Driving a car with Alzheimer’s

My neighbor has Alzheimer’s but still drives his car. This last year he wrecked the tires on his SUV by driving around a rocky vacant lot which he owned. His explanation is that he was trying to cut down the weeds. Another time he stopped his car in the middle of the road, and seemed rather sheepish when asked what he was doing. He drove on home.

I was about to report him to the Dept of Motor Vehicles (DMV) as an unsafe driver when I learned that he just got his driver’s license renewed. Anyway, I don’t feel safe with someone that impacted by dementia driving around our neighborhood. His wife and son, with whom he lives, haven’t taken away the car keys.

There doesn’t seem to be any protocol for determining when someone with dementia should have their license revoked. A couple of years ago one of our neighbors with Alzheimer’s drove away, and weeks later his car was found abandoned in the desert. The body has not been located.

So what’s your thoughts? What should I do?

There is a bunch of stuff about this on the internet..

EXAMPLE: California’s Health & Safety Code [Section 103900] requires physicians to submit a confidential report to the county health department when an individual is diagnosed as having Alzheimer's disease or related disorders, including dementia, severe enough to impair a person's ability to operate a motor vehicle.
/www.caregiver.org/dementia-driving-and-california-state-law