Old peoples driving skills

[pinkcandy]

Does anybody else get infuriated with the amount of dangerous older people still driving? Just yesterday an old lady (she looked around 80) tried to cut me up on a roundabout and then when she wasnt able to push in she drove behind me flashing her lights and gesturing at me, the bad driving i could just about cope with but then having a go at me for her bad driving, needless to say it didnt get my day off to a good start - any thoughts on the subject??

[Octavius]

I think young drunk teenage joyriders are more of a concern.

[Ethel]

She was probably just the same 30 or 40 years ago. Her age is irrelevant.

Bad drivers are in every age group and every sector of the community.

[4getmenot]

Everyone is the same despite age. There are bad drivers and good drivers. We're not all perfect.

[Octavius]

I am

[Goodsoulette]

I thought after a certain age you got tested yearly or something....so yes age does have something to do with it. Or else everyone would get tested as frequently.

I used to work in a pub and it WAS NOT the young ones who used to drink and drive. It was always the 50 plus. When I tackled a couple who were about to leave, the lady told me that Stan drove better after a few pints anyway. It made me really mad. I do think there dangerous drivers in every age group, I also think Pinkcandy might have a point too, however there has been a bit OAP bashing going on recently so no doubt this will cause lots more upset.

[redcrx]

goodsoulette did you report them?

I agree with Ethel in that every age group has dangerous drivers (and drunk drivers). Its the mentality rather than the age when it comes to incidences like pinkcandy experienced. The age relating driving problems (not all older people are affected) tend to be extremely slow driving (almost as dangerous as fast), slower reaction times and a general unawareness of whats going on on the road around them

[4getmenot]

Well yer age does matter and that is why they are tested regularly. But I'm sure the same thing happens with all ages. Only Saturday i was nearly involved in a crash Coz some bloke pulled out a junction straight infront of us. We could see him doing about 40 out of junction as if it were a slip road.

[dot.hawkes]

is this what 10CST means?

[Goodsoulette]

I flipping well did. I also reported my nutty Aunt for it too, she got wasted had a go at us all. Rammed her car into my cousins car deliberately, and then when I ran out to see what was going on she sped off. I gleefully phoned the police. She got a 3 yr ban, still isnt driving.

[Dr Hungry]

I don't remember where I heard this, but there is a statistic that says the accident rate for the over 80s is the same for those who are under 21. But that doesn't mean you can't get bad drivers in any other age group of course.

[redcrx]

good for you goodsoulette!

[rhona_j]

Agree with you all that yes there are bad drivers in all age groups, but what really gets me is that I could drive an identical car to an older driver and just because I am in my twenties, my insurance will be about triple the price of theres!

What is scarey is when you see them driving and they can't even turn to check the traffic, obviously not safe.

Does anyone else not agree that everyone should be re-tested on a regular basis?

[Goodsoulette]

but those under 21 are inexperienced drivers generally. I wouldnt have thought that it was because they had slower reaction etc and other conditions that effect us as we age. My grandad is still driving and he has got slower as the years go on, cant see at night cause of the glare and stuff and he is still allowed to drive, so I assume a foggy day would effect him too.Terrifies me.

[WendyS]

Frankly, irritating though it might have been, it's the young 18 - 25 males who I think are the worst drivers. All the testerone seems to take over and most of them seem to think they're on Brands Hatch rather than the highway. And when they drive with their windows down and that "Boom, Boom" rock music belting out at full volume..............!

[stoo_pid]

Following on from Dr Hungry's post, I'm having trouble finding any national statistics, but these two reports

Merseyside 2004-2005

WestMidlands 2002

both show that the age range 30-59 are more likely to end up in hospital following an RTA, following the over-60's. Of course this doesn't tell you who caused the accidents but it suggests that perhaps its not the boy-racers we should be wary of. I also remember reading a study once (been googling for it but haven't found it yet) that said that the majority of RTAs happened between 5pm & 6pm and mainly involved men rushing home from work.

Having said all of that, I agree 100% with you pinkcandy! Where I live you get the old micra-zombies pull out in front of you on the roundabout and then do 40mph in a 60mph zone, using the dotted line in the middle of the road to guide them. Worst of all though, they then proceed at the same bloody speed in a 20mph zone past the park & primary school!!!

[stoo_pid]

woops, didn't read those figures correctly - the 2nd likely age group is indeed the 15-29 driver. So, in order of risk, watch out for blokes trying to get home from work, followed by the boy-racers off to the nearest reatil park. If you manage to get past them in one piece, don't forget to keep an eye out for the old duffers on the final straight.
: - )

[pinkcandy]

thanks for all your answers and i do agree that there are dangerous drivers of all ages but i do find that because of older peoples reactions and sometimes they just dont seem to have a clue what is going on they are the worst i run into (metaphorically!) they often pull out in front of me on 60 roads when i am just a few metres away from them and the looks on there faces u see (sometimes if u overtake when safe) is just clueless like they didnt even relise they had done something wrong! the strangest one i saw was an old woman driving along with her head rest tipped forward so that she appeared to be staring down at her lap! not good!!!!!

[Damsel]

My thought is that senior citizens need to be tested at least once a year to retain their drivers license. Most people over 75 are a hazard on the road. Their vision is going, their reflexes are slow... It is like drunk drivers.

[netibiza]

Here we go again, it's Bash the old Grannies Day!!!!.

[pinkcandy]

we have only just manged to convince my father in law to stop driving, he can barely walk anymore and has 50% vision in 1 eye and 8% in the other yet he carried on driving for years after he shouldnt, i think it is prob hard to let go of driving if u have been doing it for years