Legal Advice on revoking driving privileges for an elderly father needed

My father is suffering from senior dementia and has completely lost the ability to navigate or make decisions about his mental state to know when he is in danger. Last week he was pulled over by state troopers twice and hospitalized (in the same 24 hour period), and when trying to head from Wisconsin to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, he headed due south and was stopped in Southern Illnois outside of St. Louis going the wrong way on an interstate, for 10 miles.

Even though he has no idea how he got turned around in Wisconsin, and drove over 8 hours totally lost, he refuses to recognize that he has a problem. We have taken his keys from him, and are working a plan to get him some medical attention and help on his living situation, but he is a stubborn and ignorant man, and will not accept the fact that he is incompetent.

I have been told that there is nothing in Illinois law that will allow me to get his driving privelges and vehicle registrations revoked. I know that even if we secure his vehicles, when he gets back home and away from us, he will get another one.

I can't believe the law would not act in the public interest to get someone who is clearly incompetent off the road. Does anyone have any insight into this, legal expertise, or personal experience that could possible help me deal with this?

In many states, a a physician can contact the state licensing agency and get the license revoked. I know of two people who didn't want to be the ones to shut down their parents and had the doc do it.

....which is to have your father's physician report the issue to the Secretary of State's Office. A police officer can also do this. Since Illinois requires that the state be notified of impairment, your father is theoretically breaking the law.

http://www.sos.state.il.us/departments/drivers/drivers_license/medical_vision.html#worried

I am astounded that the hospital that kept him for a week after this last incident, with whom I pleaded repeatedly to not let him out until we got there to pick him up, and under no circumstances allow him to drive could not have shared this information.

They are the ones who told me there is nothing that we could do under Illinois law (we live in Indiana).

I will be contacting the physician again tomorrow. Thanks so much.

Spousal Unit and I just came through a hellish winter of caring for her mom who was in a similar condition mentally. We both wish you courage, strength, fortitude and the ability to see things clearly so that you may always act in your father's best interests.

Have you sought legal guardianship of him? It's a drastic step, but we found it necessary in our case.

Whatever you decide, you have our best wishes!!!

dbt

I'm going thru the same thing right now. My dad is 77 and in beginning Stage 3 Alzheimer's, and the state of Ohio RENEWED his licence in January!!!!! He could NOT understand the eye test, let alone pass it!!! But I had his doc arrange it... And now he asks me if I have his keys 250 times a day. But we stay calm....

Best wishes. If you want to talk some time, PM me.

:toast:

My grandmother was forced to take away his keys and hide them altogether. When he got mad about that, she gave him a set of keys but none of them worked on the car. Eventually he gave up and didn't try to go anywhere. It seems horrible, but it was the only way to protect him from getting seriously hurt.

I saw a near disaster today that really brought home the danger of incompetent drivers. A (very) senior lady started across the street in front of a large pickup. The pickup driver honked, slammed on the brakes, and stopped within a few feet of hitting her.

The lady never reacted. As far as I could tell, she never saw or heard the pickup. She was coming straight toward me and was quite close, and I could see that her expression never changed.

Our own rights must be limited when they unreasonably endanger our fellow citizens.