistance, for several months until I was his HIT BY A 94 YEAR OLD driver. I almost lost both of my legs, were it not for the wonderful Univ. of Maryland shock trauma doctors. I live with pain and swelling in my legs everyday now, and probably for the rest of my life(i'm only 39)! Can't do most of the things I used to.
While doing roadside, I helped many elderly people from unlocking cars(FORGOT keys in ingition), to changing flat tires(hitting potholes on the SHOULDER or running into CURBS), and jump starting batteries(FORGOT to turn lights off. Just the other day, at therapy, an elderly person backed into a vehicle and totaled it. He didn't not even realize he hit the other vehicle. I have personally witnessed elderly turn in traffic, going the wrong way.
So go ahead and think it is unselfish now, when you or a loved on gets injuried by and elderly driver, let me know if you still think it is unselfish.
@Gibsonlespaul2425, you know what is ridiculous? Your post.
First, it is not up to me to play nanny for every old person (and I am already very middle-aged, so it is not far off for me too), who is too selfish to get off the road when then know damn well they should.
Second, I don't care what excuse they, or you, come up with for their driving. That is like saying a drunk had to drive under the influence because the "needed" to get out. Plain and simple, you don't drive when you are a deadly menace, whether that be DUI, or just too old that your skills have eroded beyond all reasonable levels.
When I die I want to go peacefully in my sleep like my Grandfather, not like the screaming passengers in his back seat.
Not sure why you guys think it should be illegal for 100 year old people to drive. I'm pretty sure there are more accidents by 40 year olds than 100 year olds... ;)
Polorwarssz said;
Stupid kids, always hogging up the sidewalks and trickling as slow as possible through crossings while we're stuck going 15mph; Amen to this man for taking one for the team;;Parents...teach your kids to walk faster, it's your fault.
Also, he'll be 101 yrs old in 6 days so he's closer to 101 than 100.
It's pretty clear to me the issue here is he needed a gun. If the old guy had a gun everything would have been fine. He could have shot those loud-mouthed kids before they ruined the finish on his nice car.
Yeah right...That's what they were saying in the 1950's..." by the year 2000 we'll have flying cars!"
Tooo bad he was in his car. I pictured some old geeezer parking across from a school and gettting so po'ed at the kids he gets out of his car and smacks them around some to "teach them a lesson."
Lol poor old guy.
Putting driving ability first, and not "God first" might be a good idea next time. I can just see this old guy getting in his Cadillac, blind as sh!t, and thinking "It's in your hands now God"..... nah, sorry man, but that's a good way to... oh I dunno... run over a group of school children.

Probably because there are far more 40 year olds than 100 year olds.....
As for an arbitrary age limit - I don't agree with that. But at 100 your reaction time, sight, hearing, and physical dexterity will likely be far too poor to effectively drive a vehicle safely.
This headline is as shocking as "Pit bull maims and kills owner." "The dog was always gentle and playful", said the dead man's wife. ("The gas pedal stuck and I couldn't stop.")
"I don't know what could have provoked him." ("I never had an accident or speeding ticket in my life.)
OK, let's have a contest. You guys fill in the blanks: "................" ("..................")
Funny, I don't hear anybody vilifying the AARP and the "senior lobby" about this. They're always right there, lobbying against testing and more frequent renewals for old drivers. Who'd deny that if this had been a shooting, the NRA would have been roundly condemned? Why is there a difference? Do these people feel better that they were only run down, rather than shot?
After a certain age, an actual road test should be required every year to retain/renew one's license. Of course, that won't do anything to stop the 35 year old bimbos yapping or texting on their cell phones while driving their SUVs at 40 MPH down my 25 MPH residential street. So it's not just the older people we need to worry about.
" by the year 2000 we'll have flying cars!"
-----------------------------
NO, please, NO! It's bad enough having to look right and left constantly, if we have to also start looking up and down, we'll all be wearing neck braces, and resemble real life bobble head dolls.
