What pisses me off about the Santa Monica "accident"

Does anybody here think that if the person who caused this "accident" was a teenager or even a person under 30 that he or she would have been released and treated with such respect by the police? I think not.

I just saw this attorney on Billy O's show who favors yearly retesting over 70+ year old drivers. I agree.

wow. I don't get that at all.

nothing would happen, but I think any other teenager or twenty-something would be in serious serious trouble.

they've since found that he wrecked his garage - TWICE - before this "accident".

The over-70 law should be mandatory, and my 86-year-old mom lobbies for it in Florida.

He should be tried for, at least, manslaughter.

There is an intent element even for manslaughter charges in most states. I admit that I don't know the law in CA on this or what the elements of manslaughter are there, so maybe NSMA could clear things up.

Absent some showing of recklessness or other malice (which probably would not be shown merely by a bad driving record), this was just an awful ACCIDENT people. Y'all would be starting down a verrry slippery slope if you start allowing the state to criminally prosecute people for an accidental act.

on edit- Even a purely accidental discharge of a gun which results in a person's death would/should probably not result in any criminal charges. Why do you want to give the gov't even more power to prosecute- esp for an honest mistake? I certainly don't.


However, I do think it demonstrates why better testing and regulation is needed. And not just of the elderly. In Texas, you can renew your license by mail, and even if you actually go to the DPS, you are not given a test to ascertain your actual driving ability. I am 31, and there are plenty of 30 year olds who need more training on the proper operation of a motor vehicle! But that requires money for the testing, the personnel, etc.- apparently something we are not prepared to do in this state.

And if seniors had better options for public transportation, they probably would not be as opposed to stricter limits on their driving. If they could still get around and not have to depend on a family member (who may or may not even be willing to help), they would still be able to maintain their independence and the public could feel safer in not having them on the roads. Yet again, another example of how throwing money at a problem really could help.

From what I heard he probably will be tried for manslaughter. The "requisite intent" would be that he knew his driving ability was poor.

For a maximum age for driving. We have a minimum for obvious reasons and as we grow older, our mental and physical faculties deteriorate.

At what age is debatable, but I would use the retirement age.

Did I misunderstand, or did you just suggest that people over 65 not be allowed to drive?

But the age is debatable. We don't allow people under 16 for the same reasons, that their physical and mental functions are not fully developed. The same goes for the elderly.

By all means, lets put that in the Democratic platform, then we won't have to worry about the Repubs cheating in Florida, they'll blow is out of the water legitimately.

I am almost constantly avoiding accidents with them. But first, we would have to put tons of money in Public Transportation.

Most of the elderly I have in my cab are $4 fares or less and most of the time, Medicare pays for their cab rides to the doctors.

It can be done in the interest of public safety because driving is a privilege and not a right.

I've had to go on the shoulder of a nice wide road in my motorhome to avoid people driving pickups and SUVs that are obviously more than they are capable of driving and these wern't elder people. I'm retired and I'll take a test in my motorhome, wife's Saturn wagon or my 65 'Vette. But to arbitrarily tell me that you can pick the age that I can no longer drive ain't gonna get it. They can have the keys to my 'Vette when they pry them from my cold dead hands.

and he's sharp as a tack. He could pass any test, so, test away!

My mom, who is only 63, is utterly unfit to drive. On this score she is thankfully also unwilling to. My dad, who is 68, is doing fine. I know 75 and 80 year olds in great shape. I also know ones in crappy shape. It is appalling that anyone can get their licence renewed by mail. My 90 year old grandmother just got hers for another 6 years. Thank God she is doing OK for now and already in an assited living situation. I see no reason why everyone shouldn't have to take a vision, hearing, and mental accuity test to renew their licence. Every four years should be often enough.

Do you think he would have been released? I have to say I believe he would have gone to jail. I also think a woman would have been jailed too. To me this really reaks to me of preferencial treatment. Ashamed to say it, but here in our good ole America, I believe prejudice (and influence**) is still alive and well.

And if it makes any impact on my theory, Im white.

But I see the inequities in our world and they infuriate and even more, baffle me. Inevitably, the unfairness hurts all of us in the long run.

I hate to say it, but I dont think anyone save a white elderly male would have been released. Whatever the case, its a question that bears some honest soul searching and investigation. Have we progressed all that much? I think there should be a good healthy uproar about this.

