Crashed into the display

“I thought I was finished now”

Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.

(Bild: FF Steyr)

Days after a 78-year-old female driver crashed into the window display of a fashion store in Steyr, the store manager is still in deep shock. Together with a customer, she was only just able to save herself by jumping. The elderly driver had mixed up the accelerator and brake pedals.

"I was just outside the entrance to the store, filling the tables of our outdoor shop. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the tables to my left coming towards me. I quickly grabbed another customer, jumped to the right with her and landed on the ground. Just then, the car jerked in our direction - I really thought I was finished now!"

Abrasions suffered
Three days later, the store manager of the Steyr clothing store can still hear the shock. As reported, at 8.30 a.m. on Thursday, a 78-year-old woman crashed her car into the window display of the fashion store. The reason: she had mistaken the accelerator for the brake pedal when parking. The 47-year-old manager and the 68-year-old customer were able to swerve out of the way, but suffered abrasions in the process. The senior at the wheel was unhurt.

Much discussion after accident
Accidents involving elderly drivers happen again and again. Last November, a motorcyclist even lost his life when an 82-year-old overlooked him when turning and fatally injured him. In the krone.at readers' forum, the news of the accident has been stirring up the waters again since Thursday. Many users take a critical view of older drivers. "If you can no longer tell the difference between the accelerator and brake pedal, you have no business being on the road!" wrote one user, who was applauded by other forum members: "How much more has to happen before there are mandatory checks for older road users?"

However, another reader put this into perspective: "I'm in favor of a driving test from the age of 70. But when you read what young new drivers are doing on our roads every day, the accidents involving older drivers are peanuts." And other krone.at readers even said that they would like to be tested voluntarily from the age of 65 for their own safety.

Kommentar

Technik könnte Fehler eliminieren

My grandpa was an excellent driver for decades. But as his hearing and eyesight deteriorated, so did his safety. But shopping, errands or visits were impossible without a car. Although it comes too late for him, there could soon be a solution: autonomous vehicles.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Alexander Schwarzl, Markus Wenzel)

Technically already perfectly possible, self-driving cars are currently still failing because of the question of who is to blame if something does happen. I am convinced that autonomous cars will soon find their way into our country too, and that driving errors caused by age, drugs and alcohol will finally be a thing of the past.