Car smashes into coffee shop
Discussion
Going slightly off topic here (condolences to all involved and friends & families btw) but at the age of almost 80, I will know when I get 'too old' to drive. For now riding my motorcycle keeps my reactions sharp. And the reason I drive an auto is that my severely arthritic left ankle prevents me having clutch control in a manual. Fortunately there is enough rotational movement there to operate the bike's gear lever.
Sudden illness could occur to someone of any age, so REALIST123 has the correct approach regarding fitness to drive.
My 2 pennorth.
Sudden illness could occur to someone of any age, so REALIST123 has the correct approach regarding fitness to drive.
My 2 pennorth.
Petemate said:
Going slightly off topic here (condolences to all involved and friends & families btw) but at the age of almost 80, I will know when I get 'too old' to drive. For now riding my motorcycle keeps my reactions sharp. And the reason I drive an auto is that my severely arthritic left ankle prevents me having clutch control in a manual. Fortunately there is enough rotational movement there to operate the bike's gear lever.
Sudden illness could occur to someone of any age, so REALIST123 has the correct approach regarding fitness to drive.
My 2 pennorth.
Sadly if your judgement is impaired then you may not realise if you are too old to drive or not. Sudden illness could occur to someone of any age, so REALIST123 has the correct approach regarding fitness to drive.
My 2 pennorth.
greygoose said:
Sadly if your judgement is impaired then you may not realise if you are too old to drive or not.
Most of the impaired judgement on our roads is from those who don't realise they are too young to drive. Just because the law says you can drive at 17, doesn't mean every 17 year old has the maturity to be given such responsibility. There's a 22 year old lad who lives locally who I wouldn't trust to put my bins out whilst I'm away, let alone drive a car. Yet he's been allowed to drive for 4 years, and has left a trail of misery in his wake.
The guy next door has cars on mobility.
Ford Focus 5 years ago. Pulled on somebody, did some damage to it.
Newer Focus 2 years later, hit the drive wall and scraped from the front wing to the rear wing.
Has a Fiesta right now and only has smashed the wing mirror off.
Late 70s.
Drives out the road upto 30mph in 1st gear.
Mmy granddad on the other hand is 76 and seems to drive ok when i've been with him. Still pretty switched on.
Ford Focus 5 years ago. Pulled on somebody, did some damage to it.
Newer Focus 2 years later, hit the drive wall and scraped from the front wing to the rear wing.
Has a Fiesta right now and only has smashed the wing mirror off.
Late 70s.
Drives out the road upto 30mph in 1st gear.
Mmy granddad on the other hand is 76 and seems to drive ok when i've been with him. Still pretty switched on.
"Couple escape after car crashes into Ashford house"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-34802003
"Kent Police said an 18-year-old man was later arrested on suspicion of failing to stop after an accident, and bailed".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-34802003
"Kent Police said an 18-year-old man was later arrested on suspicion of failing to stop after an accident, and bailed".
Fort Jefferson said:
A friend lives close to that road (I messaged her to make sure that her and her family were not involved), she said that road is a very dangerous peice of road.audidoody said:
"Couple escape after car crashes into Ashford house"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-34802003
"Kent Police said an 18-year-old man was later arrested on suspicion of failing to stop after an accident, and bailed".
The difference being the 18yr old will face the risk of prosecution, maybe even prison, whereas the elderly driver who has a heart attack at the wheel and kills someone often won't have to live with or be punished for the consequences of their actions.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-34802003
"Kent Police said an 18-year-old man was later arrested on suspicion of failing to stop after an accident, and bailed".
Oakey said:
The difference being the 18yr old will face the risk of prosecution, maybe even prison, whereas the elderly driver who has a heart attack at the wheel and kills someone often won't have to live with or be punished for the consequences of their actions.
I'm not sure having a heart attack is a matter for the courts.Oakey said:
The difference being the 18yr old will face the risk of prosecution, maybe even prison, whereas the elderly driver who has a heart attack at the wheel and kills someone often won't have to live with or be punished for the consequences of their actions.
I know you'll ask for specifics and admittedly I can only resort to "I remember seeing on the news" but they do prosecute elderly drivers.Heart attacks aren't the preserve of the elderly and neither is bad driving.
Oakey said:
The difference being the 18yr old will face the risk of prosecution, maybe even prison, whereas the elderly driver who has a heart attack at the wheel and kills someone often won't have to live with or be punished for the consequences of their actions.
It's safe to assume this bus driver wasn't elderlyhttp://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bus-driver-di...
If you depend on fast reflexes, you are a danger on the roads.
The safest drivers on the road with regards accidents per mile driven are males aged 45 to 60.
The most dangerous drivers are the inexperienced.
Old drivers as a group are a much better risk than anyone below the age of 25 regardless of mileage driven.
Those who suffer from illnesses that affect vision are a danger on the road, so it may come as a surprise to find those who are 'registered' blind can still drive cars.
If knee jerk reactions, something that old people are often accused of, are indulged it means that those who are a major risk on the road are ignored.
It is true that men over the age of 65 drive like old women. In other words there is not real difference between the accident rates per mile. However, what this disguises is that women have more accidents than men whatever the age range, up until 65. So in other words, men >65 years driver as good as any woman does, if you base that on accidents per mile.
