Man drives car into hospital entrance, injuring woman

Again?

Again?

Yes again...and it will happen again and again and again until people over 70 are required to get retested ANNUALLY.

... just give up the driving license when you retire.... that should be enough.

I never get this, most Japanese cars are automatics and the gas paddle is on the right and the brake paddle is on the left. And why do they always drive of like they in a race, if you slowly push in the paddled you notice the difference.

@Dennis probably because once they're in 'panic mode', they try to step quickly and the acceleration is positioned at a more natural position to step on; not necessary due to age.

Heh, but how long did the ambulance take?

Having tried out several "automatic" cars, I actually paid extra to have a "manual" edition. Making a car "easier" to drive, doesn't necessarily make it "safer".

Dennis,

You asked how they get the two mixed up? As I have driven with some of my Japanese friends, I noticed that they drive with both feet. One for the gas, and one for the brake. This is why I usually take my car, as I value my life. No insult intended.

@mirai: Please get your facts straight, older people DO have annual tests ( i seem to remember its every 3 years).

The first thing that popped in my head was , "herbs involved again?"

"And why do they always drive of like they in a race"

the million doallar question..especially on these narrow JP roads.

Mirai Hayashi:

Yes again...and it will happen again and again and again until people over 70 are required to get retested ANNUALLY.

We need this BADLY in the U.S., but the AARP lobbies against it.

Dennis Bauer:

I never get this, most Japanese cars are automatics and the gas paddle is on the right and the brake paddle is on the left.

Genki/Flash:

You asked how they get the two mixed up? As I have driven with some of my Japanese friends, I noticed that they drive with both feet. One for the gas, and one for the brake.

Same as our seniors in the U.S. Every time there is an "unintended acceleration" accident, it's a two-footer who gets their own two feet confused.

I noticed that they drive with both feet. One for the gas, and one for the brake.

Really? Eek! That's something I haven't seen!

They do retest them, but the law has no teeth. MIL was in Stage 5 of Alzheimer's, totally illogical. We'd already taken her car away because of extremely poor judgement; she was sitting on the 'leg' of a T intersection, another car was turning in to where she was, she decided to drive diagonally across the road and get out before they came in (a 'win' in her mind if she beat them) and she took the other car's front end off. We wrestled the keys away from her at the site of the accident*.

Well, she thought she deserved her license and we were all plotting against her. She whined and wheedled and nagged a friend into taking her for the test. She totally flunked the computer test (it's like an arcade game, you avoid objects and obey signs), and did a herky-jerky around the course in the school car, and they still gave her her license with (get this) the ADVICE that she 'use her license for identification only, and not drive'. Ha! Her getting the license 'proved' that we were all wrong, 'give me back my car!!'....months of hell because a license is seen as some kind of right, it's damned hard to get one taken away. Doctors don't have the right, and evidently, neither does the DMV! And because any fender bender not involving the cops has to be self-reported, they didn't find out about her accident. I'm hoping that they've smartened up in the intervening 4-5 years, as more people have been killed.

*She had the keys as kind of a palliative/comfort measure as her agitation went through the roof if she didn't have her keys in her bag (we were in the process of making up a fake set).She was in a cast for a torn ligament in her ankle, was hospitalized and not thought to be at risk for actually driving. As I said on the Alzheimer's thread, you cannot underestimate them. She went down the fire escape in a cast and took off in the car.

**

I suppose in Japan there is lawi about minimum age for start driving.

If so, there must be one for stop final driving. isn't it ?

when people gets mor than 70 or 75 for example.**

Well, no, some people are still really sharp in their 70s...I'd say take the license away when their reflexes are shot.