Creek Dog, I'm pretty sure that guy was throwing out a bit of sarcasm, chill out.
.
Seems that there is a simple solution to this problem, and one which would prevent the various lobbies from legitimately complaining. Every DMV must have a simulator installed. Every individual who wishes to have a drivers license must drive that simulator. Under age 21 and over age 65, must drive simulator every year. If you don't prove that your cognitive skills, reflexes, and hand eye coordination are up to scratch you lose your license. AARP and ACLU can't bitch about ageism if you hit the young and the old with the test.
Don't forget the fact that without a valid driver's license, you would be taking away his right to vote in this country.
Please define "excellent" for us
It is far too easy to earn - and keep - the privilege to drive in this country. In my opinion the tests should be made harder - particularly the driving portion of the exam and the testing should become progressivly more comprehensive with age so that impending problems caused by the aging process can be identified and dangerous drivers - like this person - can be kept off the roads
...or sidewalk, as in the case of this old fart
One of the hardest talks we ever had with my dad was when we felt like we had to be in the parental role and we talked about his not driving any longer. In his case there were already warning signs. He had hit a mailbox, and also a minor accident in a shopping center parking lot with a car thankfully and not a person. He was definitley in denial, and I am fairly sure it was due to the fact that he was facing a lack of independence and the realities of his failing condition. The family had talked about the fact that he should probably stop driving after the mailbox incident. Its a really hard judgement call as he was still able to get through DMV and keep his license. It was one of those times when the family had to come together and call for responsibility (which he reluctantly accepted but he did the right thing). We were really lucky as were others it was only a mailbox and a scratched car in the mall parking lot prior. I guess the bottom line is I don't think he would have stopped driving on his own it took a family meeting to talk the realities of the situation through and what was in his and the public's best interest.
Creek Dog, I'm pretty sure that was just a joke, albeit some people might consider it in bad taste.
Well of course it was a joke! I swear to God man i really believe people have lost all ability to separate intended sarcasm from reality anymore. It has got to be the fact that communication via the Internet does not allow people to read the body language and facial expressions of the commentators along with the fact that reading comprehension is nearly non- existant anymore. Of course it would have been far easier and for more civil if "Creekdog" there had just asked if "polar" were serious or not before going off on a tirade and supposing that he or she was a psychotic.LOL. Personally i thought it was funny as hell..but i guess now i'll be labled a sadist! LOL.
@Kevin C: Oh you weren't offering? I was just hoping that someone would keep these selfish old people off the roads. I'm sure there is a group of young people waiting in line to do that, but wait you don't want them driving yet you don't want to be their nanny..... Uh Oh what if everyone felt like that and they had no one to drive them? Oh well they should just walk where they need to go. I'm sure they can make it a few miles to the nearest grocery store, pharmacy or doctor's. They should probably just grow a garden because it's so selfish of them to want food from a grocery store. How dare they, but alas what can we do about these selfish old people who want to live? Disgusting of them really!
If you have to ask if there should be an age limit for driving or screenings for older drivers, you already know the answer. I think everyone should have to retake their driver test every 10 years if their under 50, and every 5 years if over 50. My grandma was 96 and still had her license before she passed in '08, yet was legally blind and thought Nixon was still president.
So did you take the car keys away, or remove a tire or two? She has to have the driver's license so that she can vote for President Nixon again.
Thank GOODNESS the news person corrected his age!! He will NOT be 101 for another few weeks!! HA HA HA Like my Dad says "If you don't like how I drive, stay off the sidewalk". O maybe we say that about him. We have plenty of people around that age driving where I live. They stay close to home...but they drive.
Sure the kids dont care if there parents at that age go driving,hell thats just early inheritants,hell if those were my parents i would have moved them to the moutains of colorado,lol.
He claimed to be 101 but is really only 100...CUZ HIS BIRTHDAY IS IN 1 WEEK!! Guess what, in his mind he is 101... nuff said.
