Bloody old driver.

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e-rider

crappy member
Location
South West
I have no sympathy for old drivers after one (a woman) killed my mate last year in a road accident. Old or not, I wouldn't have been as polite. Frequent re-tests (every 2 years) from the age of 65 should be introduced without doubt.
 
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thomas

thomas

the tank engine
Location
Woking/Norwich
You must know this going to happen if you ride in the middle of the road.

middle of the road? After the parked cars I move back in and certainly am not in the middle of the road. The lady in the car didn't even go in the other lane so I couldn't of been.

Possibly a primary position would have deterred her.
 
That's true but I just wonder how long she had been behind you....although that's not the worst driving I have seen....while it was close it wasn't that fast.Yes I don't agree with it but I can see why the motorist gets frustrated.


So why are you reading out the registration?

I don't think her age has anything to do with the close pass. I think it is just the general issue of some car drivers being completely oblivious to what space a cyclist needs. :sad:

Yes the age thing was unfair because all drivers do it....Have you ever met a London Cabbie?


...also what Magnatom said here....^
 

StuartG

slower but further
Location
SE London
I have no sympathy for old drivers after one (a woman) killed my mate last year in a road accident. Old or not, I wouldn't have been as polite. Frequent re-tests (every 2 years) from the age of 65 should be introduced without doubt.
And this morning I had just the same near pass by a white van. Driver was ~ 30 years. In fact most near misses in recent years were caused by drivers younger than me. May be we should raise the minimum driving age to 60. Now that would really reduce casualties ...
 
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thomas

thomas

the tank engine
Location
Woking/Norwich
That's true but I just wonder how long she had been behind you....although that's not the worst driving I have seen....while it was close it wasn't that fast.Yes I don't agree with it but I can see why the motorist gets frustrated.

No need to wonder. You see the 4x4 overtake and then she was behind me from then...so about 30 seconds. Although not fast, it was on a bend and she could of safely overtaken about 15 seconds later.

Ultimately, she got to the post office at the same time as I did, so even if she had waited behind me until then it wouldn't of increased her journey time.
 
you sound like Dom Joly!

It does though raise the age old question about repeat driving tests.

I don't know who old she is but lets's assume she's 70.

It could be perfectly feasible she's not had any driver tuition for over 50 years! And that can't be right.

Ages like this it's possible they just went to the police station and registered for a licence...

Do the statistics show that those who have had no tuition for 6 months are more dangerous than for 50 years?
At least that is what insurance premiums would suggest ...

Premiums rise a bit after a certain threshold...

And far from a statistic, in my experience, older drivers just drive off after side swiping your car (this has happened numerous occasions where luckily someone has stopped them, peanuts).
 
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thomas

thomas

the tank engine
Location
Woking/Norwich
Did you think no one would notice that comment? :tongue:

I think you were very polite under the circumstances.

hehe...Did you know that all UK driving licences have a little warning about women drivers on the back? Get yours out...you see those letters "FKP" (just below your entitlement). They stand for Females kill people :whistle:

(okay, enough women driver bashing...I'm only joking!)

Though...in regard to who I was replying to, from experience of friends taking driving test, etc...most of the girls probably could drive, they just got nervous and flustered quicker than most guys.
 

Speicher

Vice Admiral
Moderator
hehe...Did you know that all UK driving licences have a little warning about women drivers on the back? Get yours out...you see those letters "FKP" (just below your entitlement). They stand for Females kill people :whistle:

(okay, enough women driver bashing...I'm only joking!)

Though...in regard to who I was replying to, from experience of friends taking driving test, etc...most of the girls probably could drive, they just got nervous and flustered quicker than most guys.


As the saying goes "I am older and I have more insurance". :tongue:

Back to the subject of very old drivers. Some, not all, of them are simply not concentrating. Or they are, but only on one thing (in this old lady's case going to the Post Office). I knew an elderly driver who drove into the back of a double decker bus, you know one of those very large red objects - while it was stationary, at a bus stop. :eek: :eek:

I therefore told him he really should not be driving.
 
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thomas

thomas

the tank engine
Location
Woking/Norwich
As the saying goes "I am older and I have more insurance". :tongue:

Back to the subject of very old drivers. Some, not all, of them are simply not concentrating. Or they are, but only on one thing (in this old lady's case going to the Post Office). I knew an elderly driver who drove into the back of a double decker bus, you know one of those very large red objects - while it was stationary, at a bus stop. :eek: :eek:

I therefore told him he really should not be driving.



My Granddad used to be a AWFUL driver. He went into hospital and basically the Doctors told him he had to give up his driving licence, which we were more than happy to agree with.

Ultimately, loosing the ability to drive can have many negative effects for old people. getting out, socialising, shopping, etc, can be a lot harder. There can be quite a loss of mobility...however, if someone isn't fit to drive and hit someone then someone else looses mobility in a much more serious sense.

Certainly, being old doesn't make you a bad driver, but being old does make things slower and harder. I am for retesting, everyone, say every 10 years. I don't think it'll ever be feasible though so perhaps at 70 (or so) you should have to retake a driving test, or some type of competency driving test. I say that in the knowledge that one day I will become old and decrepit too.
 
My Granddad used to be a AWFUL driver. He went into hospital and basically the Doctors told him he had to give up his driving licence, which we were more than happy to agree with.

Ultimately, loosing the ability to drive can have many negative effects for old people. getting out, socialising, shopping, etc, can be a lot harder. There can be quite a loss of mobility...however, if someone isn't fit to drive and hit someone then someone else looses mobility in a much more serious sense.

Certainly, being old doesn't make you a bad driver, but being old does make things slower and harder. I am for retesting, everyone, say every 10 years. I don't think it'll ever be feasible though so perhaps at 70 (or so) you should have to retake a driving test, or some type of competency driving test. I say that in the knowledge that one day I will become old and decrepit too.

Licences already expire at 70, and have to be renewed every 3 years. No retest though. This silly paperwork trail I think is just to make it a hassle for someone to deal with and/or if someone cannot fill out forms, they cannot drive surely (granted some would get help so would defeat the object).

They could at least make a physical a requirement on renewal. Some kind of reaction time test - it's strange that driving is basically based on "prior entitlement" rather than current. When bringing in rules like this, usually it only applies after 19xx etc and wont really come into effect until the current younger generations grow old.


Retesting (and a physical) is already common practice for HGV drivers.
 
I generally find the younger drivers the worse drivers...esp where I commute...Do boy racers ring a bell?

Even the 40 plus drivers drive around like maniacs thinking they know it all when quite generally they don't actually know how to drive defensively.

OTOH I knew of one older driver who IMHO was not that good a driver.
 
How about old people on mobility scooters?

I very nearly got taken out today by an old lady on a scooter who pulled out of a side street into my path without looking. Some of those scooter users are completely oblivious to other road users and pedestrians. And don't even get me started on the ones who barrel down pavements and pedestrian zones at 8mph without slowing down and expecting everyone to just jump out of the way.
 
How about old people on mobility scooters?

I very nearly got taken out today by an old lady on a scooter who pulled out of a side street into my path without looking. Some of those scooter users are completely oblivious to other road users and pedestrians. And don't even get me started on the ones who barrel down pavements and pedestrian zones at 8mph without slowing down and expecting everyone to just jump out of the way.


:laugh:
 
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