Eldery Man's Mistake Killed Their Son
Eleven months ago, a state trooper rang the doorbell of Sheldon
and Daren Suroff's home in Chesterfield.
Karen Suroff called her husband up from the basement. His heart
chilled when he saw the uniform. "There's been an accident,"
the trooper said.
Their son, Jason Suroff, 21, had died on Interstate 70 near
U.S. Highway 65 in Saline County, about 150 miles west of St.
Louis. He had swerved to avoid a pickup heading the wrong way
in a westbound lane, and the car he was driving - his father's
Lincoln Continental - rolled three times.
The driver of the pickup was a 91-year-old man and a victim
of senile dementia.
Today, Jason Suroff's parents are crusading to save others from
similar disasters. They are trying to get the worst of America's
drivers off the road and keep them off.
Drivers in most states, including Missouri, can get a license
at 16 and keep it for the rest of their lives - without ever
having to take a second road test.
The Suroffs want laws that would require drivers to pass road
tests every few years. They have started a national group called
Concerned Americans for Responsible Driving.
If Missouri had had such a law, their son might still be alive,
Shel and Karen Suroff think; maybe the other driver would have
been taken off the road long ago.
"He shouldn't have been driving, that's all," Shel Suroff, a
financial consultant, said. "He shouldn't have been behind the
wheel."
U-Tum On An Interstate
The accident happened on July 27 last year, as Jason Suroff
and four friends were heading to a Van Halen concert in Kansas
City.
The 91-year-old man, heading west in his pickup, was lost and
confused, trying to get back home to Rolla, Mo., police reports
say. He thought he should be heading in the opposite direction,
so he made a U-turn on the interstate.
Witnesses say that Jason Suroff was not speeding. "He put his
blinker on turning into the driveway," said his sister, Jill
Suroff, 18. "That's how obnoxious he was about safe driving."
When Jason Suroff saw the pickup heading toward him, he swung
the Continental toward the only open spot he could see - the
shoulder of the interstate.
As the rear wheels hit the shoulder, the car rolled. The roof
of the car caved in above Jason Suroff's head, breaking his
neck.
"He was killed instantly," his father said. The maneuver that
killed him saved the lives of the four other young men in the
car; in fact, they were virtually uninjured.
The driver of the pickup had no idea what had happened. He continued
on his way and showed up at his home in Rolla three days later.
His Life Was Worth More
Jason Suroff was a senior at Indiana University in Bloomington.
He wanted to go to law school and learn to be an environmental
lawyer .
The Suroffs' home is full of reminders of him: photographs in
the living room, newspaper clippings about Van Halen on the
wall of his room. Even the family's practice of recycling, which
Jason Suroff started, brings back his memory.
In Bloomington, his fraternity brothers established a scholarship
fund in his name and planted a garden in his memory in Israel.
His family wants the organization to stand as another memorial.
"This isn't just another person killed on the side of the road,"
said Jill Suroff. "His life was worth more than to let it go."
47 States Don't Retest
States rarely give drivers road tests after their first one.
In many states, police officers, doctors or family members can
ask state officials to test a driver if they suspect a problem;
Drivers moving from state to state often have to take road tests.
Only three states require periodic road testing, mostly for
older drivers.
In Illinois, drivers 75 and older have to take a road test every
time they renew their licenses. At 86 years and older, they
have to renew every year .
In Indiana, drivers 75 and older have to take a road test when
they renew their licenses.
In New Hampshire, drivers older than 75 have to take road tests
when they renew their licenses.
In the District of Columbia, drivers older than 70 might be
required to take a road test depending on their medical condition.
In Idaho, driving examiners can give a road test at their discretion
when drivers renew their licenses.
Missouri, as in most other states, lets drivers who keep their
licenses current drive indefinitely.
That makes no sense to the Suroffs.
"I can't believe you can get a license at age 16 and have the
right to drive until you die, without considering physical disability
and reflexes," Shel Suroff said.
Not Only Old Drivers
About 40,000 people die in car accidents a year. Many of the
drivers who caused those accidents might have, flunked a driving
test, Shel Suroff believes.
The Suroffs do not want to concentrate their efforts just on
older drivers. Drivers can lose their ability to drive at any
age, Shel Suroff said.
So far, about 50 people across the United States are involved
in the organization. Shel Suroff is hoping that many more will
join.
"I know there are probably thousands of people out there who
have been touched the same way we have," Shel Suroff said. "I
think we have a mission. And somebody's got to start it."
