Scary older drivers

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  • WinterLilyWinterLily Posts: 6,304
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    TeeGee wrote: »
    If somebody looks obviously foreign there is a strong possibility that they learned to drive in a foreign country and may also be under the impression that it is OK to drive like that here.

    You may on the other hand have been looking for a "racist" who has experienced that short fat foreign women are crap drivers!

    My nephew looks 'obviously foreign'. However, he was born in the wilds of Gloucestershire. If his driving is bad it's not because he looks 'obviously foreign' but because he is a crap, inexperienced driver!

    When I am an 'obviously foreign' person driving abroad on the 'wrong side of the road', I tend to be extra careful not less.

    From someone who does not look 'obviously foreign', but has several family members who do, but aren't. ;-)
  • TerraCanisTerraCanis Posts: 14,099
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    It takes very little Googling to find examples of accidents caused drivers of any age group you choose. Within the last 18 months, for example, there have been two fatal accidents round my way in which the drivers were in their late teens or early twenties - I recall others in which I don't know the exact age of the driver but it wasn't at either extreme.

    Overall, I don't believe that age alone is a useful predictor of whether anyone is likely to do something dangerous.
  • too_much_coffeetoo_much_coffee Posts: 2,978
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    One of my last cases when I worked for the Alzheimer's Society was a younger person diagnosed with dementia. Not sure who informed DVLA but she wasn't allowed to drive till she had taken the test/assessment. She passed and strangely you always felt safe when she was driving - despite her not being able to remember some things from one moment to the next. :confused:
    It may not work as well every time of course but generally I found that an easier situation than the older person who is just not as sharp or who is getting less flexible with feet/hands. Speaking from experience it can be particularly tricky getting your own parents to stop driving. Especially as it can represent independence and a whole lot more.

    Once it is apparent that an elderly person shouldn't be driving then it is the only responsible option. My mother was not happy when we took the car keys away after my father died but it would have been on all our conscience's if she had killed someone.
    TeeGee wrote: »
    If somebody looks obviously foreign there is a strong possibility that they learned to drive in a foreign country and may also be under the impression that it is OK to drive like that here.

    You may on the other hand have been looking for a "racist" who has experienced that short fat foreign women are crap drivers!

    Not all "foreign drivers" hoon around as if they're in some lawless road race!
    TerraCanis wrote: »
    It takes very little Googling to find examples of accidents caused drivers of any age group you choose. Within the last 18 months, for example, there have been two fatal accidents round my way in which the drivers were in their late teens or early twenties - I recall others in which I don't know the exact age of the driver but it wasn't at either extreme.

    Overall, I don't believe that age alone is a useful predictor of whether anyone is likely to do something dangerous.

    Neither age or experience are useful predictors. Many of the accidents that I see are down to lorry drivers - generally middle aged, white men - this doesn't mean that they are the worst demographic of drivers...
  • EspressoEspresso Posts: 18,047
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    TeeGee wrote: »
    If somebody looks obviously foreign there is a strong possibility that they learned to drive in a foreign country and may also be under the impression that it is OK to drive like that here.

    I'm white British and I learnt to drive in a foreign country.
    My other half is a white foreigner and he learnt to drive in his native land.

    So I reckon it is rather silly for anyone to imagine they can know where someone learnt to drive or if they are foreign, just by how they look.
  • Toby LaRhoneToby LaRhone Posts: 12,916
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    What does her ethnicity have to do with it?
    You've misunderstood.
    The poster said "I was nearly hit yesterday by a very small Indian woman driver".
    That's a driver who specialises in transporting very small Indian women.
  • Nat28Nat28 Posts: 2,949
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    dooglemire wrote: »
    What gets me the most is the old drivers which doddle along at 40mph in 60 limits and then carry on at 40mph in 30mph zones.
    Aaaahhh I was going to say that ! It's so annoying when they do that
  • Paul_PPaul_P Posts: 269
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    There was an old guy round these parts known as the Mini Man, blind as a bat and drove everywhere at 15mph, presumably as he couldn't see where he was going, he was reported to the police who said they couldn't do anything, he only stopped after he parked the mini in the butcher's front window.

    Biggest problem I have with old folk, is them pulling out in front of you, I've nearly flattened a few when I was driving lorries, they just sail on out. If you can't see a 12 foot tall HGV heading for you, what chance have you seeing a child.

    A friend's dad still rides motorbikes at 70, he's not a big man and he's said that his current 700cc bike is his last "big" bike, he has a friend of a similar age that rides a 1000cc bike like he stole it, he will kill himself sooner than later. There's no way he has the speed of reaction that he used to have.
  • nobodyherenobodyhere Posts: 1,313
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    Does not help when you see some people barely able to look over the steering wheel, we easily forget that as we age we shrink a little (wether natural or through conditions i.e. spinal curviture)

    Where I live at the moment is very much an older persons area its outside of town, has the school but you'll never see kids here outside of hours, theres nothing for them.. or even adults (just one crappy pub and a con-club)... see loads of older drivers and the majority of the time and you don't even have to make an effort to spot the ones that can barely see over the wheel through sitting too low
  • archiverarchiver Posts: 13,011
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    Paul_P wrote: »
    There was an old guy round these parts known as the Mini Man, blind as a bat and drove everywhere at 15mph, presumably as he couldn't see where he was going, he was reported to the police who said they couldn't do anything, he only stopped after he parked the mini in the butcher's front window.

    Biggest problem I have with old folk, is them pulling out in front of you, I've nearly flattened a few when I was driving lorries, they just sail on out. If you can't see a 12 foot tall HGV heading for you, what chance have you seeing a child.

    A friend's dad still rides motorbikes at 70, he's not a big man and he's said that his current 700cc bike is his last "big" bike, he has a friend of a similar age that rides a 1000cc bike like he stole it, he will kill himself sooner than later. There's no way he has the speed of reaction that he used to have.
    Well I admire them both. I doubt many take to biking in their sixties, so they're likely to have at least ten years experience. Enough to compensate for any deterioration in their reaction time, but still seem "fast". They may have over fifty years riding experience, by which time they would know what they can do, rather than just think they do, and I would expect they'd rather like to keep doing it for as long as possible as thrills may be few and far between by that age. :)
  • rds60hrds60h Posts: 525
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    What does her ethnicity have to do with it?

    Exactly the same thing as age does.
  • rds60hrds60h Posts: 525
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    Danny_Girl wrote: »
    Today I was reversing slowly out of a parking space and was very nearly hit by a man who looked in his eighties and had driven forwards from his parking space without looking. Luckily no damage to my car as I slammed on my breaks and hit my horn just in time.

    Both of these drivers IMO shouldn't be behind the wheel of a car and are an accident waiting to happen. How do they keep a driving license? Is it up to them when they decide to stop driving? Have to say that I have made a mental note to let my kids tell me when I should give up and to listen to them when they do.

    Have you not thought that if you had reversed into the parking space you would have then been driving out of the space and would have been able to see clearly what was occurring around you ?
    You also say you had time to "slam" on the brakes AND hit the horn, so maybe you had more time than you actually thought.
    Maybe the actions of "another accident waiting to happen ?".
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