HollyHarp: Can you tell us where they live so we can avoid that area? If they are BAD drivers (of any age) they should not be driving.
Sadly enough, that was the thing that really caught my attention, the fact that he will be 101 in a week, but the newspeople didn't think that was okay for him to say...
My mother in law thought she was fine too. (She was 80) Then she rear ended a car which turned into a 4 car accident. She said she thought she had room but after that realized her depth perception was way off & she had the beginnings of macular degeneration. In states like Arizona & Florida people only have to get their license renewed every 10 years or so. After age 70 it should be every year. How would this man feel if he had killed some kids? I'm all for older drivers as long as they can pass a test YEARLY- for everyones sake.
I hear ya. My FIL's driving was horrible. But all 10 of his kids were too dam chicken to do anything about it. He would never drive the speed limit and was always swerving all over the road "sight-seeing" or "rubber-necking" trying to catch a glimpse of the corn growing. LOL He was still driving 15 years after the last time I was in a car with him behind the wheel, and I said never again!! Once, he was being pulled over by an officer with lights and sirens and he couldn't hear it. I tried to talk to my husband about it and his response was "I'm not afraid of Dad getting lost, he has his GPS". I just smacked my hand against my forehead. He drove right up until 2 weeks before he died and that was only because he was in the hospital. The sad thing is, they lived right across the street from the elementary school. This story could have easily been about him.
I think after about 65 or so they should have YEARLY driving tests. Not just an eye test at the DMV, but an actual driving test.
I'm sure there are some elderly who are perfectly capable of driving, so I don't want to discriminate against all of them, but we've all seen elderly drivers on the road, and they can be almost as scary as the 16yr old texting while driving.
I've sure gotten old. I've had 2 By-pass surgeries, a hip replacement, and new knees. I’ve Fought prostate cancer, and diabetes. I'm half blind, can't hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts. Have bouts with dementia. Have poor circulation; hardly feel my hands and feet anymore. I can’t remember if I'm 98 or 101. I have lost all my friends.
But.....Thank God, I still have my California driver's license!
Won't you be needing it to vote anyway? Just leave the car parked where it is, on the roof of the garage, and no one will get hurt.
I'm with Babs, you all think this is pretty funny. I don't think so. Too bad he didn't hit one of you who thinks running over children with your car is a joke.. If it was my kid he hit I don't think I'd be laughing. I can guarantee HE wouldn't be laughing either.
TYLER: That is a pretty selfish answer, if you are a danger to others you will drive anyway? I guess we need to fix the system for sure. Driving is a privilege NOT A RIGHT. You are probably one of those that thinks drunk driving is OK too. There is no difference between being impaired by drugs, alcohol, old age, or illness. IMPAIRED IS IMPAIRED. DON'T DRIVE, if you only killed yourselves that would be OK but you might kill someone else.
No one thinks its funny to run over children BUT you idiots that are teaching your children to just walk out in front of cars at Walmart and every other store are doing them no good! You need to stop teaching them that everything is all about them and that they don't need to watch out for themselves! You need to be telling them to stay alert where there are cars, they need to know that those white lights that come on on the back of a car means they are backing up! They aren't stupid they will learn! Stop allowing them to just run out of the store and into the roadway! Most adults do it now too! This man ACCIDENTLY hit those kids, ANYONE could have had that accident with children, they are short! If you ask me it is the parents fault!!!!!!!!!!! Plain and simple! This man should not even be worried about it for ONE second! Poor man! I'm sure he feels bad enough the way it is and its not any more his fault than the kids!
He plowed into a group of children as they were walking on the sidewalk, not in the crosswalk. Learn to read or don't comment. Of course people should teach their kids not to walk into traffic, that goes without saying.
niece1964 - I agree with you 100%! I cannot count the times I have seen parents, with young children by the hand, cross a busy street by walking between the parked cars rather than taking a few extra steps to walk down to the crosswalk or traffic light! Are parents completely clueless that by doing this they are teaching their children that this is the correct way to cross the street? I witnessed an accident where a young boy ran from between parked cars right into the lanes of traffic and was hit by a car. I know that children will do dangerous things out of ignorance but parents, when you have the opportunity, take those few minutes to teach them the safe way.
