By Julia Reeves Santa Monica
With last week marking the one-week anniversary of that tragic accident and the memory of it burning in my mind and heart, it was almost inconceivable to me that while crossing Wilshire Boulevard with a green light at the top of the Third Street Promenade, a car screeched to a very loud halt well past the crosswalk. I thought, especially today, so close to the scene of the accident, how could this person be so careless? This was not an elderly person and it was not even a slightly old person. It was a young woman. Then, some 30 to 45 minutes later, when attempting to cross back at the northeast corner of Second Street and Wilshire Boulevard, a car went through a red light. The light was green for pedestrians to enter the crosswalk as the car sailed through the light.
Nothing has changed since that horrific accident. It does not seem to have made a dent in the mind of drivers about the necessary caution required when driving. People want to blame the city for not having stronger barriers in place. The Santa Monica Farmer’s Market has been held at that location since 1981 and there has not been one such accident as far as I know. While it is important to learn from this incident and take steps to provide greater security for shoppers, what is the city going to do to prevent drivers from going through red lights and almost hitting people in the crosswalks? Or, take for example those drivers who take no heed of pedestrians crossing with a green light when they are attempting to make a turn onto that thoroughfare that the pedestrian is crossing? None of these people whom I encountered were elderly, but, were anywhere from their 20s to 50s. Let me remind everyone also that senior citizen applies to anyone 55 and older.
So, this all leads me to what I really want to say. No one should be allowed to drive who is not competent. Throw away the keys? Where do we start? How about the keys of those using handheld cell phones driving with only one hand on the wheel? Better yet, how about having tests to determine the ability of those who talk on handheld cell phones with one hand on the wheel, perceptibly oblivious to anyone around them or in their path? How about devising a test which will measure the reflex time and ability to drive with one hand on the wheel and a peripheral vision test and anything else that can be dreamed up to evaluate their ability to drive while on their cell phones? Perhaps it should be a requirement for a driver’s license for all those who talk on handheld cell phones to reveal that information in the same way people who wear glasses must reveal that information. I'll probably get some flack from this portion of the driving population, but a lot of attention has been focused on elderly drivers as a result of the accident and while I do not believe that any elder driver should drive who is not competent, I think there has been a rash of age discrimination being proffered.
So, like it or not, everyone needs to look at their own driving habits instead of just pointing the finger at the elderly.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 26, 2003. Read the original PDF.