Just witnessed the most bizarre argument in a Petrol Station

[exelero]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_L9F7Tmf2A

[99dndd]

Local Tesco Petrol station: Credit Card into the "Pay at the Pump" slot, fill up. Get in to drive off and some old boy (70s) comes running up to the front of car shouting his head off "Get out of there, I've got you!" Not sure what I've done so I get out and tell him such. "You know what you've done" was his constant reply as he's asking for his wife to "go in there (the tills) and get the girl." I keep telling him I've no idea what he's on about but he keeps telling I "know what I've done."

Eventually, a member of staff comes out to address the situation, which has drawn a small crowd.

The old guy had never heard of Pay at the Pump and thought I was driving off. He was suitably embarrassed.

I hadn't thought of pointing out that I'd paid for the fuel as I'd no idea that's why he'd kicked off. I was guessing it was for some perceived driving infringment.

[Marty Funkhouser]

Some people are just ar$3holes. Got cut up at a mini roundabout a few weeks back - I raised my hands off my steering wheel as if to say "What are you doing?" and they moron driving just smiled and gave me the finger. There are so many idiots on the road.

[mybrainhurts]

hman said:

Mandatory retest at 65 every 3 years - Yes please...

I'm 70. Please explain why I need to take a test.

[InitialDave]

mybrainhurts said:

I'm 70. Please explain why I need to take a test.

"Research findings from longitudinal studies indicate that those mental abilities shown to underlie many everyday cognitive competencies exhibit relatively early patterns of normative age-related decline beginning, on average in the mid-60s"
"Abilities such as abstract reasoning, working memory, and spatial orientation show earlier onset of normative age-related decline, compared to abilities such as vocabulary"

Everyday Cognitive Competence in Elderly Persons: Conceptual Issues and Empirical Findings by Dr Sherry Willis.

Age doesn't automatically mean you're suddenly going to be actively dangerous, but there is an issue of age affecting the kind of skillsets that are important for driving. I by no means properly understand this stuff, but that certainly seems to be the general message when the subject comes up.

However, for my part, I'm not sure I'd support a policy of re-testing without some qualifiers on exactly what's being tested. If people are generally safe and competent, I don't want them failed on minutiae nonsense like whether they cross their hands while steering.

Edited by InitialDave on Thursday 2nd March 00:51

[mybrainhurts]

InitialDave said:

mybrainhurts said:

I'm 70. Please explain why I need to take a test.

"Research findings from longitudinal studies indicate that those mental abilities shown to underlie many everyday cognitive competencies exhibit relatively early patterns of normative age-related decline beginning, on average in the mid-60s"
"Abilities such as abstract reasoning, working memory, and spatial orientation show earlier onset of normative age-related decline, compared to abilities such as vocabulary"

Everyday Cognitive Competence in Elderly Persons: Conceptual Issues and Empirical Findings by Dr Sherry Willis.

Very good.

Now, prove that my cognitive competence is worse than your cognitive competence please.

Research findings from longitudinal studies indicate that....someone got some lucrative funding.

:sigh:

[ChevronB19]

mybrainhurts said:

InitialDave said:

mybrainhurts said:

I'm 70. Please explain why I need to take a test.

"Research findings from longitudinal studies indicate that those mental abilities shown to underlie many everyday cognitive competencies exhibit relatively early patterns of normative age-related decline beginning, on average in the mid-60s"
"Abilities such as abstract reasoning, working memory, and spatial orientation show earlier onset of normative age-related decline, compared to abilities such as vocabulary"

Everyday Cognitive Competence in Elderly Persons: Conceptual Issues and Empirical Findings by Dr Sherry Willis.

Very good.

Now, prove that my cognitive competence is worse than your cognitive competence please.

Research findings from longitudinal studies indicate that....someone got some lucrative funding.

:sigh:

Well my dad came 4th overall in the St Mary's trophy at Goodwood aged 72 and is still winning, but it's all about the individual. I can think of many, many people in their 20's who shouldn't be driving...

[InitialDave]

mybrainhurts said:

Now, prove that my cognitive competence is worse than your cognitive competence please.

It's not me you need to convince.

[MiggyA]

mybrainhurts said:

Very good.

Now, prove that my cognitive competence is worse than your cognitive competence please.

Research findings from longitudinal studies indicate that....someone got some lucrative funding.

:sigh:

Nobody needs to prove that your abilities in particular are sub-par, just that the 65+ population are statistically more likely to be that way, and what's more getting worse with every year. I'm fairly sure there is strong evidence of that both scientific and anecdotal. I mean does it honestly surprise you that research would show that driving standards start to drop after a certain age (again, this doesn't mean YOU in particular, just the average standard of the age group)? If you have a segment of the population that you know has a too-high proportion of subpar drivers it makes sense to want to weed those ones out.

