Market Crash Raises Age Questions

Authorities say it would be several days before they could conclude whether an elderly man whose car barreled through a busy farmers market in California could be held criminally liable for the crash that killed 10 people and injured dozens more.

Police say Russell Weller, 86, told them he was leaving a post office Wednesday afternoon and didn't realize until too late that a street crammed with pedestrians and produce was closed for Santa Monica's popular twice-a-week farmers market. They said Weller believes he might have hit the gas instead of the brake as he tried to avoid the crowd.

"He thought he was slamming on the brake and the car continued to accelerate," California Highway Patrol Commissioner Dwight "Spike" Helmick said.

Witnesses said that Weller's car was traveling as fast as 70 mph as it raced along the entire length of the open-air farmers market on Wednesday, knocking down stalls, scattering produce and hitting as many as 50 people.

Ten victims, ranging in age from 7 months to 78 years, were killed. By Friday morning, 20 people were still hospitalized, five in critical condition.

"I saw three people killed before my eyes and I couldn't do anything for them," Fay Cohen said. "I saw this man, he was bleeding and his eyes were opening and closing. I was trying to help him but I couldn't ... I don't think I ever will heal from this."

CBS News Correspondent Vince Gonzalez reports officials say it highlights the need for tougher requirements for elderly motorists.

"I think most of them hopefully would be willing to be tested more frequently just to be sure that their skills have not deteriorated," said Helmick.

Only 11 states mandate extra testing or requirements for elderly drivers.

In North Carolina, the laws actually require the standard road test be made easier for motorists over 60. In Tennessee licenses issued to people over 65 never expire. New Jersey requires a vision test every 10 years, but the law is rarely enforced.

Money is an issue. Kathy Swanson of Minnesota's Office of Traffic Safety told CBS radio station WCCO's Telly Mamayek that many states just don't have the resources to require road tests for older drivers.

Illinois is one of the few states that requires a road test for drivers over 75. Phil Grad failed his test this week.

"We all are deteriorating in our old age — I'm not afraid of saying that," he told CBS News.

Dr. Robert Wang, the head of Geriatric Medicine at Century City Hospital in Los Angeles, said questions about driving for the elderly focus on sensory perception, mobility, reaction time and a tough area to test, cognition.

"Do you understand the situation you're in? Do you recall that someone is behind you on the left side or the right side? If you don't remember those things, you're going to get yourself into a dangerous situation," he told CBS News Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen.

Wang said younger family members may have to step in.

"Sometimes patients themselves don't understand their limitations or don't want to address them," he said.

Dan Randall in Detroit was forced to take action.

"My ma got ill, and ... basically, almost the same type of thing happened. She was driving recklessly," he told CBS radio station WWJ's Vicki Thomas.

So he had his 60-year-old mother's license revoked.

"It was hard to do," he said. "She was still relatively rather young, but her mind went, and we figured that that was the safest thing to do, for her and for other people on the road."

By the year 2030, the number of older Americans is expected to double to 70 million and an increasing proportion of this population will be licensed to drive. The National Institute on Aging estimates that by 2030, 25 percent of all drivers will be older than 65. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that 25 percent of all fatal traffic crashes will involve drivers 65 or older by that same year.

Minnesota's Swanson says it's not a question of age but ability.

"If it were simply age, people would plan ahead for it," she said. "They'd know it was coming, and they would probably still not like it, but they'd at least have a little more acceptance of it."