Something is gonna get us.
It's been argued here that "all things considered" guns are not really a problem we need to fear.
Fire and floods have been with us since man climbed out of the trees.
But automobiles? That's a whole different story. Recently we (I) have seen a too many news stories of folks (mostly older, or drunk) drivers crashing into crowds, buildings, or other objects easily avoided.
The following news story illustrates the point. I'm nearing 80 years of age. I hope the State sometime soon makes in mandatory for those of us "of a certain age" to come in to a DMV office and be tested. My family and friends might tell me I have a problem but they have no authority and I might ignore them until then hide my keys, lock me in the house, or break both of my legs. (Yeah.... I DO have family that would do that.
Age is not the ONLY factor here, but there is enough evidence (I suspect) that it's often a factor. I would not have a problem with demonstrating my ability to keep my driving privileges (after all, it's not a RIGHT) and I'd surrender my licence and stop driving if required.
Some here feel "The State" has too much power. I think this is another example of how good government could provide protection and serve the people.
The story from the MT:
[b]Car crashes into Talent post office[/b]
By Nick Morgan
Mail Tribune
Talent post-office box holders should expect delays after an elderly man mistook his accelerator for the brake in the parking lot.
At 2:16 p.m. Wednesday, Kenneth Perry Condit, 80, of the 4600 block of South Pacific Highway, Phoenix, drove his late-model Toyota Camry sedan through multiple walls at the Talent post office before stopping in a back room used by postal employees. Condit’s wife was in the vehicle with him during the crash.
Talent police Chief Mike Moran said that when he arrived on the scene, he thought the car had been moved.
“It turns out it was inside,” Moran said.
Condit’s car traveled over a parking barrier near the east side of the post office building. From there the car jumped over a sidewalk, then through an exterior wall.
“He then took out an entire wall of post-office boxes,” Moran said until stopping “several feet” inside the back room.
“It went almost all the way through the building,” said Jackson County Fire District 5 Chief Darin Welburn.
At least two employees were working in the building at the time, according to Welburn.
“The car was approximately 20 feet into the building,” Welburn said. “Luckily there was no one in the area at the time or we could’ve had critical injuries.”
According to Moran, Condit showed no signs of intoxication or medical emergency.
“He apparently mistook his gas pedal for the brake,” Moran said.
No citations were issued in the incident.
“We felt that a citation was not appropriate, but we will submit that the driver be retested by the Department of Motor Vehicles,” Moran said. —Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or nmorgan@mailtribune.com.
It's been argued here that "all things considered" guns are not really a problem we need to fear.
Fire and floods have been with us since man climbed out of the trees.
But automobiles? That's a whole different story. Recently we (I) have seen a too many news stories of folks (mostly older, or drunk) drivers crashing into crowds, buildings, or other objects easily avoided.
The following news story illustrates the point. I'm nearing 80 years of age. I hope the State sometime soon makes in mandatory for those of us "of a certain age" to come in to a DMV office and be tested. My family and friends might tell me I have a problem but they have no authority and I might ignore them until then hide my keys, lock me in the house, or break both of my legs. (Yeah.... I DO have family that would do that.
Age is not the ONLY factor here, but there is enough evidence (I suspect) that it's often a factor. I would not have a problem with demonstrating my ability to keep my driving privileges (after all, it's not a RIGHT) and I'd surrender my licence and stop driving if required.
Some here feel "The State" has too much power. I think this is another example of how good government could provide protection and serve the people.
The story from the MT:
[b]Car crashes into Talent post office[/b]
By Nick Morgan
Mail Tribune
Talent post-office box holders should expect delays after an elderly man mistook his accelerator for the brake in the parking lot.
At 2:16 p.m. Wednesday, Kenneth Perry Condit, 80, of the 4600 block of South Pacific Highway, Phoenix, drove his late-model Toyota Camry sedan through multiple walls at the Talent post office before stopping in a back room used by postal employees. Condit’s wife was in the vehicle with him during the crash.
Talent police Chief Mike Moran said that when he arrived on the scene, he thought the car had been moved.
“It turns out it was inside,” Moran said.
Condit’s car traveled over a parking barrier near the east side of the post office building. From there the car jumped over a sidewalk, then through an exterior wall.
“He then took out an entire wall of post-office boxes,” Moran said until stopping “several feet” inside the back room.
“It went almost all the way through the building,” said Jackson County Fire District 5 Chief Darin Welburn.
At least two employees were working in the building at the time, according to Welburn.
“The car was approximately 20 feet into the building,” Welburn said. “Luckily there was no one in the area at the time or we could’ve had critical injuries.”
According to Moran, Condit showed no signs of intoxication or medical emergency.
“He apparently mistook his gas pedal for the brake,” Moran said.
No citations were issued in the incident.
“We felt that a citation was not appropriate, but we will submit that the driver be retested by the Department of Motor Vehicles,” Moran said. —Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or nmorgan@mailtribune.com.