[Pothole]

DJFish said:

Garth, that was a haiku...

My Chopper was purple with extra wide handlebars.

Saw a couple of guys having a stand up barney in Aldi car park earlier today, violence was threatened, all over some interaction which probably seemed worth coming to blows over at the time, someone was actually prepared to hit a stranger over an Aldi parking space.

Everybody is allowing these people to breed.

FTFY.

[FiF]

peterzoom said:

I still can`t quite understand what was going on in her mind at any point of that entire visit for fuel

This space intentionally left blank.

(much like the space between her ears)

[havoc]

It's pedestrians as well:

Driving home from work last night down a trunk road. 50-limit as it's passing alongside a small group of houses (almost all on the right hand side, pub on the left a little further down), so I'm behaving myself.

Anyway, it's dark and the street lights are sparse and ineffective...so imagine my shock when, with <20yds to go, I (finally) spot two pedestrians dressed in dark clothing standing by the side of the road, one of whom has just started to WALK across in front of me.

Cue emergency braking and leaning on the horn. Chap who's walking across just carries on (I miss him by ~3ft at most - it was CLOSE), and he extends "the finger" back at me. Another one who clearly doesn't believe he's done anything wrong...
(His girlfriend/wife has wisely stayed on the kerbside...well, sort of - she was standing in the middle of a (very minor) side-road, not on a path/kerb/verge!)

[mybrainhurts]

MiggyA said:

mybrainhurts said:

Very good.

Now, prove that my cognitive competence is worse than your cognitive competence please.

Research findings from longitudinal studies indicate that....someone got some lucrative funding.

:sigh:

Nobody needs to prove that your abilities in particular are sub-par, just that the 65+ population are statistically more likely to be that way, and what's more getting worse with every year. I'm fairly sure there is strong evidence of that both scientific and anecdotal. I mean does it honestly surprise you that research would show that driving standards start to drop after a certain age (again, this doesn't mean YOU in particular, just the average standard of the age group)? If you have a segment of the population that you know has a too-high proportion of subpar drivers it makes sense to want to weed those ones out.

Yes, that's what I was getting at. Suggestions for blanket solutions to notional problems in general really get up my nose.

More so in a case like this, when random members of other age groups can be worse but not considered to be a problem.

[killerferret666]

mybrainhurts said:

Yes, that's what I was getting at. Suggestions for blanket solutions to notional problems in general really get up my nose.

Unfortunately there are so many of us in the world at different levels of competence in many areas, the most effective way to resolve the highest percentage of a problem / issue (this includes any topic, not just this) is with a blanket approach.

I don't think this issue is notional though, as the study if I remember correctly was done based on age ranges and took into account the number of people driving in those age ranges to work out the percentage chance per age range. Although I'm fully aware numbers can always be displayed in ones favour.

[InitialDave]

mybrainhurts said:

Yes, that's what I was getting at. Suggestions for blanket solutions to notional problems in general really get up my nose.

More so in a case like this, when random members of other age groups can be worse but not considered to be a problem.

I agree.

Like all those incompetent idiots who have a licence to drive vehicles over 3.5 tonnes when I do not, simply because they're old enough to have passed their test earlier. Who can tow actual useful amounts on a standard licence. Who never had to worry about multiple tests to be able to ride a certain type of bike.

You have to understand, as a driving enthusiast (you must be, if you spend time on a car forum), you are likely something of an aberration in terms of driving ability and how much attention you pay to driving well.

I'd like to think this means it would be no issue for you to pass a reassessment and just get on with your life - but see my previous comment about my wariness over how they grade "competence". Older people having to do a test that's just for safety and includes no bullst that will railroad them for stuff that isn't really a problem, and not having to pay to be tested, that I'd probably agree is sensible.

[julian64]

nickfrog said:

Similar minutes to the ones when you got stuck behind a push bike ?

You can bh on as long as you like. It doesn't change the fact it happened to me. I even posted the route for you all to follow and dared you to post an overtaking place. Strangely no-one did. Perhaps you can, or perhaps you just like to bh?

[Hol]

I was at a filling station once where a young woman who had entered before me suddenly started going full mental at the two young cashier staff as I queued behind her to pay.
It turns out that she had filled up her diesel with unleaded and was kicking off at them because THEY should have realised her small hatchback was a derv..
I waited patiently for a her to finish, but when she then started to threaten them with a false police claim of sexual assault - ‘if they didn’t ‘sort it right now’, I calmly offered to be a independent witness on their behalf as they’d said/done nothing of the sort.
That really set her off, and I didn’t make her demeanour any better by suggesting ‘Oh good, ill wait for him to get here then’ when she suggested that if I didn’t butt out, she would ‘phone her boyfriend – right now’.
She finally stropped off down the road when I told the shell struck cashiers to call the Police, report her for the false accusation and be done with it.
Looking at her, you wouldn’t have thought she was such a nutter.

