Take Away Keys From Those Who Won’t Stop

Dear Ann Landers: I was furious when I read the letter about “Uncle Bob,” the 86-year-old man who is fighting to hang on to his driver’s privileges even though he has failed his driving test five times and his doctor has ordered him to stop driving.

Last year, I was struck by a car while crossing the street with a green “walk” signal. The driver was an 86-year-old woman in a 1984 Cadillac Coupe De Ville. She told the police she didn’t see me until I landed on the hood of her car. I was lucky to escape with two sprained ankles. Her driver’s license? She didn’t have one. - Oakland, Calif.

Dear Oakland: I don’t know when I’ve received so much angry mail. The readers were truly incensed. They called Uncle Bob a potential murderer, among other things. Keep reading:

From San Francisco: At age 85, Dad bought a new car. It wasn’t easy to wrest the old Dodge Dart from him, but we did it. When he turned 90, we knew it was time for him to stop driving. He did, too, but resisted. Then, we showed him a news story about a 90-year-old man who went for a Sunday drive, lost control and plowed into a car, killing the driver and her four young children. That did it.

Santa Ana, Calif.: Two years ago, I was driving along, five months’ pregnant, when out of nowhere, a car slammed into me. I was stunned and terrified. The driver of the other car was an elderly man returning to his retirement home. An ambulance arrived, and the elderly driver and I were told to get in, even though neither of us was hurt. Soon, it became obvious from his senseless babbling that he was in the latter stages of senility. Something must be done to get these very old drivers off the road. They are every bit as dangerous as drunks.

Euless, Texas: Many elderly people quit driving when their eyesight fails. Bless them. The ones who are too stubborn to give up their independence will continue to victimize others because of their selfishness.

Waco, Texas: I am an M.D. who had to take my father’s driver’s license away because I knew if I didn’t, something terrible was sure to happen. My mother was furious with me. She said I was not “defending” him as a son should. I told her I was “defending” the pedestrians and other drivers because driving is not a right, it’s a privilege.

Boca Raton, Fla.: Two years before my father died at 85, he tried to drive while experiencing a heart attack. When we arrived at the hospital, I told him his driving days were over. Although I provided him with alternate transportation, he never forgave me. If an elderly parent insists on driving, hide the keys, disconnect the battery, remove the distributor cap or let the air out of the tires.

Chicago: My 86-year-old father should not be driving. He has had a heart attack and is stone deaf, and his vision is poor. He refuses to give up his car keys. Driving is his whole life. When my mother was on her deathbed, his main worry was that people who came to see her would block the driveway and he wouldn’t be able to get out. What can we do? - Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Dear Between: You can bite the bullet, take away his car keys and arrange with family members or a livery service to take him wherever he wants to go. Expensive? Yes, but a lot cheaper than hospital bills or a wrongful death suit.

Thanks to all who wrote for those excellent letters. You have helped save some lives today, and I am grateful.