To old to drive?

firefighter753 · 10-02-2010, 09:29

After yesterdays tragic accident in Accrington I have been listening to alot of debate on the subject of driving age. It reports on the BBC Lancashire website

BBC News - Crash kills driver, 89, and baby in Accrington

that the driver was 89 years old, is this to old to be in charge of a vehicle? should there be a cut off point?

accyman · 10-02-2010, 09:38

by the amont of dithering old idiots trudging along at 15mph holding up traffic i encounter every day i woudl say yes tehre shoudl be at least a compulsary check on your driving ability and respose times at a cetain age

if you cant keep up with teh flow of traffic you shudlnt be on teh road

Tealeaf · 10-02-2010, 09:47

Is it not a little premature to start this debate? This tragic accident happened less than 24 hours ago and there is a strong possibility that relatives and friends of the unfortunate victims may well be reading this forum. We do not as yet know the cause of the incident and although the suggestion is the elderly driver may well have suffered a coronary arrest or something similar, it is possible that his car may have undergone serious mechanical failure. We shall have to await the results of the poice investigation and until then I would suggest that underlying speculation such as this is ill-timed and unwarrented.

Margaret Pilkington · 10-02-2010, 09:48

I think it is too easy to fall into the trap of a knee jerk reaction like this, and generalise about the fitness for particular activities in the elderly.
Some people are a hazard at 20 because they haven't enough experience of life, and will take unacceptable risks.......I wonder if you would be suggesting this action if the driver had been a boy/girl racer....I think perhaps not.
A lot of elderly people will recognise their own failings and drive according to these weaknesses........I know a man who was 92 and still drove regularly, and safely.....his wife had Alzheimers disease and if he had not had his vehicle to get her to places then he would have been seriously inconvenienced......this man died recently and was driving fairly regularly up to the time he died.

Each case should be judged on its merits.

jaysay · 10-02-2010, 09:50

I have always said that when any person gets to 70, they should have to sit another test if they want to carry on driving. My Father was 82 and still driving I refused to go in the car with him, he only used the car for shopping and coming to see me, about 500 miles a year, he was stone deaf and drove around in first gear. I eventually persuaded him to stop, but he died 4 months later

Margaret Pilkington · 10-02-2010, 10:11

Jaysay, the government are talking about 70 year olds carrying on working.......if they think that they are fit enough to work then why should they take another test?
This test......would it be free? I can see the government latching onto this as a form of making extra revenue out of the motorist.

I don't think it is right to suggest that all old people lose their faculties......some do, but some don't.
and a fifty year old is just as likely to suffer a bout of illness whist at the wheel.

firefighter753 · 10-02-2010, 10:21

Quote:

Is it not a little premature to start this debate? This tragic accident happened less than 24 hours ago and there is a strong possibility that relatives and friends of the unfortunate victims may well be reading this forum. We do not as yet know the cause of the incident and although the suggestion is the elderly driver may well have suffered a coronary arrest or something similar, it is possible that his car may have undergone serious mechanical failure. We shall have to await the results of the poice investigation and until then I would suggest that underlying speculation such as this is ill-timed and unwarrented.

I am not speculating and am aware of the full circumstances of this incident, but I realise that you are not. So we will carry on this debate when you are.

Bob97531 · 10-02-2010, 10:50

I think it should be 70 re-test, then every 5 years refresh, if you are lucky enough to get to 90+ then it should be every 2 years in my opinion.

You only need to look at all these "people" who end up wandering up the motorway the wrong way or round the round about the wrong way and it is never ( unlesss someone cares to prove me wrong ) never anyone under the age of 60.... unless its some criminal escaping the fed's.

As for the point of working up to you being 70 then fair enough but you would'nt ask the 70 yr old to do something if it was, physical or you needed a quick turn around, its natural, the older you get the slower your reactions, its just the way it is.

