All fatal crashes are tragic. Some, however, sound alarms. Like the collision last Monday on Marconi Avenue.
An 89-year-old man tried to make a left turn from Marconi onto Ione Street, not far from his house.
His 88-year-old wife sat in the passenger seat. A neighbor said the wife lived in a nursing home and the husband visited her often.
Their Saturn was broadsided by a pickup. The wife was killed, the husband seriously injured.
CHP Officer Lizz Dutton worked the accident scene. "That was pretty sad, that one."
The cause is under investigation. But the circumstances are troubling.
The 89-year-old should not have been driving, DMV officials said.
Records suggest someone had notified the DMV about the man's driving, DMV spokesman Steve Haskins said. But the man did not complete the subsequent DMV-required licensing "re-examination."
So, the DMV suspended his license in February, citing "physical condition and vision."
It exposes one of California safety officials' bigger worries. The state's population is aging. It means more drivers with reduced cognitive abilities, less physical dexterity and diminished eyesight.
To prepare for what they call the "silver tsunami," DMV and safety officials are experimenting with new tests to identify unsafe drivers.
It is part of an ongoing process where doctors, police or relatives can report someone who may be an unsafe driver.
That scares many older drivers. The last thing they want is to lose their license.
But DMV officials say they aren't trying to kick people off the road. Their focus is to identify bad drivers, educate them about their limitations, and offer tips and classes on how to remain safe behind the wheel.
The DMV senior Web site is: www.dmv.ca.gov/about/senior/senior_top.htm.
"We want to keep drivers driving as long as they can do so safely," DMV's Jim Haskins said.
That process didn't work in this case.
The 89-year-old crashed Monday doing what instructors advise older drivers not to do. He made a left turn where there was no stoplight, stop sign, or caution sign for oncoming traffic.
Duane Cintron of Drive Again Adaptive Mobility Service, a state older driver task force member, is among many who advise older drivers to consider routes where they use a series of right turns instead of one left.
"Three rights equal a left," Cintron teaches.
It takes more time, but it may save a life.
Dutton of the CHP noticed something else in the crash:
The older driver and his wife were not wearing seat belts.
The other driver was, and her 4-year-old daughter was in a harnessed child's seat.
The pickup rolled over twice in the crash, Dutton said. But its two occupants suffered only minor injuries.
Call The Bee's Tony Bizjak, (916) 321-1059.
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