By GENE UZAWA DORIO, M.D.
In almost 60 years of driving, I have never been in a car accident. Lucky.
But I already know now that if I am, fingers will point in my direction, and I will be blamed. Why? Because I am a senior.
I walk hunched with a cane because of arthritis in one hip, and people let me go first and hold doors open for me. I tell Robin it is because many in our community are polite, and honor those with salt-and-pepper hair. She says it is because I look “pitiful.” Ha!
Just looking at my hair, facial wrinkles, and hunched shoulders is a giveaway. But with car insurance premiums going up with every dent, it is easy to point a finger. If they know you are a doctor, or own a home, they figure “deep pocket” and select one of the many lawyers now advertising on TV.
Therefore, it is with great fear and trepidation I get behind the wheel.
But I have a solution that someone might want to pitch to “Shark Tank.” It could make you a millionaire!
Load your car with cameras and record all your travels to the Cloud. Tiny cameras are now technologically feasible and getting cheaper. All you need is your vehicle wired, or maybe Bluetooth.
When you get into your car, turn on the cameras that record what’s in front of you, behind you, on your sides, and the dashboard. Then, save the video to the Cloud and erase it if you make it home safely.
An electronics genius may develop a “black box” found on airplanes resistant to crashes and fires to safeguard the recording in case of an accident.
Nowadays, in our community, as it is seemingly everywhere else, we are in a hurry, speeding and zigzagging through traffic while tailgating slower drivers to the next red light.
Should I be in an accident, once the other driver looks at me, the response will be, “You were speeding,” “You cut me off,” “You ran a red light,” or “You were driving too close.” Yes, I could be at fault.
I’m asking anyone who reads this to get their entrepreneurial juices flowing and let me know when I can get my cameras installed.
I know that if I were in a car accident, I would be blamed.
But rest assured, I will have a video!
Gene Dorio, M.D., is a geriatric physician in Santa Clarita who makes house calls for his senior patients. He is the past president of the Los Angeles Commission for Older Adults and currently serves as an assemblymember of the California Senior Legislature. Opinions expressed in Vox Populi are not necessarily those of The Rafu Shimpo.