To old to drive?

[Neil]

Originally Posted by steeljack

sorry for slight wander ....is it possible in the UK to attend "traffic school" to get points removed for moving violations (speeding) and stop the insurance company jacking up your rate
LET'S GO TO CALIFORNIA TRAFFIC SCHOOL

Yes sometimes. If you get caught for a not too much over the limit you get fine and 3 points. Sometimes they will offer you a speed awareness course. It costs the same as the fine but you dont get the points and you don't have to declare it to your insurance.

[Restless]

margaret, I think there is a huge differnce between almost 70 and almost 90

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

My husband is nowhere near seventy, .

debates about age.... imo 89 is too damn old to be driving a car

Its Sad for the people involved, I know somebody related....my thoughts go out to them

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Restless

margaret, I think there is a huge difference between almost 70 and almost 90





debates about age.... imo 89 is too damn old to be driving a car

Its Sad for the people involved, I know somebody related....my thoughts go out to them

I agree with you Restless, 20 years ago it may have been different, but on today's roads you have to be 100% alert all the time, I refer back to my Father who I mentioned in an earlier post, he was first class driver, but when he got old he became a liability on the road, he was a danger not only to himself but to other road users

[Ken Moss]

Originally Posted by jaysay

I agree with you Restless, 20 years ago it may have been different, but on today's roads you have to be 100% alert all the time, I refer back to my Father who I mentioned in an earlier post, he was first class driver, but when he got old he became a liability on the road, he was a danger not only to himself but to other road users

Quite right. How many of us would actually admit to ourselves when the time came that we weren't fit to drive anymore? I'm stubborn enough to realise that I'll have to be ordered out of my car and I'm probably not alone.

It's high time for a bit of legislation on the matter, we have it for everything else.

[entwisi]

I'm hoping by teh time I reach that point we have auto guided cars that I just tell where to go

At teh moment I enjoy teh actof driving, once I lose that through either age, too crowded roads or whatever I'd like to be taken everywhere with as little input as possible

[MargaretR]

I admit that my driving ability is not what it was and I amend my car usage to fit.

For example - night vision - my pupils do not react as quickly as they did, so driving at night on unlit roads is an ordeal, when oncoming headlights (even dipped) temporarily blind me. - So I don't drive outside urban lit areas at night. I think you will find that many older drivers will admit to having that problem.

Another problem is the 'stiff neck'. It is possible to reverse park using mirrors only, but I find it a bit nervewrecking so don't do it. So if I know I am likely to have to do it in town, I either dont go or park and ride into town.

These sort of problems can affect all age groups, but are more prevalent in the older driver.
All drivers of all ages must acknowledge that their abilities have limits, or the alternative is mandatory testing which has been suggested here, which is likely to prevent some people from driving at all times (even when they are within their own set limits).

[accyman]

Originally Posted by entwisi

I'm hoping by teh time I reach that point we have auto guided cars that I just tell where to go

you already do most people tell audis where to go

[Greeny]

A Dr can do more than eyesight. I do know someone who has Alzeimers and he is still driving , yes he really is.Surely a Dr can take away the driving license or at least report his condition to the DVLA.

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by Greeny

A Dr can do more than eyesight. I do know someone who has Alzeimers and he is still driving , yes he really is.Surely a Dr can take away the driving license or at least report his condition to the DVLA.

With glasses I have perfect vision. An optician once remarked that it was 'pilot's vision'. This 'slow pupil response' happens to some younger folk too. It is just that they won't admit it.

I agree that Altzeimers sufferers will lack the sense to recognise their own limitations.

We must bear in mind that the diagnosis of Altzheimers is a very inexact skill, and sometimes harmless eccentrics can be given that label.

said she, looking out for the men in white coats

[Gayle]

I personally think that there should be more frequent tests for everyone, perhaps every ten years until the age of 60, then at 65 and 70, then every one or two years after that.

Everyone gets in to bad habits when they have been driving for a long time - do you keep your hands at the correct position, do you not cross your hands over when turning a corner, do you continually check your mirrors? People get a little lazy, complacent or over confident and a regular test would remind people how to drive properly.

I also think it would help reduce insurance premiums.

As for older people giving up when they think it's the right time. Not a chance!!!! There is no way that an older person, or anyone for that matter, will give up voluntarily, just because they think they should. Most people are in denial about aging anyway, the majority of people are not going to admit that they're too old or ill or anything else, to drive!

