Almost Killed an Older Gentleman Yesterday
- Thread starter ArrestMeRedZ
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30 years ago, after a trip to China and a 35 hour day as a flight crew member, I drove home from the airport.
I nodded off, woke up and was rapidly approaching a stopped tractor-trailer at about 80mph. I hit the brakes and yanked the wheel expecting to hit. (I was driving a Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, one of early ABS cars)
The ABS functioned perfectly and the car turned. I flew off the road, into the grass and kept going. As a dirt bike rider, I was not bothered by the wild ride in the grass and eventually got headed straight, got on the gas and under control.
I loved that car. Mostly because it saved my life.
![[Linked Image]](https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7373/12232654284_93bcb04dcd_b.jpg "[Linked Image]")
I nodded off, woke up and was rapidly approaching a stopped tractor-trailer at about 80mph. I hit the brakes and yanked the wheel expecting to hit. (I was driving a Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, one of early ABS cars)
The ABS functioned perfectly and the car turned. I flew off the road, into the grass and kept going. As a dirt bike rider, I was not bothered by the wild ride in the grass and eventually got headed straight, got on the gas and under control.
I loved that car. Mostly because it saved my life.
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Unfortunately, a lot of the older drivers on the road are just as dangerous as the teens texting, if not more.
I handled many of the AARP clients when I worked auto insurance claims. The stuff some of them would hit without even noticing was mind blowing. Just a few months ago an elderly woman hit a teenage kid near where my sister lives. The kid was walking on the side of the street, the woman hit him with her SUV and kept going. She thought she hit a trash can. The only way they found her was through security cameras and part of her bumper was at the scene. The kid was in intensive care for awhile.
I handled many of the AARP clients when I worked auto insurance claims. The stuff some of them would hit without even noticing was mind blowing. Just a few months ago an elderly woman hit a teenage kid near where my sister lives. The kid was walking on the side of the street, the woman hit him with her SUV and kept going. She thought she hit a trash can. The only way they found her was through security cameras and part of her bumper was at the scene. The kid was in intensive care for awhile.
I seriously fear this in my aging grandmother. She's in her early 80's and her driving is taking a downward spiral. She'll only be focused on what's infront of her and not look around at all. Also drives way too fast for conditions; fact she was driving almost 55mph through a town the other day! Traveling up and down the curvy mountain crazy like that is also pretty bad in itself. I'm all the time finding yellow paint on her bumpers from bumping into parking barriers. Don't know how I'm going to eventually stop her from driving.
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