Old people driving slowly - rage is building

FoxEye

FoxEye

FoxEye

Caporegime
Joined
17 Feb 2006
Posts
29,265
Location
Cornwall
In recent months I've been driving a lot at work. Between 200 and 500 miles per week, mostly spent on A and B roads. This is fast turning me into a psychotic axe-wielding serial killer type.

The reason, of course, is old people driving too slow. They do 40mph on the straight, and if they so much as sniff a bend in the road they brake, brake, brake down to 30 (or worse). A lot of them also do 40mph in 30 zones, because they only seem to have one speed. And unlike tractor drivers, old people never seem to pull over to let the queued traffic pass.

Trouble is I now find myself driving more dangerously than I'd like. I don't have two hours to complete a 60 mile journey. Well, I do, but I'd be let getting home. So I find myself aggressively overtaking in places where it's borderline unsafe.

Then you have to consider that these drivers are also scared to overtake vehicles even slower than they are. They will steadfastly refuse to overtake tractors/milk lorries/trucks, requiring that people trying to get past now need to overtake them and the thing in front of them at the same time.

So, for the sake of my sanity and wholeness of limbs, can we do something about these old and/or slow drivers? They are just as likely to cause an accident as someone going too fast, in my estimation.

Seriously now, if they aren't comfortable driving at a reasonable (safe) speed, then why do we let them continue driving at all?

Or, on the flip side, am I the dangerous one for lacking the patience to trundle along at 40mph? I don't think so, but you might - you might be an old, slow git yourself :p No offense, older people; I just don't think you should still be driving :p
 
I try not to get annoyed with people driving at the speed limit to be honest, there's no reason to get stressed. I do get annoyed with people driving at the speed limit/too slowly on the motorway/dual carriageway in the middle/overtaking lanes.

If you think about it, how much time are you actually losing? Probably in the order of seconds to a couple of minutes at most maybe, over short-ish distances. That's how I rationalise it I suppose. I know what it's like though, being in a rush, getting stuck, then itch to overtake, while getting more impatient and irritated, thus making overtaking judgement even more unsafe!
 
Impatience is one of the main factors in road accidents,so these slow people must contribute to them.It is infuriating.I was told by a police officer,the speed limit is just that,a limit,not a target so they are doing nothing wrong.Still p***es me off though!!
 
Some people are just very set in their ways, that's all. Believe it or not I love it when older people are on the road when i'm responding to jobs because they are the most curteous as the majority of them are a little more aware of what's going on around them. (Music probably the key factor imo as they're not blasting tunes out lol) the ammount of times i've got everything going on the Ambulance and people are just oblivious to me is quite worrying because all of a sudden they panic and just stop meaning i've got to take even further evasive action.

There are a lot of habbits that wind me up, yes, the whole 40 in a 30 thing i'd say is the worst but so long as they don't cause an accident I have to mop up. It's their own fault if they get camera'd

I agree with mandatory re-tests at 70 and every year after but I don't think older people should be taken off the road completley as to some, it's their one remaining form of independence. Open your mind good sir :)
 
overtake then slow down to 20 infront of them and watch them get annoyed..

you'd have thought anyway, nope, they couldnt care a less, if they could theyd go slower but probably realize they'd get pulled for going too slow
 
FoxEye said:
Limit is 60, normally. And they're doing 30-40, depending on whether the road is straight or not :p
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You have got to remember that their reactions are a little slower than yours. It's still not a reason to take them off the road all together though.
 
My theory:

If they are going to speed limit, then fair enough.

If you are going under the speed limit (40mph in a 60mph), then, kill yourself.
 
West said:
You have got to remember that their reactions are a little slower than yours. It's still not a reason to take them off the road all together though.
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Yes it is.

If you took a driving test and trundled along at 40 in a 60 when the conditions are safe to do the limit, you'll fail.

I'd like a compulsory retest for all drivers once they hit the age of 65, the slow ones will be taken off the road and driving will become a lot more enjoyable for everyone else.
 
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