Accountibility and medical conditions?

[tchrchgo]

my folks and I were out driving and we witnessed an elderly woman who started driving the wrong way down a major artery, traffic going in that direction came to a complete halt while the woman weaved around finally hitting a telephone pole. thankfully she was going slow and did very minor damage to her car, and even more thankfully did not hit any cars or people- and it was right across the street from a school.

my father went over to make sure she was ok while we waited for police and an ambulance. my father heard her tell the officers her sugar was low and she passed out.

which begs the question- if you know you have a serious medical condition which apparently is not well controlled, and you still choose to get behind the wheel of a car, and heaven forbid you injure someone or something, when should the person become legally responsible (such as vehicle homicide, etc)? To me, if you have uncontrolled blood sugar which causes you to pass out, or narcolepsy, etc- it is just as dangerous when driving as if you were drunk.

any other thoughts?

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Last year when I was in the hosp. one time my roomate was the victim of a horrific car accident.

She was air lifted to the hosp. She had all 4 limbs broken, a fractured jaw etc. This was the result of a man who was supposedly trying to give himself insulin while driving. He crashed into 5 cars on a busy street. It was so bad there was no room in the icu, I was one of those who needed to be in icu but we just had to wait a few days.

I head her ask and they did tell her the driver died in the accident. I cant help but imagine all the suffering of every one involved. Based on his actions it was obvious the driver knew things were going wrong very quickly. Its a shame he couldnt have pulled over soon etc.

 

[cm8]

my folks and I were out driving and we witnessed an elderly woman who started driving the wrong way down a major artery, traffic going in that direction came to a complete halt while the woman weaved around finally hitting a telephone pole. thankfully she was going slow and did very minor damage to her car, and even more thankfully did not hit any cars or people- and it was right across the street from a school.

my father went over to make sure she was ok while we waited for police and an ambulance. my father heard her tell the officers her sugar was low and she passed out.

which begs the question- if you know you have a serious medical condition which apparently is not well controlled, and you still choose to get behind the wheel of a car, and heaven forbid you injure someone or something, when should the person become legally responsible (such as vehicle homicide, etc)? To me, if you have uncontrolled blood sugar which causes you to pass out, or narcolepsy, etc- it is just as dangerous when driving as if you were drunk.

any other thoughts?

If you have not had your license revoked then, I am nit sure there is much you can do about it.If you have had your license pulled for an illness and you cause an accident and other damage, I think they should throw the book at you ( except in the case of you being a celebrity, you know they never have to follow the rules)

 

[lovesmurfs]

In November 2005, a young woman (aged 25) had a seizure, crossed 2 lanes of traffic, ran her brand-new car up a curb, through our back wooden privacy fence, chain link fence, through kids' wooden playset, and into our brick garage, where I had just parked our car 10 minutes before. It's such a blessing no one was hurt -- was nearly $50,000 worth of damage when all was said and done.

While I understand unknown health issues happening to drivers (and would have been completely understanding if that was the case with this driver), we found out when the police arrived that she had just had her license returned after having it taken away for a year because of seizures. Turns out she lied about having the seizures under control just so that she could get her license back. To me, even for a 25yo, that's completely inexcusable.

 

[minkydog]

I knew someone who ran off I-285 in Atlanta rush hour traffic when his blood sugar plunged. He had generally good control, but this day everything went wrong and he passed out at the wheel. His 8yo DD was in the front seat(illegally) and was life-flighted to the children's hospital with serious injuries. She recovered but this man was charged with seatbelt violations as well as DUI/DWI and some other stuff I can't remember. Thankfully, no one else was involved, but it was bad enough for him and his DD anyway.

 

[arminnie]

In November 2005, a young woman (aged 25) had a seizure, crossed 2 lanes of traffic, ran her brand-new car up a curb, through our back wooden privacy fence, chain link fence, through kids' wooden playset, and into our brick garage, where I had just parked our car 10 minutes before. It's such a blessing no one was hurt -- was nearly $50,000 worth of damage when all was said and done.

While I understand unknown health issues happening to drivers (and would have been completely understanding if that was the case with this driver), we found out when the police arrived that she had just had her license returned after having it taken away for a year because of seizures. Turns out she lied about having the seizures under control just so that she could get her license back. To me, even for a 25yo, that's completely inexcusable.

It is more than inexcusable, it is criminal.

 

[tvguy]

At least in California, it would be standard procedure if police were called, and they felt the same way, for them to notify DMV to do a review of the person's license.

 

[manning]

I had a stroke while visiting Maryland. I was told if you did not report it to the state and got into an accident you are automatically at fault.

 

[kimblebee]

I have MS and do not have to report it when I renew my license. There are questions but none of them apply to me. I monitor myself very carefully and if I don't feel 100% comfortable behind the wheel, I don't drive. Even if I feel 95%, I don't take the chance. I have had to cancel my plans to drive someone to the store or airport several times because I refuse to take the risk.

 

[Talking Hands]

I have diabetes and I let my husband do most of the driving. When I do drive and test my blood sugar before getting behind the wheel and if I am low I eat and have my husband drive me or don't go until my sugar is at a reasonable level. (usually between 90-140) I retest if it is a long drive. I also carry emergency supplies such as a coke or other carb just in case. If I feel I may be going low I will pull off the road, test and treat as needed.
Also I will not drive if I have crashed recently as it wipes me out and affects my ability to make decisions.

 

[KPeveler]

I have several medical conditions, and I am not required to report them to the state DMV. I am very very careful about how much I drive and how I feel. I essentially never drive if there is someone else to drive. I monitor my conditions carefully and if there is any doubt, then I will NOT get behind the wheel.

Accountability comes in when the person has knowledge of medical conditions and ignores them and the warning signs. I have blood sugar issues, and you can feel when something is going wrong... I know that people do have random seizures that come out of no where, or pass out. If it never has happened before, that is just really bad luck. But the case of the 25 yr old who lied about her seizures being under control is just criminal!

 

[eliza61]

The problem is preception. Every one thinks they are in control. People who have had a few drinks will swear up and down that they are completely capable of driving.
Elderly citizens will often fight their love ones tooth and nail over driving. The simply believe they are excellent drivers. they will argue they have been driving for umpteen years and can see fine.

So the problem isn't a lack of responsibility. I bet if asked that elderly women would swear that her medical condition is not a problem and she is a completely responsible adult.