Old people driving slowly - rage is building

[Tomcat825]

And you would pass yours i presume?

Drivers get bad habits, Im a very safe driver, Never had a crash and allways stick to the speed limit.

but if i was to retake my test i know i would fail, because as an experienced driver you know what you can do and what you cant in each surroundings.. It doesn't matter What you SHOULD DO... and the test is testing what you should do no matter the environment...

i would say 50% of good drivers out there today would fail the driving test if made to re-sit

No I wouldn't (doesn't mean I don't think that in some respects it is a good idea) and frankly I think 50% is a little to low.
That's my point though really.

I have arguments for either side of it really, personally I couldn't be arsed with a retest but if it was made a requirement then I certainly wouldn't complain about it.
I'm a confident driver, I know what I can and can't do and follow/drive safely most of the time, but I also have moments where I possibly drive to quick or a bit dangerously (roadrage tbh, experienced it this morning following a 61 plate X5 through 4 junctions/turnings of which NONE of them (including stopping in the middle of the road and turning into her driveway) she had indicated for - Beeped and put my foot down. )

/shrug old people get annoying.

Retest for what though? You say it like the best drivers are the ones fresh out of driving school...which are currently, according to the insurance companies, the absolute worst drivers in the country.

Not sure how I said it like that, I only posted a sentence.

Now if we were to introduce a new safety check after 5 years of driving, then fair play, but not a straight retest, as that's pretty stupid.

Safety check then, I wasn't being specific on how to test it, I guess "retest" was not the right word to use. Just something to ensure that we have at least SOME form of driving check every few years.

 

[Wilderbeast]

This is my thoughts on OAP's driving. I've met an old man twice recently on the road 60mph limit) and he's doing constantly doing around 30mph.

Whats the problem then? If hes only doing 30 in a 60 zone, then it should be monumentally easy to pass him?

 

[Hagar]

And you would pass yours i presume?

Drivers get bad habits, Im a very safe driver, Never had a crash and allways stick to the speed limit.

but if i was to retake my test i know i would fail, because as an experienced driver you know what you can do and what you cant in each surroundings.. It doesn't matter What you SHOULD DO... and the test is testing what you should do no matter the environment...

i would say 50% of good drivers out there today would fail the driving test if made to re-sit

I agree fully. Very few experienced drivers doing a retest would pass. After a few hundred thousand miles, driving becomes as natural as walking, you relax more at the wheel, drive in the most comfortable position, 10 to 2 and 9 to 3 are dropped. Your hazard awareness and perception is so much better but you will do manouvres that would fail you on a test.

Also retests would not take the slow drivers off the road. 65 is not that old nowadays. I advised my father at 75 that he was becoming a poor driver and so he stopped driving. Sir Stirling Moss at 83 may take exception.

 

[Greboth]

Not neccesarily, there is a national speed limit road that I drive 3 or 4 times a week and the place to overtake is the island inthe middle as it goes to dual carraigeway by the island. The rest of the road is a bend on way or another, not tight bends but with hedges along you just can't see far enough ahead.

To be honest people driving slowly don't annoy me, its people who can't stay in lane. I admit I am not perfect but I can keep my car in the lane I am in.

 

[Infidelus]

Old drivers are great, they give me loads of room when overtaking me on a bike except a few Merc drivers who don't like slowing down. It's people like the OP that are the problem especially on back lanes.

Should tell that to the driver that tried (repeatedly) to knock me and my mum off my motorbike some years ago.

Nice sunny day. Great big roundabout. Black motorbike, black leathers. White crash helmet. Mum was dressed ..... like mums do (and with a white crash helmet)

So I'm coming round the roundabout at a nice normal speed, driving sensibly (mum's on the back!). I indicate to pull onto the dual carriageway off the roundabout, start moving towards it, then get hit by a car pulling out from another junction onto the roundabout. Not only does the driver not immediately stop, he manages to hit me TWICE more while I'm trying desperately to keep the bike upright.

Mum got a banged up knee and the car had a couple of knee shaped dents. Funnily enough the old codger wouldn't get out of the car with me turning the air blue shouting at him and using every word available to describe what I thought of his driving skill.

The elderly should be forced to take another driving test when they reach a certain age. 1/2 of them shouldn't be on the road with the way they drive. Not that younger drivers are necesarily any better 1/2 the time, but that's usually for different reasons

 

[EdGey]

It always seems to be when you're late as well. Sometimes it just makes you want to ram them off the road, but I'm good at maintaining my poker face

 

[The Funktopus]

The accident was not caused by the old lady going slow though, it was caused by bad observation from the other driver.

You should never assume anything when driving, be that about speed, road conditions, other drivers, pedestrians etc etc etc.

A car instantly siezes its engine, the engine siezing immediately locks the wheels and the car decelerates massively instantly. The person in a panic doesnt think to dip the clutch. A car driving behind not obeying the safe distance stoves into the back of the car whos engine has just siezed, who caused the accident?

Oh I know, and I always leave plenty of clearance between me and the car infront. My point really was that the old dear simply should not have been on the motorway if she was only capable of those speeds.

 

[Curio]

I'm all for getting old people off the road - there have been some nasty accidents around my area (I'm in the US) caused by old people who shouldn't be on the road. My wife's grandmother (now deceased...) once fell asleep at a junction, ffs!

