SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) A wrong-way crash on Thursday night claimed the lives of two Vermonters, one a senior citizen.
Police say Herbert Kennedy, 89, of White River Junction, was driving the wrong way on Interstate 91 near the Norwich exit. They say Kennedy collided head-on with Patrick Covey, 33, of Bradford. Covey died at the scene. Kennedy died at the hospital.
Our Dom Amato talked to state officials about older drivers and when it’s time to hang up the keys.
“Wrong-way crashes certainly don’t occur very often but when they do, they’re almost always very high-profile and almost always, again, very serious,” said Adam Silverman, the public information officer for the Vermont State Police.
Thursday night’s crash is still under investigation but police say there could be multiple reasons for a wrong-way crash.
“Inattention, impairment, issues with cognitive abilities, tiredness,” Silverman said.
This was the second wrong-way crash within a month involving a senior over 75.
According to a report by the Vermont Highway Safety Alliance, older drivers accounted for 26 percent of suspected serious crashes and 21 percent of fatal crashes in 2017. Both are increases from 2016.
“We’ve been successful in identifying many people who really should not be on the road any longer,” said Dave Evans, the chief of driver improvement at the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles.
Evans says a program started two years ago allows physicians to test seniors flagged for possible issues when they’re driving. If a doctor decides someone might not be fit to drive, the doctor can send the senior to a driver rehab program.
“What are you going to do when you’re not able to drive anymore? And that kind of plants that seed and allows them to think about it,” Evans said.
Vermont does not have a law requiring seniors to retake a driver’s test after a certain age.
WCAX News asked people leaving the DMV what they thought about a driver’s retest for seniors.
“As we get older, we have to make the common-sense determination that we’re not all as young as we used to be,” said Zeina Koinis, who supports retesting seniors.
“I think it’s a real tough decision to make,” said Dean Lockwood, who does not support retesting seniors. “People out there that are older live far out and they don’t have anybody to take them anywhere.”
As we know, Vermont is growing older. In that 2017 report, the state acknowledges the aging population and will continue to track crashes and senior drivers. Click here to read the full report.
https://www.wcax.com/content/news/Should-seniors-be-required-to-take-driving-tests-502205961.html
Fk… yeah…
My Uncle almost killed me twice.
Running stoplights… doing 70 on a frontage road off a cliff with me as a passenger.
And at 57….
I really don’t like to drive anymore. …
What’s really scary. …
Is when they go on a pissed off pill road rage….
And you thought asians were bad drivers.
Well, since under Natural Law we have the Right to Travel and not the Admiralty crap of “privilege to drive”…
I HAD A STROKE AND CREMED A MERCEDES………SHE WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. I COULD NOT APPLY THE BRAKES FOR THE LIFE OF ME…………………………IDON’T DRIVE ANY MORE.
LEAVE THE OLD FOLKS ALONE. JUST WATCH OUT!!
My dad pulled out in traffic all the time, couldn’t judge the distance of the oncoming cars. He wiped out cars twice, insurance told him no more driving for you. He was about 80 or so, just was a lousy driver. Used to scare the shit out of me, my mom was scared too death to even get in the car with him.
Wouldn’t this be the time when family steps in?
Maybe there could be a place for autonomous vehicles.
Blind or physically impaired might also get mobile, while Granny and Gramps play pinochle on the way over.
I swear, I’ll only run the empty ones off the road.
Young people with cell phone are worst then the older folks , at least the older folks are in the side of road not like the younger ones out here texting
I’m good until I drop, leave me the fk alone! 🙂 I know 80 year old commercial drivers who kick ass. Still givin the bird out the window.
December 9, 2018
DL, You are very correct We all have the to Right to Travel.
Reminds Me of story.
Father say’s to His son, it’s coming to a time We have to deal
With grandpa. He becoming a burden, costing us money and time
to care for him. What we’ll do is put him in a tub, float it out to the
river and sink it. No, no I like grandpa, We talk, tells me nice stories,
I want to take care of him, I love gramps. No son, he’s a burden, must go.
So, the next day they did the cruel, dastardly deed and drown the old man.
After all finished, As the boy walks away all upset. the Father say’s
to the young boy that wasn’t so bad.
“Dad save the tub“.
Moral of story