At the Radioplex, I'm one of the old guys.  I get plenty of "old man" jokes hurled my way.  I don't mind.  I certainly don't act my age and take the good-natured ribbing as a badge of honor.  Older folks should stay active as long as possible, but ancient drivers do not have my support.

This morning, after a knee rehab session at Accelerated Rehab in The Heights, I had a half hour to race home, shower and get to work.  On Lake Avenue, it's one lane in each direction, and I got behind an old lady driving 15-20 mph and riding the brakes for no apparent reason.  I finally get around her and turn on to Knoxville, driving a bit over the speed limit (wink, wink, nudge, nudge*) when I encounter a car stopped dead at an intersection where the light had been green for at least five seconds.  I lay on the horn while braking and just miss rear ending it.  Then, I saw why this car was stopped at a green light: an old man was driving the wrong way on Knoxville, coming straight at us in this divided part of the Knoxville, near Sheridan.

I know it takes away a feeling on independence, but folks like these should not be driving.  In Illinois, after you reach 75 years of age, you have to take a driving test at each license renewal.  I don't know how these two passed.  Maybe the road test age should be lowered a bit more?  America throws the book at someone who's had three beers and gets behind a wheel, but I'd wager the two old farts I ran into (almost literally) this morning are worse drivers than a 3-beer-veteran driver.

During my show prep, I found this video, quite appropriate for today.  An 84-year-old woman drove her vehicle into Portland Harbor in Maine last Friday.  I'm not surprised.  Luckily, for the codger, witnesses jumped into the water and saved her.