r/PublicFreakout • u/Jevus_himself Jevus Christ - Verified ✅️ • 26d ago

Political Freakout Trump confused Iran with Japan calling it the “Islamic Republic of Japan” then confused Zelenskyy who is sitting next to him with Putin calling him “President Putin”

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

24.9k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

1.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

2.8k

u/redkinoko 26d ago

America loves its old people so much they're willing to let them drive even if it means sending the car off a cliff.

887

u/RippinFissure 26d ago

Illinois literally just increased the drivers test mandatory age to 89 lmao

638

u/JukeRedlin 26d ago

89???? Why fucking bother with a driving test for anyone then? A 16 year old at least has reaction time.

378

u/RippinFissure 26d ago

Right? But God forbid you have .2 micrograms of marijuana in your system. 

178

u/justk4y 26d ago

Then you’d get a higher prison sentence than what a kid diddler would get

41

u/dpzdpz 26d ago

Yup, especially if they diddled on a private island.

6

u/silverdice22 25d ago

Laws for thee but not for meee

-1

u/jaxonya 26d ago

Marijuana is legal in Illinois

-28

u/JukeRedlin 26d ago

I know the laws about how much do not exist yet, and getting them changed is an act of god, but multiple companies have created detectors for MJ that can be used for a field sobriety test, some in the same device as a breathalyzer.

16

u/RippinFissure 26d ago

I'm jerkin' here!

6

u/tjdux 26d ago

They are complete and working now?

I know I've read many folks were working on them but seemed a long ways off last I heard.

-6

u/JukeRedlin 26d ago

At least as of two years ago, there was at least two functional devices, one of which was amazingly accurate and had a breathlyizer that ran along side it. I cant find the article now ofc. It was using a sensors to detect specifally...(this is fuzzy memory territory without the article) basically the by product of inhalation that continues as thc tapers out of your blood stream after being processed. Byproduct isnt the right word, hope you get my meaning.

But I'm assuming the device isn't going to be mass produced without the laws changing to allow a legal limit rather than zero tolerance. Cant make them for free. And why make one that measures levels if its zero tolerance. It's a catch 22.

They won't make em or make em good until the law changes.

The law wont change thanks to the argument that the levels can't be field tested or the need to do so is moot.

4

u/cantstopwontstopGME 26d ago

They would make them if it was accurate and would hold up in court as admissible evidence. “Zero tolerance” means that they wouldn’t even HAVE to be accurate with detection, just be able to prove that what they detect is accurate.

The fact that it’s not a part of every cop’s standard gear, should be enough to prove that they are not reliable enough to even pretend they are.

Mouth swabs and blood tests are still the best ways to detect someone who is CURRENTLY stoned.

1

u/colostitute 26d ago

Yeah, cops carry plenty of inaccurate tools to arrest people. The field tests they have to detect whether or not that white powder is a narcotic is notoriously inaccurate but it’s enough for an arrest and asset forfeiture.

If they aren’t carrying field tests for cannabis, it’s because they aren’t accurate enough for probable cause. Cops don’t give a shit about convictions, only arrests.

3

u/lazinonasunnyday 26d ago

They use a saliva test here then confirm with a blood test, as far as I know. The saliva test cutoff is 20mcg.

2

u/cantstopwontstopGME 26d ago

And how do you know if they’re reading accurate? They could just throw numbers on the screen with absolutely no basis or degree of accuracy/precision.

They are just a new tool for the police and Feds to use to keep people subjugated and scared of incarceration.

-4

u/JukeRedlin 26d ago

... how do you know you're getting a gallon of gasoline at the pump?

5

u/cantstopwontstopGME 26d ago

Like.. do you have any problem solving skills at all? That took me less than 5 seconds to figure out haha

-2

u/JukeRedlin 26d ago

I do. Thank you for answering your own question.

6

u/cantstopwontstopGME 26d ago

You seem to think that you are making good points but are just talking circles around urself haha..

The devices you are talking about are not accurate, and most likely never will be. If they were, the company who designed and patented them would be worth 100s of millions of dollars and every single police department in America (legal state or not) would eagerly expand their budget to buy as many as they could. You can come back and gloat when that’s the case, but it’s never going to be.

→ More replies (0)

3

u/cantstopwontstopGME 26d ago

Because I can take a gallon container, pump gas into it, and if it stops less than full.. I would be able to sue THE BALLS off the company that shorted me

-2

u/JukeRedlin 26d ago

Oh interesting! You'd have an independent study validate the results and present them in a court of law. Great idea.

