high schoolers speeding through the neighborhood. should I talk to them about it?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Be kind, offer to drive them.

Maybe their adult child could do more driving for them? Maybe the adult child has already offered and neighbor refused. As posters said, older folks want to remain independent. Know older couples who walk to store, shop groceries pick up medicines and bring back stuff in their rolling cart. Exercise and remain independent. Don't know what they do during winter maybe order groeries. As a friend said, taking care of older parents is similar to dealing with your teens - both are stubborn.

Except with teens, the parents have clear legal authority to make decisions about their child.
With elderly parents, they are still adults who can legally make their own decisions, unless you go through the difficult process of having them declared mentally incompetent.

It's very possible that OP's neighbor's adult kids have already tried to talk with the neighbor about not driving, but literally have no authority over them.

Anonymous wrote:Isn't there a maximum driving age cutoff like there is a min age to get license? Should be retirement age since everything in this society revolves around work.

WTF? I'm 57 and retired because I made a $h!t ton of money by selling my company two years ago. Why exactly should I stop driving?

I would quietly give the kids a heads up the next time they're there. Then I'd give it probably 6 months to a year, assuming it isn't super, super egregious, for the kids to talk the parents out of driving. If they were still driving after that, or if it got even worse, I'd start reporting to the DMV.

Anonymous wrote:I would get a burner phone and call non emergency police over this.

Yes, I would email anonymously to the police and the adult children.

We called senior services to ask for help in a situation that included but was not limited to dangerous driving.

Unfortunately it didn't do much because there was an adult son involved so they deemed it safe since he was sort of around. Eventually the neighbor fell and was never discharged from her nursing home after the hospital because it turned out her house was uninhabitable due to hoarding.

Anonymous wrote:Be kind, offer to drive them.

Maybe their adult child could do more driving for them? Maybe the adult child has already offered and neighbor refused. As posters said, older folks want to remain independent. Know older couples who walk to store, shop groceries pick up medicines and bring back stuff in their rolling cart. Exercise and remain independent. Don't know what they do during winter maybe order groeries. As a friend said, taking care of older parents is similar to dealing with your teens - both are stubborn.

Anonymous wrote:It is a disgrace that in the USA there is no law about elderly drivers re-taking a test to confirm competence on the road. It is totally wreckless. The laws exist in the UK and other countries.

Report them ASAP as they're a danger not only to themself but other, innocent people.

Why limit this to elderly drivers? I know plenty of middle-age people that couldn't pass a driving test, i.e., parallel parking.

Anonymous wrote:It is a disgrace that in the USA there is no law about elderly drivers re-taking a test to confirm competence on the road. It is totally wreckless. The laws exist in the UK and other countries.

Report them ASAP as they're a danger not only to themself but other, innocent people.

Agree. I don't think we need a max age to drive, but there should be an age where you have to start taking annual behind the wheel tests to keep your license. My neighbor in his 80's was driving right up until a few weeks before he died (and only stopped due to a broken hip). His reaction times were ridiculously slow.

If you are already acquainted with their adult child, it probably warrants a mention IMO. If you have a discreet way to do so and the adult child seems normally reasonable as far as you know.

Otherwise, I would probably keep an eye out and call the police non-emergency line to report it, the next time you see an actual problem. Unfortunately, I don’t really think there is any way to report general concerns or to report something like this after time has passed.

Obviously it is a sensitive issue and “tattling on” an adult or reporting a neighbor is definitely not to be taken lightly, but if you truly feel it is a safety issue….it is the responsible thing to do. However unpleasant. Same as you would for a drunk driver or a teenager driving erratically. It is a safety issue and someone could be hurt. .

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some states have a way to report these concerns to the dmv. What state are you in?

No state has a process for a random person to report an elderly driver like this.

Yes, in VA at least there is a process. Check facts before you spew ignorance. See posts above with links.

Of course you can mention this to their adult child.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some states have a way to report these concerns to the dmv. What state are you in?

No state has a process for a random person to report an elderly driver like this.

OP isn't a "random person." She is a neighbor who has seen concerning behavior.
Yes, there are states that have a process for someone to report these concerns. I have a family member that had to do this.

Be kind, offer to drive them.

It is a disgrace that in the USA there is no law about elderly drivers re-taking a test to confirm competence on the road. It is totally wreckless. The laws exist in the UK and other countries.

Report them ASAP as they're a danger not only to themself but other, innocent people.