October 29, 2013 By: Juanita Jean Herownself Category: Uncategorized
So you’re 93 years old and you drive your red Cadillac to the eye doctor because you can’t see diddle squat and then everybody makes a big deal that you had a little fender bender.
Please God, I want to be in the driver’s seat when I die, not walking down the sidewalk.
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My name is Susan DuQuesnay Bankston. I live in Richmond, Texas, in the heart of Tom DeLay's old district. It's nuttier than squirrel poop here.
I am honored and privileged to know Miss Juanita Jean Herownself, hairdresser extraordinary and political maven. Since she does not have time to fiddle with this internet stuff, I type her website for her and you can read it if you want to. If you don't, she truly does not give a big bear's butt.
A lot of what I post here has to do with local politics, but you probably have the same folks in your local government.
This ain't a blog. Blogs are way too trendy for me. This is a professional political organization.
Heh, I want to die in my sleep, just like my grandpappy, not like the screaming passengers in the back seat…sorry, too soon?
1Used to be a nice car.
2I’ve been hit by 90+ yr olds. Twice. Both times the men were unaware they even made contact with my car. They were confused and should not have been driving.
It sucks to get old but it beats the alternative.
3You gotta know he has some kind of insurance. It’s a Caddy for gosh sakes.
Used to be a nice one.
4I don’t find it amusing anymore when cameras catch a car running into a building. A relatively young friend was in a 7-11 in Maryland, when some lady plowed her car into the front door and hit my friend. His knee was blown out and will be problem for the rest of his life. I won’t even go into how long it took to recover from that.
5When my parents were that age and I took one of their cars in to the body shop for repairs after a fender bender, the guy at the shop asked if I wanted the perfect repair or the approximately smooth repair. He recommended the latter, saying that at their age they’re going to just keep denting the car. I took his advice.
6Y’all are discouraging me. I’m 73. When should I quit driving?
7Dang, that scared me. I pray often that I do not buy it on the road as in fall asleep or drop dead at the wheel. Don’t want to take a passel of people with me. Next question: who tells somebody else that they shouldn’t/can’t drive? It used to be a doctor aided and abetted by family or even the cops. My oldest niece was nearly killed by someone a doctor actually allowed back behind the wheel. The next thing my niece knew her SUV was upside down and a good looking strong strange man was pulling her out. Her injuries turned out to be minor but the woman who hit her was driving a full size old Lincoln, the kind with doors a foot thick. She had just come from her doctor’s office where she was told her brain tumor was inoperable. The cops called it suicide by stranger. She actually survived unconcious long enough for the EMTs to get to the scene. That lady was just about 60.
8@Marge…. when the DPS stops giving you a license.
Where I live, at age 75 you have to go into the DPS to renew. They test your eyes again. I suspect that to happen from now on, maybe every five years. But if the DPS says you are competent to drive… and they give you the license to do so, …. don’t know what to say. Some people won’t give up that right, or that independence…. regardless. Obviously, this guy was one. Given what happened….. his insurance should be cancelled, and his kids should take his car keys, and recommend he call a cab… to get from point “A” to point “B”. He probably can afford it. Be safer for everybody.
9Marge, ask a younger friend or close family member to tell you if they think it is dangerous for you to drive.
10My father stubbornly refused even after having a mini stroke while driving. He actually bought a brand new car just to spite us. He was in his mid 80’s. His doctor refused to intervene, so we called the state police and they actually came and took away his driver’s license. they were very nice about it, but the sight of them in full uniform was enough for him to hand over his license without protest.
Mom was out gardening after a trip to the lawn and garden center. Baby brother was visiting and dutifully answered the phone. The caller asked if such-and-such vehicle with such-and-such license plate had paint on the fender. Baby brother came back to the phone and asked “Which color?” Mom surrendered her license.
11And yet, the NRA will argue that this is no reason why blind people shouldn’t own semi-automatic weapons with large magazines…
12Mom had a boyfriend in the assisted living place they both lived. His son came one day and took the car away from his dad because of how he was driving. He promised his son he wouldn’t drive my mother’s car and my Mom promised me she wouldn’t let him.
