RE: OAP drivers: a liability?
Discussion
BBS-LM said:
Not 5min ago I was nearly in a accident coming off a roundabout, bloody old age pensioner in a little vauxhall just did not see me and decided to just pull out on me until I slammed on the brakes to try and avoid him, even when I hit my horn he still look bewildered.
My encounter with one in a similar time frame.http://youtu.be/dy0YOs8fQ0E
Why he stops there (and why other drivers stop there), I've no idea but it's not unusual (stopping that suddenly is, most plan to be dumb well in advance). But regular testing could weed some of them out and retrain them to drive properly.
Munter said:
My encounter with one in a similar time frame.
http://youtu.be/dy0YOs8fQ0E
Why he stops there (and why other drivers stop there), I've no idea but it's not unusual (stopping that suddenly is, most plan to be dumb well in advance).
Now that is stupid.http://youtu.be/dy0YOs8fQ0E
Why he stops there (and why other drivers stop there), I've no idea but it's not unusual (stopping that suddenly is, most plan to be dumb well in advance).
thinfourth2 said:
No f
king wonder we still have the labour party in power as everyone just loves things being banned and regulated.
Hello - it's 2012 now - how was your coma?king wonder we still have the labour party in power as everyone just loves things being banned and regulated.Generally tho, I do agree with retesting - I KNOW it means the DVLA have more to screw-up, but there are just so many people driving who clearly need a kick-up-the-arse.
Pay attention to the road - not your passenger or your kids.
Indicators are not hard to use - please use them or get a taxi.
Learn the basics of the highway code - the road I was crossing when you drove headlong at me wasn't only my right of way, but killing me would result in you being anally raped in showers for a number of years - you'd probably not enjoy that.
etc. etc.
Edited by johnpeat on Thursday 15th March 15:17
doogz said:
We got in his auto 9-3, and he drove the whole way with one hand at 12 o'clock, the other sat on top of the gear stick, for no apparent reason, and never checked a single mirror once. I don't understand how people drive like this every day, and don't have regular accidents.
My guess would be that his driving style is not as dangerous as you percieve. Perhaps he is using his mirros, you just don't notice because he isn't using the technique you use when yiou take your test i.e. clear head movements...doogz said:
theJT said:
I'm sort of agreed that there ought to be mandatory refresher courses for everyone, regardless of age - they just need to make sure they're not as random as the actual driving test can be. I got failed once for not having a crash (don't ask!). An ex-girlfriend of mine passed despite mounting the curb during her test... twice. She wasn't even doing any manoeuvres, just driving along.
Unless her lapse in control/concentration was because she had one hand off the wheel, giving the examiner a handjob, i find it hard to believe she mounted the kerb twice in her test, and still passed!
johnpeat said:
thinfourth2 said:
No fking wonder we still have the labour party in power as everyone just loves things being banned and regulated.
Hello - it's 2012 now - how was your coma?king wonder we still have the labour party in power as everyone just loves things being banned and regulated.johnpeat said:
Generally tho, I do agree with retesting - I KNOW it means the DVLA have more to screw-up, but there are just so many people driving who clearly need a kick-up-the-arse.
Pay attention to the road - not your passenger or your kids.
Indicators are not hard to use - please use them or get a taxi.
Learn the basics of the highway code - the road I was crossing when you drove headlong at me wasn't only my right of way, but killing me would result in you being anally raped in showers for a number of years - you'd probably not enjoy that.
etc. etc.
I take it you didn't read the rest of my postPay attention to the road - not your passenger or your kids.
Indicators are not hard to use - please use them or get a taxi.
Learn the basics of the highway code - the road I was crossing when you drove headlong at me wasn't only my right of way, but killing me would result in you being anally raped in showers for a number of years - you'd probably not enjoy that.
etc. etc.
Devil2575 said:
Agreed. Striking or mounting the kerb while just driving along would be an instant fail.