I waited a while and left my phone number just in case things escalated further or a statement was required, but nobody ever called.
The alleged boyfriend never did turn up, but I am guessing he’d probably taken enough abuse on her behalf anyway.

[strain]

Back when I was 18/19 I encountered my first nutter.

I was in a modified fiesta, no stupid exhaust just an ST rep diesel ( I Know I know - but looked standard to a certain degree, dare say nicer than most first cars) I had popped to fords for something and as any 18 year old I was booting it to the speed limit from lights ( at a 0-60 time of 4 minutes it was the only way to drive)

Halfway home an Audi cuts me up and brake tests me, I swore but carried on, thankfully knowing the area I knew my lane would be clogged up and swapped to the inside lane and managed to undertake her whilst queuing, Saw in my mirror she pulled out behind the can behind me. 2 minutes later sitting up my arse again I pulled into a random housing estate and up onto the kerb for her to stop beside me, I rolled down my window to be met by a middle aged woman ranting about the state of my driving etc etc.

I pointed out I had broken now laws but she cut me up and brake tested me, not very clever. She then told me not to swear in front of her two children and she was a police officer (after she had been wearing at me) and I should expect a visit. I had some smart arse reply about looking forward to it and she mentioned she recorded me on her mobile phone for evidence. I pointed out using a mobile whilst driving was illegal and dangerous with two you children n the car and she would probably lose her 'job'.

She turned round, told me to watch out, she knows where I live and my car was going to be set on fire. I burst out laughing and told her to expect a visit from the police herself. Drove off, she followed me for a short while before turning off.

I got home thinking WTF but phoned the police regarding the incident - mostly to pre-empt the crazy. Turns out the car was registered to a male but they went and cautioner her, they confirmed she didn't have anything to do with the police.

Middle aged woman Audi A4

Not really had anything similar tbh, I find when I drive smaller cars its always the audi's / bmw's who don't like being overtaken etc. Never had a problem when I've had bigger car's only ever smaller cars.

[Byker28i]

Derek Smith said:

I was on the M40 in the middle lane. I was in my Chimaera, outside me was a Cerbera V8. We were having a bit of a chat via handsignals. A Renault 5 almost sat on the bumper of the Cerb, this at a bit over 70mph, and flashed headlights.

Now I not suggesting this is the correct response, but:

The Cerb driver waved goodbye to me, dropped a gear or two, revved the engine (a delightful scream from the exhaust) and dropped the clutch. Clouds of smoke streamed from the rear tyres, leaving two black lines in the outside lane. The Cerb shot off into the distance.

The Renault driver must have thought that the Cerb driver had braked as she'd stamped on hers. To her, the Cerb must have seemed like it was rocket powered.

She came past a couple of minutes later staring straight ahead.

Be careful who you tailgate.

Wasn't me - mine flames with the right throttle application and revs. I find thats handy for tailgaters

[Byker28i]

angels95 said:

Mr Alan said:

angels95 said:

Rawwr said:

Derek Smith said:

I was on the M40 in the middle lane. I was in my Chimaera, outside me was a Cerbera V8. We were having a bit of a chat via handsignals. A Renault 5 almost sat on the bumper of the Cerb, this at a bit over 70mph, and flashed headlights.

Now I not suggesting this is the correct response, but:

The Cerb driver waved goodbye to me, dropped a gear or two, revved the engine (a delightful scream from the exhaust) and dropped the clutch. Clouds of smoke streamed from the rear tyres, leaving two black lines in the outside lane. The Cerb shot off into the distance.

The Renault driver must have thought that the Cerb driver had braked as she'd stamped on hers. To her, the Cerb must have seemed like it was rocket powered.

She came past a couple of minutes later staring straight ahead.

Be careful who you tailgate.

...because you might be tailgating a prick in a Cerbera?

Make that a lane-hogging prick in a Cerbera.

If some selfish tt was hogging the outside lane whilst having a chat to someone in the car next to them, I'd be making sure they got out the fking way as well.

But they were already doing more than the speed limit of 70

"Doing more than the speed limit of 70" is not an excuse for hogging the outside lane.

Remember, keep left unless overtaking. It's not rocket science...

Or realistically, when just slowed down briefly to wave and give a thumbes up, then accelerate off again...