To not let PIL take DS in their car?

[SquishyBumsMum]

Since DS was born, DP's parents have only seen him about 5 times.
We make plans to see them at least once a week and they always cancel, usually about an hour before, and no, I'm not exaggerating. This is partly because of MIL's illness which is why we tend to grin and bear it and just try everything to get her to see DS as she always says she's missing him etc.

So, on mother's day they've proposed that we all go out for a meal together, which sounded lovely until they suggested somewhere miles away.
The problem is, we don't have a car at the moment and theirs is completely knackered, the gear box is gone and the breaks tend to lock up and stop working without warning. To top it all of MIL is on extremely strong medication so shouldn't be driving at all and FIL can't drive.

AIBU to say absolutely not to them driving us anywhere, as I don't agree with them driving anywhere at all, MIL is a danger to herself and everyone else on the road. But they seem to think I'm over reacting.

I've offered to cook etc but nothing seems like an acceptable alternative to them.
So AIBU or are they?

God, she's a loon! Does she not care that she might kill someone on the road, never mind herself and any passengers??

YANBU - FGS, regardless of what she says, shop her! How old is she? Anywhere near 70? She'll be needing to take another test soon, I believe.

I might consider sabotaging the car if no other plan springs to mind - if it's old enough to have a distributor cap, nicking that woudl do the job - or if you want to be more subtle, take the cap off, bugger up the rotor arm inside and replace the cap.

But if the gear box has "gone" and the brakes are not working properly, the car isn't even roadworthy, never mind your MIL!! It can't possibly have a current MOT in that condition! So illegal...

I've tried to compromise saying we'll pay for taxis to somewhere closer, or she can come here and I'll cook but nothing else is good enough.
Vallhala It's a situation like that which terrifies me. Like I said DP and I have spoken and we're going to tackle this once and for all, have actually convinced MIL to let us pop round tonight to talk to her, if she doesn't agree to stop driving etc I'll be reporting her.

to be fair to the OP she has said they don't usually drive the car and want to use it just this once, so I don't think the MIL is driving around in it daily (I hope).

That said, though, the temptation is there while they still own the car and can't see how dangerous it is. Good luck with your talk tonight - I hope you can convince her it's dangerous to drive (and if not call the DVLA).

fwiw, I think you should have the Mother's Day you want and they can join you if they want to.

when was the car last mot`ed?is it taxed cant get tax without insurance ceft & mot.

think about her driving towards a zebra crossing full of toddlers and children at school pick up time..

Think about her killing somebodies mother and children on mothering sunday...

easy for us to say report, I know. we don't have to live with the family fallout, but think about the fall out if someone else got killed, how would you live with yourself knowing you could have done something?

It might be your child they hit as their brakes fail going into the carpark....

Now psyche yourself up and do it. You are strong enough, people here think you are doing the right thing to stop her.

YANBU - please stick with your instincts. I am very nervous of my parents driving the DC and make very convoluted excuses as to why they can't take them more than a 5 minute journey as am not brave enough to tell my dad he's a rubbish driver ( he of course thinks he's superb)

Actually I'm pretty sure if the doc says you should not be driving, your insurance is invalid if you do then drive. Same as if you drive when you've had a CS and your doc has categorically told you not to drive, isn't it? The doc says she's medically unfit therefore no insurance.
So - no insurance, I can't believe the car has a valid MOT, and an illegal driver's licence because she hasn't updated her address, which is an offence in itself - she'd be in so much shit if she as much as clipped a wing mirror of another car and the police caught her, it's not funny, never mind if she actually hit a person!

still at her sense of unutterable entitlement to drive a lethal machine when unfit to do so.