However, if you want to be a safe driver, first become experienced.
The safest drivers on the road with regards accidents per mile driven are males aged 45 to 60.
The most dangerous drivers are the inexperienced.
Old drivers as a group are a much better risk than anyone below the age of 25 regardless of mileage driven.
Those who suffer from illnesses that affect vision are a danger on the road, so it may come as a surprise to find those who are 'registered' blind can still drive cars.
If knee jerk reactions, something that old people are often accused of, are indulged it means that those who are a major risk on the road are ignored.
It is true that men over the age of 65 drive like old women. In other words there is not real difference between the accident rates per mile. However, what this disguises is that women have more accidents than men whatever the age range, up until 65. So in other words, men >65 years driver as good as any woman does, if you base that on accidents per mile.
However, if you want to be a safe driver, first become experienced.
carinaman said:
Derek Smith said:
The most dangerous drivers are the inexperienced.
Derek Smith said:
However, if you want to be a safe driver, first become experienced.
That.It's not inexperience, it's immaturity, peer pressure and poor attitude.
It doesn't much matter if you're a good or a bad driver. What matters is how you perceive yourself as a driver compared to the reality. So a 19 y/o who is not too bad but thinks they are brilliant (as most do) will be far more likely to crash than a not very good driver who knows it.
A newly qualified 50 y/o is likely to be well aware of their shortcomings and drive accordingly. And of course, they won't have the girlfriend in the passenger seat and their mates in the back egging them on to give it some welly.
audidoody said:
It's safe to assume this bus driver wasn't elderly
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bus-driver-di...
The bollards look like they are surrounding the pedestrian crossing... good design!http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bus-driver-di...
TwigtheWonderkid said:
But mature people who pass their tests in their 40s and 50s have a very good record despite being inexperienced . Do a quote online to a 20 y/o with 3 years full licence, and then change it to a 50 y/o who passed yesterday, and the price will plummet.
It's not inexperience, it's immaturity, peer pressure and poor attitude.
It doesn't much matter if you're a good or a bad driver. What matters is how you perceive yourself as a driver compared to the reality. So a 19 y/o who is not too bad but thinks they are brilliant (as most do) will be far more likely to crash than a not very good driver who knows it.
A newly qualified 50 y/o is likely to be well aware of their shortcomings and drive accordingly. And of course, they won't have the girlfriend in the passenger seat and their mates in the back egging them on to give it some welly.
Valid point.It's not inexperience, it's immaturity, peer pressure and poor attitude.
It doesn't much matter if you're a good or a bad driver. What matters is how you perceive yourself as a driver compared to the reality. So a 19 y/o who is not too bad but thinks they are brilliant (as most do) will be far more likely to crash than a not very good driver who knows it.
A newly qualified 50 y/o is likely to be well aware of their shortcomings and drive accordingly. And of course, they won't have the girlfriend in the passenger seat and their mates in the back egging them on to give it some welly.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
But mature people who pass their tests in their 40s and 50s have a very good record despite being inexperienced . Do a quote online to a 20 y/o with 3 years full licence, and then change it to a 50 y/o who passed yesterday, and the price will plummet.
It's not inexperience, it's immaturity, peer pressure and poor attitude.
It doesn't much matter if you're a good or a bad driver. What matters is how you perceive yourself as a driver compared to the reality. So a 19 y/o who is not too bad but thinks they are brilliant (as most do) will be far more likely to crash than a not very good driver who knows it.
A newly qualified 50 y/o is likely to be well aware of their shortcomings and drive accordingly. And of course, they won't have the girlfriend in the passenger seat and their mates in the back egging them on to give it some welly.
I was treated to an interview with a guy in an insurance company, this around 2005 or so. I was shown their data from accidents. It seems that the info was very closely guarded and I was only allowed to see some of it, and even then, some was blanked out. So I have no info about mature drivers. It's not inexperience, it's immaturity, peer pressure and poor attitude.
It doesn't much matter if you're a good or a bad driver. What matters is how you perceive yourself as a driver compared to the reality. So a 19 y/o who is not too bad but thinks they are brilliant (as most do) will be far more likely to crash than a not very good driver who knows it.
A newly qualified 50 y/o is likely to be well aware of their shortcomings and drive accordingly. And of course, they won't have the girlfriend in the passenger seat and their mates in the back egging them on to give it some welly.
One thing that was mentioned is that despite women's claims running at 3 times that per mile of a similarly aged male, the suggestion was that many accidents are not reported. There was research in Germany that showed that women have five times as many accidents as the equivalent male.
Women drive 2/3rds the distance of men (all averages of course) so that accounts for some of the lower insurance rates. If a male, driving on a national speed limit single carriageway has an accident, the claims tend to be higher than the knock outside the school.
Driving in towns is more difficult, as there are more decisions to make per minute.
That said, men drive in towns as well.
Derek Smith said:
If a male, driving on a national speed limit single carriageway has an accident, the claims tend to be higher than the knock outside the school.
To snip that bit out. It's always been my opinion that women are no safer drivers than men, it's just that men crash better. Women will roll into a bin when parking whereas me will roll across a field into a school while racing.Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff