Forget gun laws, here's why to avoid Florida

[Pangloss]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-1021body,0,282956.story?track=mostemailedlink

 

ST. PETERSBURG -- A 93-year-old driver apparently suffering from dementia fatally struck a pedestrian, then continued driving through a toll booth with the man's body on his windshield, police said.

 

Ralph Parker, of Pinellas Park, drove for three miles Wednesday night after striking the 52-year-old pedestrian with his gold 2002 Chevrolet Malibu, severing the man's right leg, police said.

 

A toll taker on the Sunshine Skyway saw the body stuck through Parker's windshield and notified police, Traffic Homicide Investigator Michael Jockers said.

[Douglas]

With the amount of golden oldies in the St Pete area, I'd be guessing that homicide by auto would be much greater than homicide by gun.

[Mokele]

IIRC, Tampa is actually the number one city in the US for per-capita pedestrian-vehicle accidents.

[Phi for All]

So sad. But humor always forces it's way into my head when tragedy strikes, and I'm reminded of a Seinfeld bit where he claims most New Yorkers who turn 65 (never having driven a car before) retire, buy a Cadillac, put on the left turn signal and move to Florida.

[Pangloss]

Another old Seinfeld joke: "Yup, my parents just moved to Florida. They didn't want to go, but, you know, they turned 65 and that's the law!"

[-Demosthenes-]

It's the title of the thread that makes is so funny

[Nevermore]

I live near 4 or 5 assisted living places, and I can tell you, old people are not as bad at driving as people say. They are worse. Far, far worse.

[budullewraagh]

that blows. but why is this in the politics forum?

[Pangloss]

Well it's part of the politics of Florida, which seems to have international interest since the 2000 election, and because it pertains to another discussion we had recently. It's also "science politics", relating to the scientific issue of an aging society and its political repurcussions.

 

I would encourage people to post more threads related to local political issue which the poster believes have larger repurcussions, or scientific ones. I don't think we discuss enough politics on this board, nor does this board have sufficient breadth. We tend to beat around the same tired old discussions time and again. One of my goals is to widen the discussion here.

[BobbyJoeCool]

To clarify, not ALL old people are bad drivers... it's a stereotype that is mostly justified, because the ones who have deminished sight, reaction time, etc. can't keep control of the car as well. So, a lot of them compensate by going slower. It's the ones that don't that you have to watch out for...