But ask yourself honestly, when considering Americas pattern of "justice", how fair are we? And why do we let some more than others off the hook?

While this accident goes well beyond the usual, the elderly having difficulty driving is not uncommon. Last year, my daughter has involved in a head on collison when an elderly woman, who had suffered three strokes previous to the accident, crossed into my daughters lane, and hit her straight on. My daughter spent a week in intensive care and the woman died.

Now the police had visited the woman's family on numerous occasions because of reports of her poor driving, but no one could get the woman to stop. After all, she would lose her remaining sense of independence. But most of all, our state has no program that would help the woman get around. I concluded that if the state were to try and regulate elderly drivers to assertain their fittness, they would also be pressured to provide some assistance for them to get to doctor's appointments, etc. That is not going to happen. We have no public transportation where I live. My mother was lucky because in Pittsburgh, there is a well established program, even if politicians are always threatening to cut the budget. So she did give up driving voluntarily.

So here we are: My daughter is fine; a woman died; the political will to better regulate drivers is not there because there is no money for a program of public transportation. And finally, the elderly vote.

While this accident goes well beyond the usual, the elderly having difficulty driving is not uncommon. Last year, my daughter has involved in a head on collison when an elderly woman, who had suffered three strokes previous to the accident, crossed into my daughters lane, and hit her straight on. My daughter spent a week in intensive care and the woman died.

Now the police had visited the woman's family on numerous occasions because of reports of her poor driving, but no one could get the woman to stop. After all, she would lose her remaining sense of independence. But most of all, our state has no program that would help the woman get around. I concluded that if the state were to try and regulate elderly drivers to assertain their fittness, they would also be pressured to provide some assistance for them to get to doctor's appointments, etc. That is not going to happen. We have no public transportation where I live. My mother was lucky because in Pittsburgh, there is a well established program, even if politicians are always threatening to cut the budget. So she did give up driving voluntarily.

So here we are: My daughter is fine; a woman died; the political will to better regulate drivers is not there because there is no money for a program of public transportation. And finally, the elderly vote.

While this accident goes well beyond the usual, the elderly having difficulty driving is not uncommon. Last year, my daughter has involved in a head on collison when an elderly woman, who had suffered three strokes previous to the accident, crossed into my daughters lane, and hit her straight on. My daughter spent a week in intensive care and the woman died.

Now the police had visited the woman's family on numerous occasions because of reports of her poor driving, but no one could get the woman to stop. After all, she would lose her remaining sense of independence. But most of all, our state has no program that would help the woman get around. I concluded that if the state were to try and regulate elderly drivers to assertain their fittness, they would also be pressured to provide some assistance for them to get to doctor's appointments, etc. That is not going to happen. We have no public transportation where I live. My mother was lucky because in Pittsburgh, there is a well established program, even if politicians are always threatening to cut the budget. So she did give up driving voluntarily.

So here we are: My daughter is fine; a woman died; the political will to better regulate drivers is not there because there is no money for a program of public transportation. And finally, the elderly vote.

My great grandfather once went out and got lost. Things had changed so much since he had last driven.

He got lost, then lost his car. Fortunately some called us to pick him up.

There should be mandatory vision tests and on-the-highway driving tests every two years after a given age - around 65.

There is no question that the elderly portion of our population is and will continue to rapidly expand. We also know that people want to stay out of nursing homes and on their own, but they need transportation to shop for groceries, visit family/friends, or basically have an enjoyable life. THAT is why they will go to great lengths to hang on to their cars and driver's licenses. We have tried a few times in my state to put legislation in mandating driver's retesting for older drivers. The very powerful AARP lobby effectively killed those efforts.

The answer is that we have to have senior friendly public, mass transportation. If you have lived in Europe or the UK, at least in their larger cities, you know what I mean. And in many countries of the world , there are some pretty old people tooling around on bikes. But that would be pretty dangerous in many parts of our country, and of course impossible when the weather is bad.