Regarding the article, I do feel that even though the gentleman was able to pass the tests necessary to get his license renewed, there is absolutely no way that he can be expected to have the ability to respond in an emergency situation. How many times have we read about accidents caused when elderly drivers panic and hit the gas instead of the brakes? I can understand completely the desire to maintain ones independence but the risk is just too great, not only to the driver but to others who share the public roads and sidewalks with them. If it is someone who lives in a retirement community and only drives a golf cart around the neighborhood it may not be so bad but, a 101-year-old driving a large Cadillac on the public street, is just insanity.
This has nothing to do with kids in a Walmart parking lot. These kids were on the sidewalk. Obviously that's too complicated for you people to understand.
This also has to do with the elderly and driving. Years don't always equal experience and skill. As you become older you're ability to have spacial awareness erodes. That is the main skill needed in order to operate a vehicle. I'm 27 and have never been in an accident caused by me. It was always a middle-aged driver. The near accidents and top-of-the-list insane things I've seen happen on the road were caused by the elderly. They drive slower than sin, change lanes randomly or at the last second, and drive with their signal on constantly. Just some fyi - slow drivers cause far more accidents than fast drivers. If I'm going 75 on the highway and you merge or get in my way while going 55, am I at fault or are you? Here's a hint: the speed limit in a lot of places is 70-75. If you insist on going that slow there are city streets than can accommodate you at around 45.
At 80 people should no longer be allowed to drive. I dont care if your 100 year old Great Grandma still drives fine...theres simply to many old people on the road who are an absolute disaster waiting to happen. Old people driving through the sides of hourse, through the fronts of buildings, hitting people/telephone poles or other cars because they fell asleep, driving at 45 MPH when the traffic is doing 70 cause people to slam on brakes and causing people to turn to avoid hitting them, leaving their blinker on for 45 miles as they drive ontop of the double yellow line and finally turn right when their left blinker was on....the old person whose depth perception has been gone for 10 years that drives straight into the rear of your car as you come to stop at a red light or stop sign.....These are all normal everyday things I have to deal with when driving on the road. We've banned Texting and Driving, Talking on your Cell and driving in most states....now its time to Ban old people from driving.
Side note : This reminds me of an Episode of South Park. Randy is running up the main street in South Park screaming OLD PEOPLE ARE COMING!!!! And everyone starts to scream as panic ensues.. Suddenly old people in cars start running over everyone in town, crashing through houses and killing everyone in sight. I think of that everytime I see or hear about these "Accidents"
Puzzled, Neice, these children were on the sidewalk. The car jumped the curb and hit them.
Now I don't know where YOU come from, but where I come from, the sidewalk is for pedestrians, NOT for cars.
Janine - Excuse Niece and myself for having the nerve to step outside the parameters of the article. Our bad!
I'll take a 101 driver over a 17 year old texting teenager. I have been rearend twice and they have no brains.......
i wish i would get rear ended by a 17 yr old,with there parents insurance,i would still be in theropy,and would have buy a big house next to a old guy waiting to do the same.
You would probably get his with a parent that has no insurance. In Arizona about 50 percent have no insurance and nothing of value to sue them for.
Also in AZ your driver's license has the craziest expiration date. Isn't it like 50 years or something? Mine doesn't expire until 2046.
Statistically young men 25 years old and younger have the most accidents. So you want to raise the driving age to 26? This is an isolated incident and there are people who are quite elderly who are still good drivers. It is a good idea to require testing for everyone every 5 years and every 2 years for those over 60.
