DRUNK DRIVERS OR OLD DRIVERS: WHICH ARE WORSE?

Well, it almost happened. I was heading north on Englewood Road, a four lane State Road here in Florida. It was a beautiful Sunday! The sun was shining, relatively warm for a January afternoon. There was hardly any traffic at all. I was smiling to myself as I putted up the road at 50mph. I had the two North lanes to myself and my Harley Fatboy, Argo, was purring like a kitten. Life was good!

I was running in the far right lane on this divided highway and noticed a small maroon car facing East pulling across the road to join me in heading North. This car had the entire left lane to pull out in. Anyone who has had Drivers Education knows that legally you’re supposed to establish yourself in the nearest lane when making a turn like this. Unfortunately this driver decided they wanted the right lane instead and cut completely across the left lane like it wasn’t there. The problem was I was in the right lane and they were pushing me off the road!

There was no shoulder on this road, just a high curb. There was no place for me to go. There was no escape route. I locked up my back brake and went into a skid. Argo started to go sideways. I got as far to the right as I could. I feared I would hit the curb and flip over it. My tire grazed the curb and this asshole still had no idea I was there!

Miraculously, I was able to hold it together and avoid the collision. I down-shifted and tore off after this idiot who could’ve killed me. I pulled up alongside the car in the left lane and looked over. There was a lady looking to be in her 80’s. I was brought up to respect my elders and can’t recall ever raising my voice in anger to a senior citizen. That ended right then and there.

“You stupid Bitch!” I screamed at her. “You cut me off!!!”

She looked at me like she was seeing an alien from Mars. Her eyes were wide and her mouth open. The road was completely empty, she thought. Where did this screaming madman come from and what was he ranting about? I pulled ahead of her and a block or two later she made a left turn off the road. I was very tempted to double-back and follow her to her destination in order to explain, at high volume, what she had done and almost did. I decided against this. With my luck, a cop would appear on the scene and taze my ass into submission and make a bad experience even worse as I‘d probably lose control of my body functions as 50,000 volts would be surging through my body. I arrived at my destination and was visibly shaking for another 15 minutes or so. I was very angry and just had the crap scared out of me!

Which brings me to my question. Which is worse: a drunk driver or an old driver? In my opinion, it’s the old driver that is worse because they’re legal! They have a right to be on the road even though they have limited or impaired capabilities. The drunk driver is breaking the law even though it’s possible he can handle his vehicle better than some of our senior citizens. It scares me to think that I’ll be in those shoes some day, if I live long enough. Will I have the sense to realize I can’t drive safely anymore? Will my ego allow me to see this?

I’ve seen reality police shows like COPS, etc. and I know some idiots are too drunk to stand up, let alone drive. They are definitely a danger to society and should be punished for being so stupid to risk the life of every person on or near the road they’re driving on! But what about the 90 year old man or woman who can hardly see beyond the end of his or her hood? They are just as dangerous as a drunk.

I applaud the writer of a letter I once saw published in our local newspaper. He said he was a man in his early 90’s who couldn’t drive his car anymore. His eyesight and coordination was at a point to where he had to admit to himself that it was too dangerous to get behind the wheel. The problem was, the Florida DMV would send him a new license every year as long as he paid the fee! No driving test, no eyesight test, no coordination test, no reaction time test, no nothing! Just pay the yearly fee and be on your merry way. This man complained that after a certain age, drivers should be tested every year to insure they can safely handle a 3,000 pound missile.

This also brings me to a point I’ve always defended. I know some people who are heavy drinkers that can drink quite a bit before they show signs of intoxication. Though they may be “legally drunk” with a blood alcohol count of .08 or higher, they can still be relatively sober. If pulled over, these people could go to jail and lose their license while an 80 year old woman can legally drive with cataracts and other ailments that make her very dangerous to others.
The argument law enforcement officers often make is that the intake of alcohol slows down the reaction time of a driver that could cause a serious accident. Well, the same could be said for elderly drivers. Their reaction time very well could be slower than someone who has a few beers, especially if that person is used to drinking.

I think the answer is simple. The cops are going about it the wrong way. Instead of measuring how much alcohol is in someone’s system, they should be measuring the person’s reaction time.  When I was in Drivers Ed in high school, they had a machine that consisted of a gas pedal, a brake pedal, a light, and a timer. The idea was to have someone sit there and apply the “gas” until the light went on. At that instant, they had to slam on the brake pedal and the timer would say what the reaction time was. Law enforcement officers should be using this instead of a breathalyzer. I think this would be more accurate in determining if someone can react fast enough to safely operate a motor vehicle or not. Of course, the field sobriety tests should also be given. By contrast, how many senior citizens could pass a field sobriety test even though they are cold sober?

Once a person reaches a certain age, they should also be tested yearly for things like eyesight, peripheral vision, coordination and reaction time. I believe these steps would make our highways safer than the way things are done now.

Maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong. It doesn’t really matter, this is just my two cents worth. Let me know what you think.

Till next time, let’s be careful out there!

Johnny