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Old 11-25-09 | 09:33 PM
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Accident advice

So I got in an accident. The short of it is that a lady pulled out in front of me from a stop sign; I had no traffic control devices and had the right of way. I tried to slow but it was wet and collided. I called the police and the officer filed a report stating that the driver is at fault.

Here's my dilemma. I'm not hurt; my bike needed a wheel trued and handle bars aligned. All the fixing I've done myself. I'm not looking for cash for damages and etc. What I want is to get this driver re-evaluated for driving. The driver was an old lady, ~70 yrs old. She claims that she never saw me, clad in neon blue. She needed help from bystanders to dial a phone number; she couldn't see the keys. She didn't even know that I hit her car; she heard a "thump". Her car was all beat to hell from prior collisions. How do I go about doing this? I talked to the officer, I was told that there was nothing that could be done on their end.
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Old 11-25-09 | 09:36 PM
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I guess the only thing to do on that would be to go in front of a judge and explain what happened. My 2 cents.
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Old 11-25-09 | 09:37 PM
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Who do you want to evaluate her driving?
Send her to a driving school?
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Old 11-25-09 | 09:51 PM
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I would suggest that she have to take a driving course and retake her driving test. I though they passed a law where once you pass a certain age, you have to retest? Im probably wrong there
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Old 11-25-09 | 09:59 PM
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Did the police show up and issue her a ticket?

In most places if you are issued a ticket where a collision has happened you are required to apear in court. You cannot simply pay the fine.

You being the person that she hit should have been given that court date as well since you were involved. On the court date you may be able to speak with the prosecutor before the trial and explain your concern that the driver may no longer retain the skills needed to safely operate an automobile and see if they will ask the Judge to require the lady to be evaluated to retain her license.

If the officer did not cite her you are basically screwed.
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Old 11-25-09 | 11:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Deshi
I would suggest that she have to take a driving course and retake her driving test. I though they passed a law where once you pass a certain age, you have to retest? Im probably wrong there
You're wrong. There is talk about creating such laws in some states, but currently only Illinois and New Hampshire require a road test for drivers aged 75 and over to renew a license.
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Old 11-26-09 | 07:39 AM
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There was no ticket issued. So no court date....
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Old 11-26-09 | 07:40 AM
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Originally Posted by 10 Wheels
Who do you want to evaluate her driving?
Send her to a driving school?
I want at least her vision to be checked. I know the DMV can do that.
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Old 11-26-09 | 08:32 AM
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I could be that her driving competence should be evaluated. But I doubt if you have any way of forcing that issue.
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Old 11-26-09 | 11:08 AM
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A lot of states have a way to contact the DMV for complaints of this type. They're the best route anyway since they're the ones that would be the ones to retest. Might want to be armmed with at least a police report # when you do it.

Congrats for calling the police, a lot of people wouldn't. Now the rest *will* be an exercise in frustration and will require a lot of followup on your part.

Next place would be to actually file an insurance claim. Regardless, they may require testing for her as a pre-requisite for continuing her coverage. You may actually be able to get the insurance company to require it in return for your releasing the claim.
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