My final thought is that I bet a lot of you have an older relative who should not be driving - or is approaching that time. I went through this with my Mom, who is now 90 - she was always a kind and reasonable person, but when neighbors told me her driving was getting careless/erratic, and I talked to her about stopping driving (and that meant moving into an assisted living facility), she got nasty as . . . well, Ann Coulter. Because to her, it meant her life as an independent adult was over and she was just waiting to die. And it meant giving up the home she loved.
This went on for about a year, when she developed some painful arthritis in her hip and couldn't drive. I ended up driving 140 miles a day several days a week, to take her shopping, to church, the hairdresser, the library, the dentist, the doctor, the movies, etc. I finally found an assisted living complex in a location she liked and she moved there two years ago.

The government would make it a lot easier on younger family members if it would mandate driver's license retesting for the elderly. And the government would make life a lot easier for the growing elderly population if public transportation were more widely available.

If that guy had been of obvious MidEast descent or was wearing a turban, do you think the crowd would have killed him on the spot?

Even if the minority were elderly or otherwise disabled. But this man looked "out of it" when he was being escorted by police, looked like he was "greeting" with smiles the police reaching over to escort him.

Some state police, when requested to stop an elder driver, have said they can only send a letter asking them to come in for a driving test, have a policy of not just yanking the license. But a license in itself, the lack thereof, is not a guarantee somebody won't sneak a spree drive. Some families go so far as to disconnect cables.

But what?--put this probably impaired person in a penetentiary? How to give justice to the dead and injured, the ended LIVES.

And unlike the many posters I've read here today, apparently the investigating authorities wish to determine precisely what caused this horrific accident 'before the hanging'. Possibly the gentleman suffered a *mini-stroke* - something that could and does happen to a much younger people. Whatever the cause is found to be, I imagine Mr. Weller's driving days are over. Forensics will hopefully determine exactly what did happen.

In the interest of full disclosure - I'm a senior citizen. While I find I'm often impatient with other senior drivers- primarily for driving slowly, it's the 30 somethings that I find most disturbing. They seem to think that stop signs weren't meant for them -they not only ignore them - but if they do stop, it's momentary and then they barrel through (I was nearly T-boned by one this afternoon); they seem to have no concept of what "yield" means- either that or they suffer from a terminal case of 'entitlement'. In recent years, it has been my unhappy experience to throw blankets over three 20/30 somethings who failed to negotiate the curve in front of my house. They all lived. They were also all drunk.

The "law" never did a thing to her despite witnesses that saw her race thru the stop sign and kill a kid that was an ex boy friend. It was manslaughter at the least and may have been murder. This geezer prolly figured if the first lady can get away with it, why not him.

in many cases like this.

For example, for an elderly person to give up a car they either have to live somewhere they can get a cab or rely on family, walking or some other method of moving about.

My bro-in-law's parents were moved to a retirement community because his mother had alzheimers disease (early onset) His dad took the PA driver's test 5 times and failed each time and he still drove until my bro-in-law got the doctor to take the license away...his dad had unexplained bumps all over the car... my bro-in-law was afraid his dad would kill someone and he took responsibility for him.

Now not all families are that involved and not everyone has a son, daughter, neice or nephew who is that involved in their lives... but I truly do believe that if you suspect someone is a bad driver and there is evidence then no matter their age they should be tested again.

as another poster mentioned here in PA we have public funded taxis which will take the elderly anywhere for literally nothing...not all states are so lucky. (my bro-in-law's parents aren't allowed to use it anymore because they kept calling for a cab and then forgetting they called for it...its just so sad)..

This fellow's doctor and his family were probably aware he had problems but everyone was probably too busy to worry about it... but now 9 people are dead....

I have been watching the local news. This old man had bashed his garage and at another time leaped a barricade at a party before, which was witnessed by many other people. No one was hurt, but why was there no alarm raised with his wife and other family members? There is a real question as to why friends, family and the DMV didn't do something about it then.

Indidentally, he is not in the clear. Charges still can be filed against him as the investigation uncovers these things. I still think it is a tremendous tragedy. This man will no doubt have to pay for all the lives and damage once the lawsuits start. I know any insurance he has will find reasons to weasel out of paying. He will also have to live with this the rest of his life as short as it may be.

I still feel calling him a mass murderer is out of line. He is in no way in the same league as Timothy McVeigh or Osama bin Laden. There was no pre-meditated action here. This huge tragedy doesn't need to be compounded with mean remarks.