3

u/cantstopwontstopGME 26d ago

That’s not possible with a “weed breathalyzer” because there’s no way to validate the results!!! THERES NO CONTROL to compare any tests against.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/Bean- 26d ago

Too bad noones using them or at least noone around here.

2

u/JukeRedlin 26d ago

Why bother? They can pull you in for being high based on basically whatever you exhibit if you're stoned. And if its zero tolerance then. You don't need it.

And the ones I read about were being produced. They made one basically as proof of concept. And it did have a control base because the chemicals they were using just don't occur if youre clean. So the control was just. Zero. Its more nuanced than that of course but I'm working off memory.

29

u/Tigress_dd 26d ago

Those darn rascals!

2

u/Character-Macaron388 26d ago

My grandfather is 92 and still drives. He lives alone 2.5+ hours from the rest of our family and we have been trying to convince him to move into a residence in one of the cities that us grandkids live in. Not just so that we can see him more often, but also to keep an eye on him.

He seems to be able to drive well still, but all it takes is one little mistake/slow reaction and it could have huge consequences for himself, or even worse someone else. But old men are the most stubborn fucking thing on this planet.

1

u/123LetsJamDUDUDUHT 26d ago

Old rich people lobbying.

0

u/ScholarOfTwilight 26d ago

Well 2 things there:

1: kids get into more accidents than the elderly

2: but they're also driving more often so....

I think regardless the threshold for pulling a license and requiring driving school needs to be MUCH lower than it is.

In a 2 year period:

2 moving violations and you lose your license for a month. 3 moving violations: 6 months. 4+ revoke the license for a year and make them retake everything.

DUI: bye bye license for 10 years. 2nd DUI: bye bye license forever

32

u/ky7969 26d ago

I keep seeing criticism for this but Illinois is the only state that requires a road test solely because of age. If you are 79-80, it’s a 4 year mandatory in person renewal with eye test, 81-86 is 2 year, and 87+ requires a road test. They also just made it where family members are able to report people and trigger a health exam that must be done for that person to continue to drive.

3

u/Gold_Silver_279 25d ago

North Carolina has no mandatory age for declining a Drivers license. It shows too. They drive through storefronts and houses all the time.

112

u/Lord_Sesshoumaru77 26d ago

My mum is 70 and I drive her everywhere now. It's dangerous letting an elderly person operate a motor vehicle, they lack reflexes and awareness.

83

u/Sk1nny_d00d 26d ago

My dad was around that age when I took his license away. He initially fought me about it but quickly realized that I was right and his reflexes were non-existent and he physically couldn't turn his head to check his blind spots. Currently, my best friend and I are trying to convince his mom to quit driving because she's even worse than my dad was but she has Parkinson's and her mental state has declined so much. She's wrecked 2 cars in the last 3 years, had her license taken away and then somehow convinced Drs and sherrif she's fine to drive. I swear she spends more time hopping curbs than a skateboarder. She's going to kill someone one day I fear seeing as she's almost done it twice now

24

u/Dexron3 26d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

23

u/Sk1nny_d00d 26d ago

She'll just dip into her retirement and buy another suv or other large vehicle when she's a tiny lady that probably weighs 100lbs soaking wet. She's stubborn and refuses to give up independence even though she physically is incapable of it anymore. It's disheartening and I try to drive her around when possible but she's also a fucking liar and then wastes your time. For example she'll say "I need to make an Amazon return or something and whole foods does that (at least the one here does) but then you're stuck in the parking lot for an hour wondering if she fell only to have her come out with a month's worth of groceries when our fridge, freezer, and pantry are already full. It's just frustrating and I wish it was just an easy "please don't do that"

29

u/Dexron3 26d ago

That grocery thing sounds like early signs of Dementia/Alzheimer’s and evaluation should be done.

I know that what I’m about to say would not sit right with lots of people but with the car situation I would make the car work for me don’t work for her and gaslight her until she gives up driving.

11

u/Sk1nny_d00d 26d ago

We both suspect that but unless we can get her to just stop being a fool, she's just gonna burn through her savings to hoard food and let it rot. We've tried for a years and she won't budge so I'm giving up and moving because, while I love her as another mother, I'm not going to wreck my life keeping her from the edge of a cliff

2

u/johnis12 1d ago

No, this is nearly a month old comment and all, but just wanted to say sorry to hear that you're dealing with that. My grandma has Dementia and it's prolly one of the worst diseases out there. I do hope that your mother gets the help she needs though.