As it turned out, my mom was in the hospital and her boyfriend went to visit her using my mom’s car.
I heard about this because the boyfriend called me. It turns out HE was also admitted during his visit and he’d parked the car in the doctor’s parking lot to save money. I cracked up laughing when he told me from 1500 miles away. Anyway, I called his son and the son got some friends who lived nearby to bring the car back to the assisted living place.
Then the son moved his father to an assisted living place right near his house.
Mom was driving until she died at 93. She was always a good driver.
13When he was about 90 my wife stole her father’s car.
We didn’t own one, we needed his to come up twice a week for groceries, collect bills, see if the medical attendant had problems, set out pills and the like.
He found a credit card I had missed and tried to rent one. Fortunately the nice lady at the agency knew us, knew him, told him the card was expired and she needed to keep it and turned it over to us.
14My father never had an accident, but turned over his driver’s license without a fuss at age 85. He’s 89 now. Hope I have the good sense to quit while I am ahead.
15Wonderful stories. Thanks! I already let our kids drive when I’m riding with them. My husband has always preferred for me to drive.
16Living in Laguna Woods Village…man complained to cops that all four wheels had been stolen off his car. Turned out he wouldn’t stop driving … so his kids took this drastic step.
17In some states, you can just renew your license over the phone (or computer) for 3 – 5 years at a time. Ridiculous.
Marge Wood, I wish every “geezer” (like myself!) would ask that question. And then answer it honestly. Like you, I’m 73. My reflexes are slowing. My eyes are failing. I sold my car, and don’t plan to drive again.
Of course, I have a great resource. I live in a senior housing building where we have a bus for regular grocery trips. And there are a lot of great businesses within walking distance.
18@jj Reminds me of the one-liner my son tells although it apparently was Will Rogers who made it famous, “When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.”
19It’s a CTS fer kee-rist sake. I took the keys from my mother and replaced her Ferrari with a Fiat 500 on her 93rd.
20My Godmother in El Paso is coming up on her 97th (98th?) birthday this December. She has long had to do the driving because her late husband had Macular Degeneration and couldn’t see.
The problem is that, like my late mother, if you can’t drive in El Paso, you are essentially house-bound. Public transportation, such as it is, is nothing at all like we have in DC–where a large part of the population doesn’t own a car. Also, it isn’t exactly pedestrian-friendly in that grocery stores and what not are not on every corner. I was always amazed when I would go to visit to see how very few pedestrians I saw. And, people would look at me with concern while I was walking to the nearest grocery store–like they couldn’t imagine what I was doing with that wheeled cart (which everybody in DC has).
My Godmother has to go every two years to be tested by the DMV before they will renew her license. Otherwise, she will have to move in with one of her sons or move to assisted living.
21Let me tell you how easy it is to get an elderly parent to quit driving. I’ve done it twice.
Write a letter to the Texas Department of Public Safety and tell them you have concerns about the person’s ability to drive because of the meds they take.
DPS will send a letter and offer them two ways out–voluntarily give up their license or take the driving test. If they pass the test, they can keep their license.
The woman who does the testing says there are no age limits on driving. and as long as they renew the license, they can drive.
But if you let the DPS send the letter, then you can have ‘the talk’ with the person and hopefully talk them into a voluntary relinquishment.
By the way, I don’t know if y’all are all in Texas, but the DPS in Victoria does not test folks. My mom is 86 and her TDL does not expire until her birthday in 2015. My dad had his license until he passed away at 88. They just didn’t have the car to drive.
22I have always been grateful that my Mom gave up driving when she reached 80. I plan to do the same. Taxis are cheaper than hospitals (or, worse, therapists needed because I hurt someone).
23I’ve seen so many incidents of elderly people that should not be behind the wheel in Tom Green County that it’s just darn scary to be on the road with them. I was making a left-hand turn and looked over and there they were, in an oncoming traffic lane intending to turn left. Twice this same elderly gentleman has done this at the same busy intersection of a Texas highway. One of those fracking trucks won’t be able stop coming down the hill at him one of these days. I really feel sorry for his wife seated in the car. I’m kinda eagerly waiting when it’s my time to hang-up those keys. It’s a heck of lot cheaper, and safer.
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