Um, the reason why older drivers should have much higher hurdles to jump over is because their reflexes are slower, their hearing tends to get worse, their eyesight tends to get worse ... the reason why men under the age of 25 have the most accidents is because they suffer from "Quienes Mas Macho?" and are out to "out-macho" their friends. Males under the age of 25 pay more in Insurance premiums for the privilege of driving because of their disproportionate share of accidents ... but if you tried to raise the Insurance premiums for ELDERLY drivers you'd hear screams of "age discrimination".
I really wish the kids or grandkids or great-grandkids would grow a set and TAKE THE KEYS AWAY from an elderly family member who has become a risk out on the road. But too many people are afraid of "offending" the elder set. (and I'm in my 40's with a father who is over 65 - I would notify DMV and take away his keys IN A HEARTBEAT if I felt he was a danger on the road).
It's not that families are afraid of offending their elderly parents.They are too lazy to help arrange alternate transportation for their parents.I had a neighbor who decided per her kids request to stop driving her 65 Mustang because she suffered from T.A's.they promised to take her wherever she needed or wanted to go.Well,they were too impatient to take her grocery shopping.they instead brought the groceries to her.So I'd load her up in my 2 Seater MR2 and off we'd go to grocery shop,out to lunch and dinner.We had a blast.Anybody with an elderly neighbor with no wheels should take them along for grocery shopping etc.Seniors have great stories to tell and are actually a lot of fun to hang out with.
This is by NO MEANS an isolated incident! Unfortunately this happens every day in every state! Just a few months ago some senior citizen who shouldnt be driving was drivind down Interstate 95 in the wrong direction at about 60 miles an hour. When the police finally get him to pull over, they escorted him home safely. Now imagine seeing that coming your way with no warning?
It's only isolated because he's the only 100 year old driving!
The man is/was a better driver than many 20 year olds texting. I am sorry he had the accident. He seems to be very alert for 100.
Those wanting to up the number of driving tests need to remember the DMV has had huge cuts in service hours. In California they shut on some Fridays now. The lines are already ridiculously long. There is no time/money available for extra testing of the elderly.
Most old people drive so slowly they are not really a danger, just a nuisance because you have to drive around them. Teenagers on the phone are one million times worse. They are speeding at the same time as texting.
Linda, next time you are hit by a senior citizen driving 30 in a 40MPH speed zone I want you to tell us how NOT a danger they are. Any driver on the road who gets distracted or confused is a danger regardless of speed.
As the older of the Baby boomer generation is hitting around 70now we need to be aware that this is going to become more and more of an issue. Yearly tests should be required after age 65 or so.
I'm sorry ... he should not have had a driver's license. Now that he has injured several kids, he should IMMEDIATELY be subject to re-testing and a complete physical exam before he is allowed to even be CONSIDERED for continued driving privileges.
And it IS a PRIVILEGE - NOT a RIGHT. Anybody over the age of 75 should be tested and have to present a current doctor's exam YEARLY to continue driving.
I also want to know why it seems these types of stories always seem to come out of LA ...
Wonder if he's an organ donor?
Cat,This is California.He will have his license revoked and be subjected to take a vision and driving test.He will also no doubt need a doctor's assessment of his health in regards to driving a motor vehicle.The stories always come out of L.A. because we are a very populous state with lots of media coverage.It happens in every state,it just doesn't make the national news.
Anyone could accidently hit a child while backing up if there parents are not keeping them under control and dont' teach them that they need to be watcing out for the cars and not the other way around! People cannot see children as easy. Many children are run over in this same type situation by people of all ages! Stop putting the blame on him just because he is old. Why were these kids behind this car when it was running? Parents are doing there kids a disservice by allowing them to run in front of cars when they are comming out of store and the like!
People like you scare me.
Driving is a right.
