Not in the same severity of the M1 crash, but I saw 2 penii whilst riding to work this morning. Noticed coming towards me was a transit van, hazards flashing nearside wheels on the pavement moving very slowly driver on mobile, then as I passed could see a complete tool in a Focus, bumper hard up against the back of the transit, pushing it along, with the tool in the Focus looking at the back of the Transit, also on mobile, no doubt getting instructions from the anus steering the Transit.
I always drive the right way.... but the other day I couldn't believe it, literally 1000's of these old feckers were driving down the motorway the wrong way ffs!!!!! We need to cull the old codgers...
Controversial. But you may have a point. Before the age of 16 the government has decided you aren't fit to drive on the public roads, maybe they could say the same about over 75s.
The elderly are getting a bit of a hammering here....what about the 57% of drivers involved in fatals who have drugs/alcohol in their system? not many oap's in those stats! You will never have a perfect world....but you will end up with more laws & legislation that you can hardly breathe without someone slapping a ticket on you! I would like to think that at 75 if I am still compos mentis I will still be smiling as I start my blade up
I don't have any objection to any age driving as long as they can prove they are fit to drive. As for drug/alcohol driving, my law is for a lifetime ban. Bit harsh you say? Yes but the current punishment isn't enough of a deterrent so maybe life is?
Ummm, us bikers are involved in a disproportionately high number of accidents. Let's hope the Saga forum doesn't get wind of it.
Having spent some of my career policing the Motorway and 38 years as an advanced driving and riding examiner and who now earns a living investigating crashes, the once constant throughout my working life has been that the "L" test is not fit for purpose, but, and this is more worrying, is that the number of newly qualified drivers who think that having passed ther test their is nothing more to learn is increasing which is also worrying. Most people have no clue how to drive on a Motorway regardless of whch dirction they are driving, and proper motorway training should be given as part of the learning process, but then the difficulty is finding sufficient number of instructors who are themselves competent. Hard task....... 95% of crashes are not caused by age, but stupidity and carlessness by a driver regardless of age. I deal with more crashes caused by 30 and 40 somethings then I ever do with those in their 60's or 70's closely followed by those in their teens and early 20's. Those in their 30's and 40's do the highest mileages on average, are cocky, arrogant and in more of a hurry, and believe that they are reat drivers, the youngsters like to show off to theor mates, have no fear and have a lack of experience on top of which they get a buzz from the speed. Older drivers do not venture very far. They tend to use their cars to potter down to the shops once a week and retain their independence. As an example my Mother in Law is 76 and drove just over 1500 miles between her last and current MOT. Most of that was 2 and 3 mile journeys. The other issue is that young drivers and male drivers in their 30's and 40's have massive ego's and don't like being told that they are a cr@p driver, most have no understanding of traffic law and probably 99% have not looked at the Highway Code since they took their test. At age 70 the driver has to make a self declaration regarding their health, and most older drivers I know (and that is quite a few) are pretty honest and up front, unlike their much younger counterparts. So instead of rubbishing older drivers, maybe some of you should take a hard look in the mirror, you may actually find some of the worst drivers staring back at you And as I mentioned, there is no liklihood of the driving retest being introduced any time soon, and if it was it would not be retrospective, it would only affect those who passed their tests after a certain date in the future.
I'm an old person, and I feel strongly that I need to respond to this thread. What was it about again?
thanks for the feedback TC. Always nice to get a informed view from someone who know's better than me and many others on what goes on, on our roads,
Quite an interesting ditty that T.C I would be interested in knowing how age statistics compare around the country. Living in Cumbria we get quite a few serious incidents involving elderly drivers. This is why I relate to them.
We also have a few in Bristol regarding the elderly. But as I posted before it seems the media like to highlight these to the general public in a bigger degree then say younger people dying from other types of crashes.
I should have qualified my comments by saying that of course there are always exceptions and I was not suggesting that all young or middle aged drivers are rubbish in the same way that I know you cannot say that all old drivers are competent. It is unfortunate of course that the national press always pick on the worst case scenarios and blow it out of all proportion such as the M1 incident, but you rarely hear about the chap in his mid 30's or 40's that drove the wrong way up the Motorway, of which I have dealt with on several occasions. The point is thast these younger drivers made the same mistake and it hardly warranted a mention, but when it is an old(er) driver the press blow it out of all proportion. The bottom line is that there is no such thing as a perfect driver. Even with my riding and driving qualifications I know I am not perfect, far from it, and anyone who says that they have never made a mistake behind the wheel is a liar, arrogant or both regardless of age.
