Advocacy & Safety - Taking a blind driver off of the road?

I usually hang out in the Commuting and Long Distance forums... but I'm here in A&S territory for some advice.

Here's the problem:

One of the people who I work with daily as terrible vision... macular degeneration. He apparently has huge blind spots that especially affect his peripheral vision drastically. This is coupled with his diabetic retinopathy to make his overall vision terrible. He complains constantly about not being able to see during meetings, at his computer, etc.

We asked him why he didn't go to an eye doctor for help... and he said that he wouldn't go because he is sure that the doctor would have his driving priviliges revoked because of his poor vision. He laughs the whole "driving blind" thing off as a big joke.

Well... yesterday morning he nearly hit me. His truck passed within a foot of my elbow as I scrambled to get to the right side of the white line. Another of my coworkers happened to be in the car immediately behind him... and she told me later that she cringed as she saw the near miss. She and I believe that he didn't even see me until he was on top of me, due to the way that his truck jerked toward the left just after he passed me. That is scary because I have all of the lights, relectors, and strobes that are commensurate with being a regular bicycle commuter... I look like a freaking UFO rolling down the road!

When I politely brought up the subject that day... he laughed it off and said "Awwww I was 3 feet from you!" To which I replied "Hell no you weren't... you almost took me down."

But he refused to take any sort of responsibility.

My question is this:

What do I do?

He's going to kill or maim someone. Maybe me. I called my county Sheriff's department to ask advice. They told me that there is little or nothing that they can or will do until there is an incident. I guess by "incident" they mean that he kills someone. They explained that the DMV is very reluctant to pull someone's driving privileges without good reason...

Now I have to tell you... the in-your-face militant A&S approach is out. This guy is my boss. He could make my life miserable and cost me my job. So this needs to be handled behind the scenes and incognito.

What would you guys do to take this guy off of the road? Who would you call or contact?

Drop a dime to the DMV. Explain that you know he has these visual problems. While they may be reluctant, they should at the very least send the guy a letter telling him to get an eye check. The results should determine the next step.

There are minimum visual standards... and the DMV should enforce them.

You have no choice but to report him. If he kills someone (including himself) you will have to live with the guilt and a share of the responsibility. And an incident has occured - you almost got hit and had to scramble out of the way. Call the Motor Vehicle department today and make a report.

Also there are treatments to at least stabilize macular degeneration and/or slow its progress. He's jeopardizing his future ability to see at all by avoiding treatment. You'd be doing him a big favour.

He's not going to kill himself, he's going to kill someone else. A man with severe macular degeneration struck and killed a cyclist here. The man was an accident waiting to happen, he had lost his license, but was working as a delivery driver. He was under house arrest for a year. Should have been permanent if you ask me.

I always wanted to know how to turn someone in for not being able to drive. I ride past an assisted living facility, and there are a lot of people from the facility that I see hiding from traffic (because that's what I'm doing on my bike, sorry VC cyclists). There is taxi and bus service here in town, they could be using that. It would probably be cheaper than driving, and the chance that they are going to kill someone is considerably reduced.

Definitely report him, driving is not a right it is a privilege. He could have killed you, and probably not even noticed.

While at the DMV I once saw a lady who was practically blind take the eye exam. She was joking about how she can't see anything. They gave her multiple tries and even a bit of help. It scared the crap out of me.

Can't help you with your situation, but I know it takes A LOT to get someone to lose their license.

Do want you can. You don't want this on your conscience if he kills or injures somebody. Send multiple letters to the DMV, registered receipt. Does he have a spouse or child that you could talk to confidentially??

Go out today and buy a helmet mounted mirror. At least it will give you a fighting chance until he is taken off the road.

I hope DMV will follow up, but would not be surprised if they do not.

Does he have a spouse or child that you could talk to confidentially??

That's one of the problems... he is only about 50 years old, but lives alone. So his fear of losing his license is rooted in the fear of having no way to get around.

Where to go can depend on where you are. Sorry I don't know Georgia. In California I'd suggest asking the highway patrol about it. Many stations have the attitude that doing what they can to prevent accidents is their first job. And getting this guy off the road sounds like that.

Remember, even if they are not the right ones to get this guy off the road, those who will have to clean up the mess are apt to want him gone, and are apt to point yuo to the right people and the right way to do it.

two questions - doesn't your state require an eye test at the DMV for license renewals? how long are license renewals for?

When I was active duty military, after the initial written test and eye exam, I had a Florida license for 20 years without having the go back to the state and get an eye exam or even an updated photo. As long as I paid the fee and had an out of state mailing address, I got a license back in the mail that said valid without photo.

+1 on reporting the situation to your state DMV.

Call a clinic and ask about his condition. I seem to recall that they can treat certain kinds so they don't get worse. He could be risking complete blindness if he doesn't get it checked out. If this turns out to be true then give him the phone number of the clinic so he can call them. This way you come across as the good guy (and you will be). They let almost anyone drive, he probably won't lose his license.

You shoul be able to make an anonymous report to the DMV. Vehicle license plate number would identify him. They should then be able to force him to see an opthamologist.

"What would you guys do to take this guy off of the road?"

Remove the air from his tires.

Leave an anonymous note on his windshield. This person is in denial, I would be too at the thought of losing my eyesight. Tell him that medical attention just might save what little eyesight he has left.

I don't know about the laws in your state, but in California one can ask the DMV to evaluate a given motorist's fitness to keep driving.

it is quite scary how hard it is to get a clearly dangerous person off the road.

If you are going to stick a note on his windshield and he has problems with his eyes then you need to make sure he is able to read it:

"IF YOU CONTINUE TO DRIVE I WILL KILL YOUR MOTIVATION."

If his license gets pulled, is this guy going to stop driving? I'd bet on him continuing to drive with no license or insurance. :eek:

I think you have to convince him to see a doctor. Doesn't have to be an eye doctor. You say he's a diabetic, so you could also remind him that he could be taking years off his life if he's not seeing a physician regularly and keeping things under control.

after reporting him, if nothing gets done, try to get a TV station to do a piece about the DMV ignoring the situation. I am sure vid of a blind dangerous drive would make great viewing.

Just hide his truck keys... :D