Just my two penith worth
Cheers

jaysay · 10-02-2010, 11:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Jaysay, the government are talking about 70 year olds carrying on working.......if they think that they are fit enough to work then why should they take another test?
This test......would it be free? I can see the government latching onto this as a form of making extra revenue out of the motorist.

I don't think it is right to suggest that all old people lose their faculties......some do, but some don't.
and a fifty year old is just as likely to suffer a bout of illness whist at the wheel.

As you say Margaret some do some don't, a test would sort the wheat from the chaff, better to have people of the road than an 18 month old baby dead and ts mother fighting for her life

entwisi · 10-02-2010, 11:36

Personally I am and have often said I believe we ALL should be tested every 5 years for basics like eye sight, general driving, manouveres, reactions etc. The test shouldn't be more than 30 mins or so inconvienience and anyone who doesn't perfom at a certain level is pushed into a more formal test. Fail that and you are banned till you repass the driving test of that time.

Why someone who passed their test even just 20 years ago like me when roads were a lot quieter, cars were slower, safety features non existant ( ABS, Traction control etc ) can now be driving an almost supercomputer controlled 140mph family saloon car without any further tests is simply crazy.

The BIG issue is that no sane politician will suggest it as they think it would lose them votes.

lazeeboy · 10-02-2010, 11:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by accyman

by the amont of dithering old idiots trudging along at 15mph holding up traffic i encounter every day i woudl say yes tehre shoudl be at least a compulsary check on your driving ability and respose times at a cetain age

if you cant keep up with teh flow of traffic you shudlnt be on teh road

I'm sure the above would not be using mobile phones, and as for lack of reaction times would probably be driving according to the speed/conditions, so might be deemed as stated, although the correct speed and driving experience counts for a great deal. Anyone can drive fast, but can they stop quickly? I am frequently overtaken when driving at 30mph in 30mph zones.
Many of my friends are fit and healthy into their late 70's.

Margaret Pilkington · 10-02-2010, 11:41

Road traffic accidents are always a tragedy, regardless of whether the victims are children or not.......this kind of accident happens infrequently, and from the reports appears to have been a 'true accident'.
It is very easy to get into knee jerk reactions because of the emotionality of the situation.
If tests were to be applied to older drivers, then they should be free and include general health tests too......or an MOT from the persons GP stating that they are in good health.

I can see lots of drivers getting to 70 and then not taking a test, but giving up driving....isolating the older persons in question.

BLACKBURN RAVER · 10-02-2010, 11:53

personally i think that after you reach retirement age you should be made to have a medical every year to deem you fit enough to drive and be made to sit a re-test every two years, at a minimal cost, i hear what your saying about the young uns but to drive slowly is just as dangerous if not more so, nothing worse than being stuck behind an old dear doing 15-20 in a 30 or 30 in a 50,

BERNADETTE · 10-02-2010, 11:59

As has been said all drivers should have to take a refresher test so to speak. There are far to many people driving about ignoring the rules of the road. It always concerns me why everyody is always going on about speed, speed limits are there for a reason. Driving faster makes it harder to stop safely.

Ken Moss · 10-02-2010, 12:24

The full facts about this horrible accident have not been reported to the public as yet so I am not going to comment on this individual incident but re-testing the elderly is becoming a more frequent topic of discussion.

I know two ladies well into their nineties who are as good a driver as anyone on the roads should be but unfortunately they are in a minority. It is a fact that the majority of people's reflexes do become less sharp over time and when we are in charge of something that is potentially deadly on public highways I don't think it is entirely unjustified to suggest an arbitrary reappraisal date. My own father-in-law was a lorry driver for 45 years and yet voluntarily stopped driving at 70 because he felt that his own judgement was not as good as it had been and he was becoming a danger.

Margaret Pilkington made a valid point about isolating the elderly and I suspect that 70 may be a good five years too early but with Jaysay giving us examples like his late father perhaps it would be better to err on the side of caution in this matter?

I am not a great fan of the relentless health and safety regulations that we are subjected to but when policemen are getting a 92 page document on how to ride a bike safely perhaps attentions are not always entirely well-directed.