No it's not. You have right to own a gun. Driving, is a privilege
Hey Niece- this is the 2nd comment of yours that I've read which proved that you didn't read the article. Because if you had you would have read the very first line,
"A driver who said he was 101 years old jumped a curb and crashed into a group of pedestrians Wednesday afternoon outside a south Los Angeles elementary school"
The kids were on the sidewalk outside of their school. If you look at the picture of the car, it's on the sidewalk. Last time I checked, sidewalks were for the people, not the cars. The kids weren't running out of a store into the street and they weren't behind him while he was backing up. He lost control of his car and hit them.
Which Amendment grants that right?
Ryan, driving is NOT a right. VOTING is a RIGHT. Freely speaking your mind about the government without fear of arrest is a RIGHT. Assembling to protest against the government is a RIGHT. Driving is a PRIVILEGE. You must pass a test in order to operate a motor vehicle and if you fail to obey the laws regarding driving your PRIVILEGE to drive may be REVOKED at the discretion of the state. Frankly, people who think that driving is a RIGHT scare me because it means that they think they have a RIGHT to be unsafe on the roads and put other drivers and pedestrians in danger due to their own carelessness, arrogance and/or hubris. As the human body gets older, the reflexes go, the hearing goes, the eyesight goes and sometimes the mental capacity to know which pedal is the brake and which one is the accelerator also goes. TOO MANY elderly drivers get CONFUSED in a crisis and hit the wrong pedal or they react too slowly. Their PRIVILEGE of driving should be carefully examined as to the risk-benefit analysis. If the RISK of them being behind the wheel of a multi-thousand pound object on the roads is greater than the benefit TO SOCIETY then they should no longer have the PRIVILEGE of driving. There are a lot of options available for those people - including giving up some of their mobility and freedom to move into housing that will allow them to live mostly on their own but will provide TRANSPORTATION FOR THEM so they will no longer be dependent on the younger generation of their family. Or, they can accept that living in their own home means they MUST acquiesce to the younger generation's schedule and can not go when THEY want to go. Either way, the SELFISHNESS of elderly people who want to retain their PRIVILEGE of driving when they lack the reflexes, hearing, eyesight, mental capacity et. al to be safe on the road needs to STOP.
According to "niece", children are the nuisance of society. Just remember niece, you were a child once too. Did your parents teach you absolutely everything you need to know about life? Probably not. You just live it and learn as you go. I feel sorry for the children in your life. I bet you don't make it pleasant at all.
Niece, your reading comprehension skills are abysmal. How is it the childrens' fault they got hit, exactly? They were doing what they were supposed to be doing (walking on the sidewalk) and this old jerk jumped the curb and hit them. They didn't run out into traffic, they weren't crossing the street between cars, they were ON THE SIDEWALK. After the comments you received after your first idiotic post, I'd have thought you'd have went and re-read the article, said nothing, or apologized for your failure to catch your mistake the first time, NOT make another comment spewing out the same innaccuracies.
For the good of society, I hope you do not have children. If you do, they really don't have a fair chance in this life raised by you.
Who wrote this article, an eighth grader.... "After saying he was 101, he gave his birthdate as Sept. 5, 1911, making him only 100." Sept. 5 is a WEEK FROM TODAY, geez.
Really. Maybe he shouldn't be driving, but for goodness sake, he has every right to call himself 101 even if he is "only" 100.98 yrs old.
Man, can you give him a one week break? It is not like he is trying to lie.
Exactly...such a "grevious" error. Noted by that paragon of accuracy, MSNBC lol!!
I just turned 72 and feel that anyone over the age of 65 should be tested every year. Eye test, driving test and maybe even a little written testing. I know that I'm not as sharp as I was 20 years ago but still sharper then I was when I was 17. <--That's a joke right there.
But where does it end? A fisherman's license? Beach license? Firearms license? Camping outdoors license?
It doesn't make us safer.
Ryan in TX
"But where does it end? A fisherman's license? Beach license? Firearms license? Camping outdoors license?
It doesn't make us safer."
Unless you're bait casting with dynamite in a public pool, 3 of the 4 things you listed have zero chance of harming anyone else.
But a 4000 pound vehicle on public roads (or, in this case, sidewalks) can be just as deadly as firearms.
