Girl’s Death Inspires Meeting on Bill to Curb Older Problem Drivers

In January, a Northridge teen-ager returning from a ski trip was killed by an elderly motorist driving the wrong way on the San Bernardino Freeway.

The California Highway Patrol had stopped 84-year-old John Arnold for driving erratically the day before and had seized his car. But Arnold was back in his Rambler station wagon the next day. He, too, was killed in the collision.

On Thursday, the tragedy brought together officials from the CHP, the state Department of Motor Vehicles, the insurance industry and the American Assn. of Retired Persons to comment on proposed legislation to make it difficult for drivers like Arnold to get back behind the wheel. The legislation is sponsored by Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sepulveda), who chaired the hearing of the Assembly Transportation Committee in Studio City.

Speaking in support of the legislation were Joseph and Taube Bregman, parents of Holly Bregman, the 16-year-old killed by Arnold. They have formed an organization called CRASH, or Citizens Resolved to Achieve Safe Highways.

Group Likened to MADD

The Bregmans started CRASH a few weeks after their daughter’s death. Using a list of the mourners attending her funeral, the Bregmans quickly got 250 people to join, including physicians and attorneys who are offering their knowledge at no cost. The couple, who compare their group to MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, plan to start a membership drive soon.

“I’m really in favor of the proposed legislation . . . you take away the tool they can use to kill people,” said Joseph Bregman, an Encino attorney.

The bill would make it harder for wrong-way or disoriented drivers to recover their cars after having them impounded. To retrieve a car, the driver would have to pass a DMV test within five working days of the impoundment.

With this bill, Katz said, “We’ve got a pretty good method of taking the cars off the street and closing the loophole.”

‘Absolute Danger’

Capt. Spike Helmick, representing the CHP, which endorses Katz’s bill, said dealing with impaired elderly drivers is difficult because officers are reluctant to arrest older people stopped for reckless driving. He said officers are more likely to impound the drivers’ cars and find them a ride home. Some of the same drivers then pick up their cars the next day, as did Arnold, said Helmick.

“They do feel sorry for them,” Helmick said. But, he added, “It is time we realize their absolute danger.”

Leonard Bleier, the DMV’s legislative liaison, said retesting--now done when law-enforcement officials believe a driver is incompetent, but without the five-day deadline--does not always weed out impaired drivers. Only 1% of the drivers referred for retesting fail the test.

One of CRASH’s top priorities, Bregman said, is developing a test geared toward weeding out impaired drivers. Officials said such a test would be the first of its kind in the country.

Elderly Not Only Ones

The elderly are not the only ones who are stopped for driving the wrong way on freeways. Helmick said police in Los Angeles and parts of Northern California have noticed an increase in thrill seekers who intentionally drive the wrong way on freeways.

“It’s a game to see if they can get from point A to B,” he said.

Katz also discussed another bill, to be introduced when the Legislature reconvenes in January, that would provide financial incentives for drivers 55 and older to enroll in accident-prevention courses. Under terms of the bill, insurance companies would be required to offer discounted automobile rates for anyone taking a DMV-approved course. The discount would continue as long as the driver took the course every three years.

Nationwide accident statistics show that drivers over 55 years old constitute 24% of licensed drivers, and are responsible for 18% of the accidents. But they drive far fewer miles than other groups, and a University of Michigan study found that drivers over the age of 65 have higher rates of accidents per mile than any age group except teen-agers.

Simple Reason for the Bill

“The reason for this legislation is simple,” Katz said. “It’s to encourage older drivers to update their skills and work on some of the problem areas that have meant they have a higher risk of accidents than some other driver groups.”

Charles Raab, the regional director of the drivers education program of the American Assn. of Retired Persons, said his group endorses the discount proposal. The AARP has been offering eight-hour, driver education classes for years and has urged states to require insurance companies to give lower rates to participants.

“People who are older and never had any formal training, it’s amazing what they don’t know,” Raab said.

However, Sam Sorich, a spokesman for the National Assn. of Independent Insurers, contended that such courses, which do not include on-the-road training, do not guarantee safe driving. Any discounts, he said, should be voluntary.