I hit the kurb whilst pulling in on my test, it actually helped because I relaxed thinking I'd already failed. I still remember forcing myself not to ask the instructor if she had noticed it once she told me I had passed, in case she changed her mind!Back on topic, my Granda has said he's planning on giving up driving by the end of the year. There's nothing wrong with his current driving, but he feels his eyesight is getting poorer. They feel they can get about just as well on the bus, or asking my Dad when needed
That comment may have been more than a little tongue in cheek. My grandparents never drove, my mother in law doesn't drive, and I have a few friends in their 30's who never learnt to drive (although the ones who are well off use taxis, not buses).
It is true, though, that most people who work (c. 70%) get there by car and that elderly, unwaged, children and adolescents are disproportionately represented amongst bus users, especially outside London. Bus travel fits conveniently with being cash poor and time rich.
It is true, though, that most people who work (c. 70%) get there by car and that elderly, unwaged, children and adolescents are disproportionately represented amongst bus users, especially outside London. Bus travel fits conveniently with being cash poor and time rich.
theJT said:
I'm sort of agreed that there ought to be mandatory refresher courses for everyone, regardless of age - they just need to make sure they're not as random as the actual driving test can be. I got failed once for not having a crash (don't ask!). An ex-girlfriend of mine passed despite mounting the curb during her test... twice. She wasn't even doing any manoeuvres, just driving along.
Incredible, but that is the state of British standards these days! Lax standards, inappropriately targeted laws, over-democratization, and 'political correctness gone totally mad and off the scale' = 21st Century Britain (chiefly thanks to the Labour Party).
lyonspride said:
I bet he's never had an accident, but I do wonder about the trail of destruction he's left behind.
... and that is exactly the key problem: OAP Drivers leave a trail of destruction and frustration as they happily plod along whilst being completely oblivious to all their driving errors/ midemeanours (and other road-users)!TheOrangePeril said:
IMO there should be mandatory refresher courses for all ages, not just OAPs! Considering the pathetic ease with which you can get a license in the UK, there should really be a re-test or refresher every ten years, increasing to a more concise period for older drivers. A lot of bad habits form in the first ten-twenty years of driving which are then further exacerbated by ageing issues in the last ten-twenty years.
Generally a good idea, but we shouldn't discount the huge numbers of younger bad drivers that could also benefit from refreshers in this vein.
There's going to be a lot of support for the views of 'TheOrangePeril', on this forum! Generally a good idea, but we shouldn't discount the huge numbers of younger bad drivers that could also benefit from refreshers in this vein.
I haven't read the whole thread but I certainly agree with a refresher course every decade or so. Not a full test but a kind of test-lite that if your examiner has any concerns could lead to you retaking the test within, say, a year. I don't think this should only apply to drivers over a certain age, the clock should start ticking when you pass your first test.
We should all be able to pass a driving test all the time anyway: would anyone really prefer to share the road with people who couldn't?
Also, as no new roads are getting built any more and people keep getting more cars, the roads are going to keep getting busier. The current orthodoxy seems to be demand management through higher taxes. Wouldn't it be better to test the bad drivers off the roads than tax the poor off the roads?
We should all be able to pass a driving test all the time anyway: would anyone really prefer to share the road with people who couldn't?
Also, as no new roads are getting built any more and people keep getting more cars, the roads are going to keep getting busier. The current orthodoxy seems to be demand management through higher taxes. Wouldn't it be better to test the bad drivers off the roads than tax the poor off the roads?
Actually is PH the best place to ask that question?
NS80 said:
theJT said:
I'm sort of agreed that there ought to be mandatory refresher courses for everyone, regardless of age - they just need to make sure they're not as random as the actual driving test can be. I got failed once for not having a crash (don't ask!). An ex-girlfriend of mine passed despite mounting the curb during her test... twice. She wasn't even doing any manoeuvres, just driving along.
Incredible, but that is the state of British standards these days! Lax standards, inappropriately targeted laws, over-democratization, and 'political correctness gone totally mad and off the scale' = 21st Century Britain (chiefly thanks to the Labour Party).
Younger drivers are better at passing tests but have more accidents. Older drivers might struggle with the cognitive processes of passing a test but have fewer accidents.
Re-testing could very easily push the accident *rate* up.
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