I'm not far from turning 60 and I think it would be very reasonable to have to take a driving test every 2 to 4 years once I turn 70 and if I make it to 80 I would think that both a yearly or at most biyearly certificate of competence from a doctor and a driving test would be reasonable. Not everyone ages at the same rate but there is no doubt that for all of us aging does effect our reaction time and, in some cases, judgement.
OldHighlandGuy and I are close to the same age and I fully agree with him...test every year after, say, 65 or 70.
I had an aunt who continued to drive well into her 90's and I discovered that she was having accidents (her fault) all the time. She would apologize, ask her "victim" how much he/she thought the damage would cost and write a check on the spot to avoid notifying the insurance company. She got away with doing that for quite a while until, finally, a woman took the check and then sued for "whiplash" (accident was in a Chick-Fil-A parking lot). That's when I took the keys and disabled the car. Downside to that was that we had to move her into our house but that's another story.
With all the important issues in this story: elderly drivers and kids injured, I can't believe the reporter made an issue out of the fact that the guy said he was 101 when he was only 100. His birthday is a week away. If the reporter thought that was an issue instead of kids being injured maybe he needs to be reassigned.
Agreed with above poster. I think it's ridiculous how its worded -- CLAIMING? It's different if he is 89 and stating he is 101 years old.. my god. Poor guy, he seems to mean well.
one year! you gotta be kiddin me.
Actually, ONE WEEK.
I could of sworn when I first read the title it said "Driver claiming he's hit 101 pedestrians".
Anyone else see that too? Or am I just being weird?
*waves hand* I saw it too!
I thought the same thing too! And I was thinking "Pffff, what's he bragging about? I've hit WAY more than that, and I'm half his age."
Me. too! lol That's sensationalism for ya. Tho I think it would be sensational if the journalist knew how to BE a journalist!!!
101 pedestrians? Boy, that was a crowded sidewalk.
Last week there was an article about self driving computer operated vehicles. Seems like a good time to repost my comments here: " I've been driving cars and trucks and riding motorcycles and scooters (still ride a scooter for fun) since 1958. You do the math. I've logged close to a million miles on American, Canadian and European roads. It's been my good fortune to have never seriously injured another person while behind the wheel (a broken collar bone of a passenger while learning to drive was my sole serious accident). I and many millions more WWII baby boomers are about to continue driving as we enter our declining years. We are the best reason for you to push for this technology to arrive sooner rather than later. Personally I don't want to give up my independence and mobility until forced to even though I observed my own parents continue to drive into their 90's at the peril of their fellow citizens. Any way, at my age I have more important tasks to do while transporting myself from A to B: learning Chinese and Spanish, Astronomy, Geology, Hominid evolution, cleaning my fingernals, making out my will...your get the point. Self driving cars, Bring 'em on!"
Old geek: Wow I don't think that putting my life in the hands of technology is such a good idea. My computer glitches when I'm on Facebook. What's going to happen at 65 miles per hour?
101 and driving. give me a brake.
He was trying to brake & missed.
They should Out Law all cars. They kill more people than guns do everyday.
Markone, I'm running for President of the United States on a promise to ban scissors. Want to be my running mate?
It's a trap!
What exactly was the 11th person thinking???
How about "not this again, great great grandpa you're embarrassing me!"
He was trying to steal their youth. He went to someone that had the voodoo mojo and told him if he steals their youth he will be young.
His daughter, Rose Jenkins, told the station that she had wanted Carter to stop driving for the past year."I think this is a wake-up call for him and I don't think he will be driving any more," Jenkins said.
Shame it took nearly killing a group of people for her to come to this realization.
My 87 year old mother is an excellent driver.Seniors at least aren't texting and driving like some of the 20 somethings who have killed people because they think that they are invincible.Everybody no matter the age knows their driving skills and limitations but they think that nothing is ever going to happen to them.
ah, take the license away from anyone less than 25. That old man had an accident granted it could have been really severe (hopefully all the kids are ok) but we are sure condemn the old man because we think we are all smart enough to turn over our keys when we reach 50.
