Photo by Vince Fedoroff
OFF THE ROAD – Emergency responders work at the scene of Wednesday afternoon’s collision.
Elderly driver loses control, hits power pole
A single-vehicle collision caused a power pole to come toppling down in Porter Creek on Wednesday afternoon.
A single-vehicle collision caused a power pole to come toppling down in Porter Creek on Wednesday afternoon.
An 81-year-old woman lost control of her vehicle at the intersection of Centennial Street and the Alaska Highway due to ice on the road, Whitehorse RCMP reported.
“The driver attempted to correct her vehicle, and in doing so, crossed into the southbound oncoming lane of traffic, colliding with a light standard,” RCMP spokesperson Natasha Dunmall wrote in an email this morning.
The scene was attended by police, firefighters and ATCO Electric Yukon, due to initial reports that electrical wires may have been present on the ground.
“ATCO Electric personnel removed the light standard from the highway, at which time normal traffic resumed,” Dunmall said.
The driver was treated on scene by Yukon EMS.
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Comments (10)
Up 7 Down 6
north_of_60 on Jan 5, 2016 at 10:03 pm
Some of the commenters seem ignorant of the fact that starting at age 70 periodic medical exams are required to keep your driver's license.
However, driver's tests should be required as well.
Up 12 Down 2
June Jackson on Jan 5, 2016 at 8:12 pm
As a senior driver, I had to have a doctors report a mile long to get my license. I did not see anyone drug testing 16 to 40 year olds.
I would rather be following a senior than having a high school senior who just got his/her first car trying to pass me on the Fish Lake curve.
In any case, Max Mack was right. What did the drivers age have to do with this? This post clearly states the car hit an ice slick, the driver tried to correct for it and slid into the pole. Captain Obvious and Brian need an attitude adjustment...and possibly learn to read while they are at it.
Up 15 Down 2
davea on Jan 5, 2016 at 5:41 pm
Not a lot of thought goes into some of these comments and that includes the comments of the press.
Why does the paper even mention "ELDERLY". WHY not mention ""white or native or black" or any other trait that has nothing to do with the cause of the incident. Seems like age discrimination to me.
To the other commenter's who talks about testing the elderly, please tell us what do you consider "elderly"? There are people in their 70's and 80's who are more capable than some who are in their 50's. What about the new drivers who have only recently received their licenses and think they are Dale Earn Hart Jr's. Just because someone is young does not necessarily mean they are good drivers. Also it doesn't mean they are better drivers than older persons.
Check the stats! Who has more incidents, the young or the older? Might surprise!
The biggest problem here is the press adding comments that have nothing to do with the real story, and people who put there mouth in gear before engaging their brain.
Up 8 Down 1
Charles on Jan 5, 2016 at 5:35 pm
@ Brian: there already is a system in place. At 70 a physicians medical form has to be provided to MV, the frequency of that requirement increases with age and MV test eyesight of all every time a license is reissued.
Up 11 Down 8
Politico on Jan 5, 2016 at 6:49 am
@Captain Oblivious At no point was the drivers age mentioned as a cause for the accident. Lots of other people have had pole tipping experiences and no one is calling for them to loose their license. Considering the number of times they're getting hit maybe the speed limit should be lowered to try and reduce the problem.
Up 9 Down 11
brian on Jan 4, 2016 at 7:09 pm
If 16 is the minimum to obtain a drivers license then there should be at least an age to start monitoring reactions, memory and sight of motorist on the road.
Up 20 Down 2
Groucho d'North on Jan 4, 2016 at 7:04 pm
That section of highway would really benefit with a new turn-off lane like was recently installed on the North Klondike to service the Couch Roads. The intersection at the Super A store is one of the worst choke points on the highway. I'm certain I'm not the only regular driver of this road to think so either. I assumed government did studies on this kind of thing for the National Highway Code or some such program. I hope saving money is not getting in front of public safety.
Up 39 Down 7
Max Mack on Jan 4, 2016 at 2:56 pm
Why does the title mention that it was an "elderly driver" that lost control? Simply "Driver loses control, hits power pole". Better yet: "Driver hits power pole".
The subtle but damning inference of the title is that age was an obvious factor contributing to the accident. However, would the title lead "Prime age driver loses control . . . " if a 36 year-old driver had the same accident?
With reporting like this, it's no wonder the mob is demanding tougher laws regarding elderly drivers.
Up 10 Down 72
Captain Obvious on Jan 4, 2016 at 9:08 am
We don't tolerate drunk drivers on the road. Why do we tolerate the [severely] old?
Up 29 Down 1
Politico on Jan 2, 2016 at 4:50 pm
For some reason pole tipping seems to be popular on this section of road. That's the second pole that's on the ground right now. It always seems there is a pole down once a month or so.