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*SSE 4 2SS* · 08-07-2014, 12:11 PM

I lived in a Texas Hill country town well known as a retirement community. I was a FF/Paramedic.

The local grocery store parking lot was fairly good sized and pretty well laid out.

There was plenty of distance to back out of the angled slots for most people. The elderly though, I'm sorry to say, it was a severe challenge for them. Limited neck mobility, and very limited vision.

We called it the bump and go clause.... They would get in the car, put it in reverse, and back straight until they hit something, throw it in drive, turn the wheel and drive away.... So many people I knew would bitch about the pretty substantial dents in their bumpers and quarter panels.

Unfortunately it wasn't always cars they hit... I made a couple of calls for motor vehicle vs pedestrian in the same parking lot... It was an elderly person getting hit by and elderly person as well....

But all in all, the worst call I remember making due to elderly drivers was a guy in a flat bed truck, turning into a BBQ parking lot early one morning as he had done for over 50 years.... He ran the place.... well he turned in front of another car one am and the driver and passenger of the other car were killed when their car basically went under the truck. He turned left all the way across the highway in front of them.... While the police were questioning him, he commented... "well I've been turning in here every morning for over 50 years, she should'a known it and seen me coming."

He was about 88 at the time....

I realize I'll fight not to lose the freedom a car allows when the time comes, and hope I have a support group in the area for things I need.

I've seen tooo many times people dump their relatives in nursing homes when they are perfectly competent to take care of their home with a little support from family or friends, but people don't want to be bothered...

I transported a frequent flyer from a nursing home one night and called the family to let them know this time was serious. I was grilled as to why the hell I called at 3:00 am... I could have waited until 6:30 or so.... I hung up the phone SMDH.... Never called that family again, and ended up getting chewed out for that...

08-07-2014, 12:11 PM	#19
SSE 4 2SS Boosted Moderator Drives: Bone Stock LS3 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Marion Tx Posts: 15,802	I lived in a Texas Hill country town well known as a retirement community. I was a FF/Paramedic. The local grocery store parking lot was fairly good sized and pretty well laid out. There was plenty of distance to back out of the angled slots for most people. The elderly though, I'm sorry to say, it was a severe challenge for them. Limited neck mobility, and very limited vision. We called it the bump and go clause.... They would get in the car, put it in reverse, and back straight until they hit something, throw it in drive, turn the wheel and drive away.... So many people I knew would bitch about the pretty substantial dents in their bumpers and quarter panels. Unfortunately it wasn't always cars they hit... I made a couple of calls for motor vehicle vs pedestrian in the same parking lot... It was an elderly person getting hit by and elderly person as well.... But all in all, the worst call I remember making due to elderly drivers was a guy in a flat bed truck, turning into a BBQ parking lot early one morning as he had done for over 50 years.... He ran the place.... well he turned in front of another car one am and the driver and passenger of the other car were killed when their car basically went under the truck. He turned left all the way across the highway in front of them.... While the police were questioning him, he commented... "well I've been turning in here every morning for over 50 years, she should'a known it and seen me coming." He was about 88 at the time.... I realize I'll fight not to lose the freedom a car allows when the time comes, and hope I have a support group in the area for things I need. I've seen tooo many times people dump their relatives in nursing homes when they are perfectly competent to take care of their home with a little support from family or friends, but people don't want to be bothered... I transported a frequent flyer from a nursing home one night and called the family to let them know this time was serious. I was grilled as to why the hell I called at 3:00 am... I could have waited until 6:30 or so.... I hung up the phone SMDH.... Never called that family again, and ended up getting chewed out for that... __________________ If the car feels like it is on rails, you are probably driving too slow. -Ross Bentley Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall. Torque is how far you take the wall with you. “If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough.” Mario Andretti If you can turn, you ain't going fast enough...