My wifes grandfather just turned 101 this month and he still drives really well. Cut the old man some slack till we know more about his situation.
More young people have more accidents than old people. Should they be able to get a licence so easy?
You'd be shocked at those driving out there, too old and blind. I myself have parents thats blind to the point they couldn't pass a eye exam in TN and had to go to Mississippi to renew their license using a relatives address in Mississippi. And he's been in TN for over 14 years now. My own mom can't see a 47" tv at the foot of the bed yet was issued a renewal from Mississippi just this year. I totally objected to it but they made the trip over the stateline and got one. I ride a motorcycle and that scares the h#ll out of me alone dodging those that can see.
Every state needs to do a eye exam every 4 years for renewal and a Defensive Drivers course for those over a certain age. It should be mandatory to be able to see before taking the controls of a hunk of metal barreling down a road.
I agree about the defensive driving classes and eye exams.
Jim: And what did you do to keep your parents from breaking the law and endangering their lives and the lives of others? The life you save may be your own (or your parents'). How are you going to feel if they kill someone or themselves?
We recently had three fatal accidents here caused by elderly people who shouldn't be driving. Some killed themselves, some killed innocent families, some killed both. I wouldn't want to have that on my conscience.
Your right. The life I save could be my own. I'm no longer in the house to assist them as me and the children left and not by my decision. But the local authorities have been notified and watch for the vehicle. But a LEO can't just pull over a car because they want to. They've followed him before and stated he drives slow but obeys all the rules, even though he can't see and is color blind. I can't believe he hasn't had a wreck already.But if he's seen and swerves one bit,there's the cause to pull him over. In that case they'll ask him to read something for them and when he pulls out the magnifying glass they'll tell him "No, you have to read it with your normal driving eye site." Which he can't then they'll pull his license right there. He's already been driving in TN for 14 years on a MS license and has an established residence in TN. But TN requires a eye test when changing over to a TN license, if you obtained a MS license through your previous residence then just keep it renewed with a MS address and no eye exam is needed. Mom hasn't driven in 4 years since she totaled the Impala and she's blind as a bat but went to Tupelo and walked up and got a renewal no questions asked. Its ridiculous no to test.Even bragged about not being able to see the lady behind the counter. Crazy.
Today at five pm I almost got creamed by a van sliding over into the right lane into my space (that won't obey a physics law). At an intersection a lot of us had to watch as the left turn guys approaching us just kept coming and continued blocking the intersection. Some turns were made with no signals, unable to get more than one car thru the left turn etc. And I will bet you the average age was 30 something. Any of you know a 16 year old who should not be allowed anywhere near a vehicle of any kind - And How about all the drug users that ARE driving- Just a thought. Maybe this old guy was saving the 8 grand a month he could have been paying the nursing home! I hope whoever now gets to drive him around is as good a driver as he has been.
I thing for people over 8o years old the Driver licence need be "removed" and in exchange give them free service in community raids or public transportation
Oh my, I think we need to ban cars, what's the world coming to? Remember, if you ban cars, only outlaws and the 100 year olds with have them! Gee doesn't this sound silly, yep so does banning and outlawing guns. Same thing right?
I think people should be able to drive as long as they're able to . . . what needs to happen is the DMV's need to pay more attention to the mental and reflex skills of older drivers. While living in Florida there was an incident of a 95-year-old woman who plowed into a bus stop where 30 people waited, going 65-70 miles per hour. Six died and multiple people went to the hospital. The car she was driving was a Brougham Cadillac -- the size of a small tank and just about as strong. When told what she had done her reply was simply: "Oh, that's nice" . . . nothing changed with the DMV's in Florida as a result even though this incident was just one of many that happen there every year. Alot of old, feeble, unqualified drivers racing around in their 3,000+ pound people-killers.