The summer of 2003 to be exact.  The place was Santa Monica, Calif.  And George Russell Weller, 89, drove his car erratically through a farmers market killing 10 people.  And now, Weller gets his day in court.

The trial, according to press reports in the Santa Monica Daily Press, September 22, 2006, is scheduled to last up to six weeks. 

So, why should you care?  Well, two major reasons come to mind, among others.

1.)  You, or a loved one, could have been one of the ten people Weller killed.
2.)  Weller could have been your parent or grandparent.

I'll let you think about number one later, while I address number two now.

Number two, you can help prevent.  You can help your loved ones transition to a live post-driving.  It ain't easy to begin this conversation, but there are a number of tools out there today to help you initiate the discussion regarding driving cessation.

Let's face it we are all gonna out live our ability to drive.  Have you ever seen a corpse drive to its own funeral?

In the coming weeks you'll be reading a lot more about Weller and about older drivers. 

And here is a sample of the predictable headlines:  "When to take away the keys," and "How old is too old." 

If you are willing to have the conversation , now, before it becomes a George Weller issue tomorrow, here is a good resource to get your started:  GrandDriver.

Until next time, stay safe behind the wheel.

Jason D. King
Vice President, Public Relations & Information Services
AAMVA
jking@aamva.org