To wonder how on earth they will sentence a 96 year old?!

[dreamer24]

news.sky.com/story/woman-96-admits-causing-death-of-pedestrian-after-she-panicked-and-mounted-the-kerb-13204265

A 96 year old woman killed a woman in her 70s after she lost control of her car. Due to be sentenced on Monday, apparently. It's obviously completely tragic that a woman has died, but I can't imagine a woman who is almost 100 will get a custodial sentence?

Pre-sentencing reports do take all that into account.

Good idea. We should do that.

This was another sad case near me
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-39372458.amp

I don't suppose the prison system is really set up to deal with the very elderly. In fact I am pretty sure I saw an article recently about how this is a problem and new facilities might be needed, more along the lines of care homes, for very elderly prisoners.

Basically, what purpose is served by imprisoning someone that age. If their licence and car is taken away then they are no longer a danger to society.

I do it already. My parents both had to stop for health issues. We make it work. So I still see no reason why we shouldn't all be tested every ten years and more often as we age.

Retest every ten years. Boom, problem solved.

If people think we shouldn’t be ageist about old people driving, should we be ageist about them going to prison.

Recently on the local community Facebook page there was a video of an elderly gentleman driving the wrong way on a busy dual carriageway, and it turns out it was at least the second time he had been seen doing that!

Not doable, been told by a PP that some people use their licenses as ID even though they dont drive....🙄

The way you write this seems you are apportioning blame to the driver in the Wimbledon deaths - just to clarify, she suffered an epileptic fit, never having experienced this in the past. She was entirely blameless, and it was a tragic accident.

That always fascinates me. How do people manage it?! I have made a point of looking and its actually really hard to pull on to a dual carriageway on the wrong side, they are designed specifically to MAKE it difficult!

@Didhe

Lazy rules aren't the answer, my mum at 82 drives a lot better than many other drivers on the road, why should she lose her licence because of the candles on her cake, while younger unsafe drivers continue to drive recklessly?

I'm actually fucking tired of hearing stories like this. So she's too old for prison, but not too old to have a driving licence even though she was blatantly unfit due to old age. Personally I think she should be locked up as an example to the many older drivers out there who refuse to surrender their licences even when their families beg them to.

My grandad was like that - in the end he was sectioned due to his Alzheimer's - the driving was one of the things we raised during discussions with doctors. We were relieved that that finally stopped him. But it was horrifying, the state he was in when he managed to persuade/bully his very elderly wife to lend him her car keys.

Young people driving also have their own risks, but we don't tend to hear of them driving up the wrong way on motorways or getting confused about what the accelerator is.

Exactly, try telling them that

When my Aunt got to 78 and was beginning to forget things my sisters and I persuaded her not to drive anymore. My sister's who lived close to her told her they would drive her anywhere she wanted to go.

I have to agree somewhat with this.

If you are responsible enough to get behind the wheel of a car then you are responsible to take the consequences if it goes wrong. If you cant go to prison due to bad driving, dont drive. We can all make mistakes after all.

I am 51. If I lose concentration and plough through a load of kids on a crossing outside a school, I would be jailed and rightly so. I accept that everytime I get in the car. If I cant take the consequences then I shouldnt be driving.

You cant cherry pick "I want to keep my independence" whilst trying to use "But I am too old and frail for jail" as a defence.

I’ve never met a 96 year old who would be competent to drive. Have you?

Depends why you lost concentration. As has been mentioned on this thread, the case of the 40 something in Wimbledon who killed people had a seizure. Her first one.
Sometimes, shit happens.

Why the snarky eyeroll? My DP has not driven since he passed his test, yet keeps his photo on his license up to date so he can use it as ID. He is doing nothing wrong.

So eight years after you retire you are stuck with zero transport if you live rurally? Unless you can afford a taxi - for instance it would cost me £10 for the two mile journey to the nearest shop each way. https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/documents/35024/284111/PDC+taxi+tariff+and+fares.pdf/cfddcfa8-470f-9458-3d27-8dc9d1fb6f12
Let's fill the roads with elderly cyclists and horse riders, eh? I'd like to have a go at driving a gig! Or I could drive a mobility scooter at 4mph along the A-road (no pavements) where I live perhaps?
I agree that the checks for competence as you age should be stricter, but an outright age limit would be unworkable.

nb.

If they cannot drive safely, they need to stop driving, end of story. If relatives cannot or do not wish to ferry them about, the elderly relatives in question need to be told this, and given some assistance with moving to an accessible home on a bus or tram etc route, and with as much as possible within walking or scootering distance. Taxis can also help with getting to places not on public transport routes, give up the car and suddenly there is a lot of money there for taxis.

A more immediate issue is the backlog of driving tests. Many people wait months for a test slot. That backlog will need to be drastically reduced before the UK can get serious about extra tests at 75 or whatever age.

Was there evidence she had been driving unsafely prior to this?

There was something in the papers about mandatory 2 yearly sight checks after 75. I think that would be a good place to start. It will also likely weed out the dementia patients too. And those with slow reflexes

That was of the back of an enquiry into a similar case 90+ yo lady killed a toddler. The lady had zero clue what she'd done it was concluded she'd likely had dementia and very little support round her.
She died before her dementia was confirmed and before the case came to trial.

I am sure she won't go to prison, there would be no point at 96, but she will certainly face some sort of heavy penalty and never drive again. I have twice been terrified as a passenger of a very elderly person who really should not have been driving, they were both all over the place, it was almost unreal and they didn't seem to realise it.

In Aus you need to get eye & medical evaluations every year from age 75. DM77 has struggled to renew. She's restricted on distance & speed. QLD doesn't have driving test requirements, but DF83 definitely would't pass!

I've noticed the difference on the roads. It's also getting very congested in our rural city & not suitable for the older drivers who are used to a country town.

I do worry about DH & I having to drive them. FIL lost his licence & DH was being called daily. He'd spend hours taking him grocery shopping on the weekend (FIL would drag it out). He's remarried & his 80 y/o wife ferries him... for now. There's also govt help, like taxi vouchers & aged care workers that provide transport. But it's still difficult. Once my DP's lose their licences it will be hard, although they are fit & walk to the shops.