Transport for NSW sends baffling letter to 83-year-old man with Alzheimer’s who insists he can drive

A fed-up man who has been trying for years to stop his dad with Alzheimer’s from driving has shared an extraordinary letter the 83-year-old was sent.

The elderly man was not happy his children did not want him to drive. Picture: Reddit

A man taken to social media to vent his frustration about his elderly father continuing to drive, despite suffering from severe Alzheimer’s disease.

He said his father insists he is “physically fit and independent” despite his diagnosis.

“I feel bad, but he should not be on the road anymore and he doesn’t realise it,” the son wrote on Reddit.

“Every time he drives, he has bingles and scrapes, parks on the footpath.

“But he is passionate about cars, especially his one, and doesn’t believe any of the bingles were his fault -there is zero accountability.”

The letter that was sent to the elderly man. Picture: Reddit

The concerned son even initiated a family meeting which went awry.

“It was awful, yelling and name calling,” the son wrote.

“I had to keep reminding myself it is the disease.”

A solution presented itself when the father recently had his drivers licence suspended, pending a mandatory driving test, because of his age.

But when he missed his test, and didn’t provide relevant medical documentation, the father bizarrely received a letter advising him his licence was still valid.

In the letter, Transport for NSW “thanked him for completing the assessments” and advised him that he could “continue to drive on your current licence as long as it has not recently expired”.

The son said the letter had “completely validated” his father’s dangerous attitude.

“He’s not just a little bit s*** at driving now, he is dangerous,” he wrote.

“I love him so much and I absolutely hate this.

“What pisses me off is that we have been slowly working toward his licence being taken away and gently getting him used to the idea of using buses and selling the car.

“It has taken so much energy and time to convince him that he should hang up his car keys.”

One Reddit user advised him to “take the keys, sell the car.. As hard as that may be, it’s for the best for you, your father and other people on the road”.

Another empathised: “That’s dreadful when you are counting on procedures to help tell someone they can no longer drive, and then this happen.”

While another shared, “I understand how hard this is. My mum has dementia. The most frustrating part is she thinks she’s fine.”

A frustrated son has taken to Reddit to vent his concerns about his elderly father driving.

The son replied he was “currently on my way to be a ninja and disable his car as some of you suggested”.

A spokesperson for Tranport NSW told news.com.au that they could not comment on the specific case but said Transport for NSW encourages people to “report drivers who, in their opinion, are no longer able to drive safely”.

The spokesperson added Transport had a “statutory obligation to ensure all licence holders are medically fit and competent to hold a driver licence”.

“If a person does not meet the medical standards, or information is received that raises a genuine concern about a licence holder’s medical fitness or competency to drive, Transport is authorised to cancel, suspend or vary a driver licence or request that the licence holder undertake relevant testing or assessment to verify fitness to drive.”

Originally published as Transport for NSW sends baffling letter to 83-year-old man with Alzheimer’s who insists he can drive