Too close for comfort...

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I have an elderly friend whom I have known for 46 years. In fact I consider him my second dad. He has had a tremendous influence in my life in many positive ways... the most memorable being he taught me to fly when I was 16 years old. He's been a pilot most of his life and an advanced ground school instructor... flown many military and civilian aircraft. He had to give up flying about 12 years ago because of age related issues.
That being said... he is now 85 and I was visiting him over the weekend. I was riding in his small Toyota pick-up while we ran an errand around the Pensacola area. On the way back he spotted an old car show at a local fast food establishment. He asked me if I would like to stop... to which I replied, "it's up to you". He wanted to check out a 67 Ford Galaxy he caught a glimpse of because he has one in his garage that's all original. While he was looking for a spot to turn around, he failed to notice some on coming traffic and he began his left hand u-turn. He started by drifting into the on coming lane and I told him to watch out! There was a Chevrolet Equinox SUV barreling down on us pretty quick... he just continued his turn into a private drive while the suv was braking hard and was on the shoulder of the road when the front of his truck entered the drive way. The SUV had to then whip back into the lane of travel to avoid hitting us. Looking from the passenger side window, it was almost too much to handle... I was sure we were going to get hit. I give credit to the Lord and the great driving skills of the driver in the other vehicle for not having to take a trip to the hospital.
I know distraction played a part in this event, in fact, I believe that our focusing ability diminishes as we age. Seeing a close personal friend who has been very capable of tasks requiring great concentration, now challenged to drive a vehicle safely down the road, hurts. But this is life and we must keep an eye on our elderly folks for signs they need to give up driving. We also need to be aware of these folks while riding... They don't mean harm, but they can be a hazard!
 
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Wow, I'm glad you are safe. I had the same issue with an old boss of mine. His wife does all the driving now and he just rides. Much safer for the rest of the world.
 

Tom Mac 04a

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My Mom is 86 and still drives.... every year I take her for a road test and she keeps passing! But I do know one day it will come and it will be hard to pull her wheels, but it's better than the other option.
( she doesn't drive at night by her own choice )
 

JQL

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Knowing when to give something up is very difficult and often not obvious until an "event" occurs. I hope that when it comes time for me to give up motorcycling then driving I will recognise it before I do damage.
 
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Oh Vinny, how I can relate to your experience, although not as a passenger. Years ago, my grandfather, who was in his 90's, would just sit in his "brand new" car...hopefully back it out of the garage start it and just sit in it. Giving up his driving privileges was a major blow to his freedom.

My mom, also in her 90's, still driving would always have some kind of new markings on her van. People would call us and tell us how they would see her van with the back hatch open, in the parking lot, and she would be nowhere to be seen....shopping. We would always wonder when we'd get that call that she would be in a bad wreck. Fortunately it never came.

My FIL....he's 91...still driving. My wife goes to lunch with him and has had "several" close calls while he's driving. Always on her side. He still comes down almost every Sunday...20 mi. one way. Stays till after dark and may or may not remember to call when he gets home.

Giving up a persons driving privileges, is perhaps the most difficult thing for the elderly to experience.
 

gmast1100

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Vinny. glad that it didn't turn out worse. So glad that my FIL had his senses to give up driving when he realized he could no longer do it safely.
 
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Vinny glad you're ok. My folks are in their 80s. Still get around ok but the the only good thing about this getting old stuff is it sure beats the alternative.
 

Byron

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I'm glad everything turned out fine that day. Did you have a talk with your fried about the incident? Maybe you can direct him to this site for some help.

I remember being called to a local DMV branch site years ago because they evaluated my dad and decided it was time for him to stop driving. Good ole dad, before I could get there to bring him home since they canceled his license he got back in his van and drove himself home. I guess he didn't want to wait any longer. He probably didn't want to concede to age. He did quit driving and gave the van to one of my sisters. It slowed him down some but didn't stop him from getting around, it just took more planning.

I wish your friend the best.
 

SupraSabre

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Glad you made it thru without a heart attack!

My wife can relate to your excitement! She has had to have her 84 yr old father play driver for her and she tells me of similar stories. Seems they just don't see other vehicles on the road when they have something on their mind. She has come back from trips as while as a ghost on several occasions.
 
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