Mother Of Fatal Crash Victim Teaches Elderly Driver Safety
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- It's been four years since a computer science student at Johns Hopkins was run over as he road his bicycle near campus.
As Mike Schuh reports, his death has prompted his mother to educate elderly drivers about when to hang up their keys.
Four years ago Sunday, Hopkins student Nathan Krasnopoler died after being struck on his bicycle by an 83-year-old driver.
On Sunday, his mom flew in from Kansas to place flowers on the white bike memorializing his passing.
It's something she says no parent should have to endure.
"We do not have effective ways yet of determining whether or not a driver is able to drive safely," Susan Cohen said.
But she's working to change that.
"Susan has dedicated her time since Nathan's passing to the education of older drivers and making sure that older drivers are aware of when they may no longer be suitable to operate a vehicle on the road," Liz Cornish, executive director of Bikemore, said.
It's taken her years to research and write a guide for experienced drivers.
Her target audience is who she spoke to Monday, a group of 40 men, who mostly are retired.
She says a child or friend often can see that an elderly person's driving skills have deteriorated -- and it's crucial that they get checked out.
"That person needs to say, 'Let's get you checked out. Let's figure where you can be checked out to see if you're still safe to drive,'" said Cohen. "Because the last thing I would want any person to go through is what my family has gone through and what the woman who killed my son has gone through."
She says a doctor should be able to evaluate an older driver or recommend someone who can.
She says Maryland is one of the worst states for determining if older drivers are still capable of driving safely.