[Greeny]

My husband was a train driver prior to retirement and had to have a medical and eye test every two years from the age of 55. Train drivers are not allowed to drive a train wearing varyfocal glasses either , as the variation distorts the vision or at least thats what the powers that be say.

[shillelagh]

like i said before a medical is only good for that day it was done on... 6 months down the line could be totally different answer .. i should know .. i passed a medical i was fit to drive, 1 week later got my driving licence .. 5 days after that i had another fit .. So having a medical ..and then 6 months later i passed the medical .. doesnt mean you are fit to drive.

[DaveinGermany]

All in all a very emotive issue, with views polarising one side against the other (Old pointing to Young & Middle aged, Middle aged pointing to Old & Young then the Young pointing at the Old that's any one past 22). Unfortunately every age group has its' problem children !

I travel quite a lot doing about 100 mile a day to & fro to work, that's not counting the mileage I do at work. Every day there are a few incidents that set you to thinking, how the hell did they get & continue to hold a licence. I must admit at times I do myself behave badly behind the wheel ! I don't see the root of the problem as an age issue, more a conditioning/environment concern.

As to testing, anyone regardless of age who consistently causes problems or is involved in incidents quite frequently should be re-educated & if need be, re-tested & assessed as to their suitability to own & drive what in reality is a dangerous blunt instrument, likely to cause harm, damage or even death when not used safely & correctly.

From what I can glean from the tabloids that we get over here, what apparently happened was an older driver had a seizure, he then lost control of his vehicle which then ran off the road & ended up very sadly killing an 18 month old child whose mother was also critically injured in the incident & by all accounts is still in a serious condition in the Hospital.

No one was at fault, irrespective of age it could've well been someone younger driving the vehicle who'd had a medical condition rendering them incapable of controlling the vehicle. The saddest thing about it all is that it was a complete catalouge of mishaps & misfortunes, fate if you will, that put these people in this place at this time which ended in such a sad & sorry outcome.

[Stumped]

May I attempt to put things into some sort of perspective as I feel very strongly that too much speculation can only serve to aggravate what is becoming a very diverse debate. I finished my police career as a Traffic Patrol Sergeant with a hard earned 1st Class Advanced Driving qualification which required a much higher standard of knowledge and ability to acquire than the civilian version. Over the years I and my colleagues visited, supervised and investigated countless accident scenes ranging from minor damages, through to serious injuries and fatalities, in all weathers and on road categories ranging from country lanes to trunk roads and motorways. I can honestly state that the number of blameworthy accidents I attended that were attributed to elderly drivers was but a fraction of those caused by young, inexperienced and reckless drivers whose engine power far exceeded their mental ability to cope with the responsibilities that the holding of a licence to drive demands.

I rest my case.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Originally Posted by Gayle

I personally think that there should be more frequent tests for everyone, perhaps every ten years until the age of 60, then at 65 and 70, then every one or two years after that.

Everyone gets in to bad habits when they have been driving for a long time - do you keep your hands at the correct position, do you not cross your hands over when turning a corner, do you continually check your mirrors? People get a little lazy, complacent or over confident and a regular test would remind people how to drive properly.

I also think it would help reduce insurance premiums.

As for older people giving up when they think it's the right time. Not a chance!!!! There is no way that an older person, or anyone for that matter, will give up voluntarily, just because they think they should. Most people are in denial about aging anyway, the majority of people are not going to admit that they're too old or ill or anything else, to drive!

Gayle, I agree that over the years most drivers acquire bad habits...but these usually do not lead to accidents.
When you pass your driving test you think you know it all...it is only when you get out on the road on your own that you realise that this is when the real learning takes place.
Over the years you adapt to different driving conditions and your experience builds......you change, you evolve.....some people become better drivers, some people are sloppy thoughtless irresponsible drivers.

As you get older(well this is my take on the situation anyway) you realise that driving is a dangerous pastime......I think the young folk tend to think they are immortal, but as you get older you realise you are just a mortal and that the big metal vehicle has the power to kill both you as the driver, and take any passenger or pedestrian too.

I think any driver who does not realise that they are past their best is irresponsible.
As you get older you are forced, sometimes by circumstance to realise and accept your limitations.......and those folk who say they would not give up driving(even when they know they are not competent anymore) unless they are forced to, are risking their own and other peoples lives by their foolishness.