Words failed me....

[johnnyh]

Of course if he was that old and frail I would expect the story to conclude that you let him go by, and then had to overtake him 20 yards further down the road

 

[Bigtwin]

Of course if he was that old and frail I would expect the story to conclude that you let him go by, and then had to overtake him 20 yards further down the road

Actually I could have easily done so - it's a pretty flat road, and I followed the C1 for about 1/2 a mile before I turned off - the "convoy of the blind" was only moving at about 15 mph. But I thought it somewhat better to be behind all that, rather than in front...

Plus there were about 20 cars behind me from the queue at the crossing getting a bit knacked off, it being going home from work time.

 

[Mr Pig]

I think my reply would have been 'he really shouldn't be driving then.

True. I don't think they bother too much because, although they are useless, older people don't cause too many big crashes. They drive slowly so tend to cause little shunts when they do stuff up. It's the boy racers that kill people, usually themselves and their pals.

 

[tyred]

People like him rarely drive very far and rarely go onto busy roads. Live and let live.

 

[Bigtwin]

People like him rarely drive very far and rarely go onto busy roads. Live and let live.

Judging by the condition of his pick-up, he spend most of his time with it polishing on the drive. It was a metallic green and chrome thing that you could have shaved in.

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

People like him rarely drive very far and rarely go onto busy roads. Live and let live.

It only takes one outing to kill someone though. If he rarely ventures out then he would be better off paying for a taxi and/or getting someone to drive him - cheaper in the long run, and less dangerous for others on the road.

Sorry - he is a danger to those around him, and should be removed from the road if his eyesight isn't up to the task.

 

[Jane Smart]

I agree with you Sh4rkybloke

 

[parnes]

That's pretty shocking.

My sister works with dementia patients and they fiercely resist their driving license being taken away despite being a danger to everyone else.

 

[tyred]

It's a loss of independence thing really. It can't be nice to realise you're too old to do the things you used to do. These old people do silly things behind the wheel but in reality, they cause very few accidents (mostly thanks to others making allowances for them combined with the fact they tend to stay away from busy roads). And they drive slowly and won't show up on any speed traps or anything so they will get away with it thanks to government stupidity for creating an obsession with speed limits instead of looking at what actually constitutes dangerous driving.

 

[parnes]

There is no "obsession" with speed limits at all, the only people who claim that are dodgy obscure pro-speeding websites.

Speed enforcement comprises only part of government road safety.

 

[wafflycat]

Agree with Sh4rkybloke.

Told before here - had this problem years and years ago with my dad. His driving became appalling and he had completely lost accurate judgement of speed. It was getting to the point where he was frequently nearly losing it on corners by taking them too fast. The family convinced him to give up driving, but he and the family got serious grief from my mother (selfish b*t*h) who wailed and ranted long and loud about how no-one was thinking of her, how would she get her shopping done? How she'd be trapped in the house... even asking her how she would feel if Dad injured or killed himself or some innocent third party was nothing to her. Oh, and there was a bus stop with a bus the few miles into town every 30 minutes a couple of hundred yards from the front door of the house.. She made my Dad's life hell when he did give up. She never forgave him for that even though she found she didn't have to rely on his driving after all, and in a way, she got more freedom as she could go out without him having to drive. All sorts of things go on in folks' minds when it comes to the issue of giving up driving.

Living where I do now, in rural parts, where public transport is almost non-existant, the issue of the elderly being isolated in their homes is a very real one. Lots of people drive when they really shouldn't. IMO, down to the lack of a practical alternative being available.

 

[parnes]

My sister knows a chap with early-stage alcohol-induced dementia who only drives if he knows he won't have to turn right off a main road.

 

[Sittingduck]

He's old enough to know better and his family & friends should insist he pack it in.

 

[tyred]

Living where I do now, in rural parts, where public transport is almost non-existant, the issue of the elderly being isolated in their homes is a very real one. Lots of people drive when they really shouldn't. IMO, down to the lack of a practical alternative being available.

This is my point. I live 5 miles from the nearest bus stop. I have a few elderly neighbours who probably shouldn't drive either but have nobody else to take them to the shop or whatever. Public transport isn't an option. Someone suggested taxis but that would cost about 40 Euro a time to get someone to come out of a town to take you there and back again. Compare that to maybe about 3 euros worth of petrol. I agree they should be taken of the road but what is the alternative? Everyone else needs to make allowances for elderly drivers.

 

[wafflycat]

Indeed, but no allowances should be made for those who are a danger on the road. A driving licence is not a right, it's a privilege.