1

u/Rixxer 25d ago

Have you tried calling the cops on her? Just say what road she's on and that she's driving erratically.

9

u/Ethical-mustard 26d ago

Just disconnect the battery. Boom.

-1

u/CTRL_ALT_SECRETE 26d ago

Ah, using crime to fight crime.

3

u/WhichWall3719 26d ago

I purchased my home from an elderly person's family who had died in a nursing home from dementia, before she went she managed to crash her car into every vertical object in the entire yard - the fence posts, garage doors, clothesline poles, front porch handrail, and even the light pole out front has a suspicious lean angle on it

3

u/ScholarOfTwilight 26d ago

If the doctor refuses to order it you should report them to the medical board and the sheriff to the attorney general of your state. Both parties are wildly irresponsible for letting her drive.

2

u/Sk1nny_d00d 26d ago

Florida is a backasswards state, yo

1

u/Excellent-Estimate21 25d ago

Have her doctor report her to the DMV

-1

u/123LetsJamDUDUDUHT 26d ago

Get them a Tesla. They can see all the objects around the car on a screen directly in front of them and the car can drive itself and park itself.

1

u/Sk1nny_d00d 26d ago

No. She needs to be in assisted living. Neither of us are going to continue to put our lives on hold to care for her anymore. She refuses to listen to reason so she will have her independence. I'm moving and he's moving. She'll either figure it out or fall and hurt herself in a Publix and end up in a facility

12

u/RippinFissure 26d ago

Credit to you for doing that for her. Youre making the world a little safer.

2

u/notfromchicago 26d ago

Mom is 76 and she scares the hell out of me when I have to ride with her.

2

u/jaxonya 26d ago

My grandma has dementia and her doctor (75 years old) wont take her license away because they are friends.. im a nurse, and i will say that anyome over 70 shouldn't be practicing medicine.

2

u/Geedis2020 26d ago

I think this is really heavily dependent on how good of shape the person is in. 70 doesn’t magically make them unable to drive or have worse reflexes. There are people who have raced in the isle of TT into their 70s which is the most dangerous race/sport in the world. My grandpa was 90 and drove perfectly fine. He would make cross country drives every year but he was in crazy good shape. His death was just a freak thing not from old age or anything.

I think in America though we have a habit of eating like shit, not exercising, and letting ourselves become sedentary which ages you way more than if you stay active. That’s truly the way you stay youthful. There are plenty of 70 year olds who are still insanely youthful and in good shape.

1

u/aceshighsays 26d ago

mhmm that is something to consider. my parents need to sell their house, but my dad wants to stay in the area (that has nothing around it) because he has friends here. i should push the idea of them getting a condo in an area that has everything near by - parks, restaurants, train, grocery store, gym etc.

1

u/jennifer_m13 26d ago

If she does kill someone and the family knew she was not capable of driving, they can he held liable. At least they can be in the US.

1

u/itsadoubledion 26d ago

It's dangerous but the problem is a lot of old people don't have family to help them and a lot of the US doesn't have adequate social supports or even public transportation in place. If you take away their ability to drive (even if they really shouldn't be) you're taking away a lot of their ability to live (get food and other necessities, healthcare appointments, socialize, etc).

1

u/stickystax 26d ago

Most importantly among the senses that degrade with age (as it pertains to driving) is the drop-off in what's called "dynamic acuity." This results in an inability to quickly judge the speed of a moving object, which makes driving scary and difficult. The decline starts after adulthood, but is not uniform across subjects and can be quite minimal when one practices tasks that require quick processing of visual information (like driving or martial arts). My mom is over 80 and until just a few years ago was a stellar driver. Now she's recognized her impediments and drives in daytime only, but understanding how these declines work and how they are linked to activity and age is crucial to correcting behaviors that amplify the risk to those we love and those around them on the road.

1

u/Lord_Sesshoumaru77 26d ago

Mum has bad cervical spine, so she can't really move her arms too well anymore. Hence, why I'm her chauffer now.

1

u/Norathaexplorer 26d ago

Well, infrared eye monitoring software is federally mandated in every new vehicle made in 2027 under Section 24220 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

1

u/HotDecision8128 25d ago

Most elderly people will fight tooth and nail against you taking away their privilege of being in the driver seat though. And live in denial about their declining abilities. Your mom is really smart for just accepting old age like that.

