On June 13, 2009, four year old Diya Patel stepped into a crosswalk on Washington Street in Stoughton. As she made her way across the street, accompanied by her grandfather and two siblings, Diya was struck by a Toyota Camry driven by 89 year old Ilse Horn of Canton.Diya, who was to enter kindergarten this fall, was thrown over 60 feet by the collision. Later, an investigation showed no evidence of pre or post crash emergency braking by the car.
Early the next morning, Diya died at the Tufts Medical Center in Boston.
What happened on that street in Stoughton is becoming far too common. Across New England and around the country, elderly drivers are causing accidents at an alarming rate. Just four days ago, Officer Michael Davey, a 34 year old veteran and father of three children, was killed when he was struck by a pickup truck driven by a 79 year old man, who now faces charges. This adds to a long list of elderly folks driving cars into crowds, through store fronts and into other cars.
Jacqueline Sorensen, 83, drove her Mustang convertible through the front of a liquor store in Natick, injuring the cashier. What's more out of place here, that you can't work in a store without being hit by a car, or that an 83 year old woman drives a Mustang convertible?
This sort of thing has been going on for far too long because no one has the will to address it. Any proposal of reform is immediately denounced by the AARP as age discrimination.
Age discrimination? Tell that to Diya Patel's family.
It's a question of basic freedom, we are told. Okay. Then try explaining to Michael Davey's children why they are free to grow up without a father.
Look, nobody wants to pick on old people. After all, we're talking about protecting them from harm as well. But we have do something about this. By the year 2025, one in four drivers on the road will be an over the age of 65. Public policy, however, is not going to solve this problem.
For example, here in Massachusetts, the governor is proposing legislation that would require annual driving exams for everyone over the age of 85. That age is too high. Hell, I'm 36 and I can feel my own skills beginning to decline. Why not set it at 65? That is usually the age at which people retire. Is it too much to ask that they take a half day to ensure that their driving skills have not eroded to the point of danger?
But this is really beside the point. The burden, and most of the blame, resides not with elderly folks, many of whom no longer know any better. It's not with the state, which is not the parent of its citizens. It's about the kids. Not the little ones in the crosswalk, but the middle aged children of these elderly people.
In time the child becomes the parent. It is inevitable, it is natural, and it is far more feasible than the government determining whether each individual is fit to drive. I have seen keys taken from senior citizens who were once fiercely independent. It hurts their pride, but it is far less harmful than a head on collision.
