Bill Daniels, an Orange County senior driver, is thanking his lucky stars after a Santa Ana car accident that could have ended up pretty badly for him, but didn't. Daniels was driving his 2008 BMW east on 17th Avenue the morning of May 28, 2009, when an 87-year-old woman driving a Dodge Caravan without a license turned left in front of him almost crashing head-on. According to an article in The Orange County Register, the woman had not held a valid driver's license since 2002.
Daniels said he did not even have the time to react or apply the brakes in time to avoid the Orange County car collision. He estimated he was going at about 40 mph when he saw this "big white blur" in front of him. The Santa Ana car accident injured the elderly woman who had to be taken to the hospital. Daniels' BMW was totaled and he complained of "stiffness" immediately after the car crash.
I'm relieved that this car accident did not end in catastrophic injuries or a fatality given its speed and intensity. It definitely could have been a lot worse. I hope the elderly woman's personal injuries were not major.
The elderly woman was clearly at fault for this car collision because she made a left turn in front of the other driver. California Vehicle Code section 21801 (a) states the following requirements for drivers making a left turn or a U-turn: "The driver of a vehicle intending to turn to the left or to complete a U-turn upon a highway, or to turn left into public or private property, or an alley, shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles approaching from the opposite direction which are close enough to constitute a hazard at any time during the turning movement, and shall continue to yield the right-of-way to the approaching vehicles until the left turn or U-turn can be made with reasonable safety."
The serious problem here is that this was an unlicensed elderly driver. Why was she driving without a license? Was she denied a license because of health of other issues? When we have elderly people who should not be driving but disregard the law and continue to do so, tragedies are going to happen. While it is understandable that seniors want to maintain their independence and mobility, this should not be at the expense of public safety.
SLS Consulting