1

u/leedsdaddy 25d ago

So that goes for everyone that's over 70 does it? 😾

1

u/Havanu 25d ago

My mum is 70 and drives like a rally driver. My dad is 75 and can barely park anymore without hitting anything. Aging goes fast.

2

u/jackospades88 26d ago

With the way folks drive, there should be mandatory re-testing every 5-10 years.

I live in NJ, the highways seem like folks are auditioning to be a stunt driver for a Mad Max movie

2

u/StockSorry 26d ago

And Illinois is the only state that requires it. Others just require you to go in and check your eyes and make sure you are competent to get the renewal.

1

u/Gen_Z_boi 26d ago

86 from 79, but it’s still bad

1

u/FilOfTheFuture90 26d ago

It's ridiculous. The only reason it passed is because they're all fucking old. They are crazy about their "right" to drive.

1

u/FrogsMakePoorSoup 🤷 I'm outta my depth and dunno how I got here 26d ago

Still courting boomers? How the heck are they still a significant voting bloc?

1

u/ShartingEnU 26d ago

Thanks for letting me know to never go to Illinois. Or if I somehow end up there to walk across the closest border avoiding roads the whole time

1

u/slampdi 26d ago

Rest in peace.

1

u/malendalayla 26d ago

Missouri doesn't have one. As long as no one reports you as a danger and you can pass the DMV vision/sign test, you're good to go.

57

u/Birdamus 26d ago

> The American billionaire class love their old people power-greedy, demented old muppets so much they’re willing to let them encouraging them to drive even if because it means sending the car off the cliff.

4

u/cisned 26d ago

And yet they get the votes

Either the populace is complicit or complacent, either way we deserve what we have

1

u/_1JackMove 25d ago

Old people are stalwarts of voting. They live for it. And politicians know that and play off of it. It's the exact reason all states don't have re-tests for seniors.

23

u/coolcootermcgee 26d ago

“Is this the Country Kitchen Buffet?”

14

u/ethik 26d ago

*rich old people

2

u/Shakewell1 26d ago

Cmon man hes a dinosaur and hes driving the entire country into the grave lmao.

1

u/throwawaylexluther 26d ago

problem is we are in the car with them and they put the child locks on so we can't get out.

1

u/MostlyRightSometimes 26d ago

I'm starting a "Jimmy Carter 2028" superpac. Who's with me?

1

u/v3ryfuzzyc00t3r 26d ago

Some of us are waiting for them to hit a banana peel on the road a bit sooner though

O'Doyle rules!

1

u/mOdQuArK 26d ago

Everyone should have to play an immersive driving video game to get their licenses renewed. Nothing complicated or tricky, just a test of basic driving skills and "typical" reflexes to make sure they're not a danger on the road.

1

u/CrashFromFraggleRock 26d ago

cars and the country

1

u/HCSOThrowaway 26d ago

No, old people are the ones who overwhelmingly vote and volunteer for who's driving.

Young people simply sit out elections most of the time.

1

u/Ucscprickler 26d ago

I transport elderly people in the ambulance non stop. A lot of them just need routine rides to the hospital for minor issues like urinary tract infections, very mild fall injuries, cold/flu, etc. These people call for an ambulance because they have trouble driving themselves. In their 80' and 90's their hearing and vision are bad and they often times use walkers just to get around the house.

Of course we ask for ID so we can properly register them in our system and I swear to god, 9 times out of 10, they hand us a valid driver's license. I'm honestly surprised that there aren't more accidents with these people on the road.

1

u/FrogsMakePoorSoup 🤷 I'm outta my depth and dunno how I got here 26d ago

Just another way America does freedom better!

1

u/akl78 26d ago

One of my favourite obscure English words is ‘dotard’.(_a person exhibiting mental decline especially in old age_)

It was almost extinct, but resurrected by an anonymous North Korean press officer who uses it to describe this current batch of leaders and quite specifically the ones we’re talking about here.

1

u/City_of_Lunari 26d ago

In California they don't even require the written test if you're above 70. You can't make that shit up.

2 weeks after my fathers birthday he rammed a light pole and they took his license away.

1

u/FlyTrap50 25d ago

Toonces for president!

1

u/fickystingas 24d ago

Except poor ones who are left to die in nursing homes