There was one last year where an old women went the wrong way down a 1-way street, got to the end, hit the accelerator instead of the brake, and smashed into a bunch of people sitting outside a cafe - no deaths fortunately, but it took a while to get them free from between the car and the wall

My dad does odd-jobs for an old biddy who drives everywhere at 20mph - she actually believes (no lie) that the reason the other cars are stacked up behind her is because she's such a good driver that they follow her in....as if she's guiding them!

My dad got rid of his car as soon as his eyesight started going. It was still good enough to drive and he didn't have any other issues.....he just always said he wouldn't be one of those old gits driving around putting other people at risk. And he stuck to his word. He was 78.

 

[HardwareGeek]

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.

Since they changed the sirens to the directional ones they don't seem very loud, with aircon on, radio loud enough to hear over the aircon and road noise you really cant hear sirens even right up your backside sometimes.

 

[Fuzz]

You are going to be late home??

Is that really your best excuse.
Late for what exactly, 5 minutes lost sitting in front of the TV or not being able to post on OcUK.....
Calm down and drive safely.

 

[Dis86]

I'm all for getting old people off the road - there have been some nasty accidents around my area (I'm in the US) caused by old people who shouldn't be on the road. My wife's grandmother (now deceased...) once fell asleep at a junction, ffs!

There was one last year where an old women went the wrong way down a 1-way street, got to the end, hit the accelerator instead of the brake, and smashed into a bunch of people sitting outside a cafe - no deaths fortunately, but it took a while to get them free from between the car and the wall

My dad does odd-jobs for an old biddy who drives everywhere at 20mph - she actually believes (no lie) that the reason the other cars are stacked up behind her is because she's such a good driver that they follow her in....as if she's guiding them!

My dad got rid of his car as soon as his eyesight started going. It was still good enough to drive and he didn't have any other issues.....he just always said he wouldn't be one of those old gits driving around putting other people at risk. And he stuck to his word. He was 78.

We get no end of the buggers here doing the wrong way down motorways or down sliproads.

First day I passed my driving test I nearly had a head on after some daft old bint went the wrong way around a round-about.

Soylent green is the answer.

 

[FoxEye]

You are going to be late home??

Is that really your best excuse.
Late for what exactly, 5 minutes lost sitting in front of the TV or not being able to post on OcUK.....
Calm down and drive safely.

I take calculated risks. Today I had to overtake 3 cars and a tractor in one swift move, because none of them were willing to overtake (tractor was doing 25 ish). The road was straight and you could see far enough ahead to have a fair bit of reaction time if something came round the corner.

Either:

a) The 3 cars didn't want to overtake - they were happy doing 25mph.
b) They weren't confident enough to make the overtake (why not?)
c) They didn't think it was safe (why not?)

I'll admit it's not about saving time for me. I enjoy driving, but only when I can go reasonably fast. Driving slow upsets me. I drive as fast as I can whilst not being reckless, because it pleases me to do so.

Problem?

 

[Tefal]

You can just as equally PAY for a bus, instead of running a car...

you seen the price of a bus these days?

 

[eddiemcgarrigle]

Try living in my village. Main Street is both entered and exited via the A78 although to access my home I have to drive further along the A78, passing both junctions. There is a 30mph sign for entering Main Street and I have had numerous arguments with idiots who think that the aforementioned sign is the speed limit for the A road. This leads to some very slow journeys and a whole lot of accidents as old duffers toodle out onto the A road at 30mph as someone else is approaching at the correct speed of 60mph.

 

[Uhtred]

Although I find slow drivers annoying or infuriating I am absolutely against mandatory retests for slow oaps.

We share the roads with horses, milk floats, cyclists, lorry and many many other slow moving things. Why should they be singled out?

 

[godinman]

The road was straight and you could see far enough ahead to have a fair bit of reaction time if something came round the corner.

So, you don't ensure you have time to overtake a car if a car is doing similar speeds to you in the opposite direction, instead you 'leave yourself room to react', like what, diving into the hedge?

I'd rather get stuck behind some slow cars than have some cretin hooning it around on the wrong side of the road in stupid places tbh.

 

[wnb]

My brothers in laws dad has been pulled on multiple occasions for driving slow. He is nearly 90! My brother in law also drives slow, he will slow down for traffic light in case they might change!

 

[[TW]Fox]

you seen the price of a bus these days?

I'm generally quite a fan of public transport (Well, trains) and often use it where its convenient. Very occasionally my hatred of the concept of taxi's finds me on a bus (Usually to collect my car from somewhere or where there isn't parking at a station or something).

It continues to amaze me how a journey on the bus is always - and I mean always - more expensive than the not-inconsiderable amount of fuel my 3 litre car would burn on the same trip. Yes yes, no tax, insurance etc on the bus but car owners have paid that anyway so the net marginal cost of the journey is just the variable costs.

Buses are never going to be an alternative until it's cheaper than wastefully wafting into town on your own in an inefficient car.

 

[-Ad-]

The speed limit is the legal maximum not a target.

Nope, not that B&W,

I failed my first driving test for going too slowly, 7 minors for the slow speed turning into a major.

I was doing about 25 in a 30 on a known PITA road with cornershops and markets all over the place, cars and vans parked half on pavements and families crossing all over the shop. Yep the examiner was a **** and then fell asleep when I was on the Dual Carriageaway.

OAPs are not the problem, it's the other muppets who sit 10ft from them in a queue of 5, meaning it's not safe to overtake without seriously putting the hammer down to reduce time exposed to danger. THis in itself isn't safe either with such a speed differential.

 

[Judgeneo]

I'm for having to re-take your test every 20 years or so