Old people driving slowly - rage is building

As a driver in my later years, 58, I find I agree with most of the opinions posted here. Ok, I'm not in me 70s-80s yet, and I find I tend to drive a bit slower than I used to (maturity, age, fear, aware of my own mortality, etc), but quite frankly a lot of these elderly shouldn't even be allowed a push bike, let alone a car. They're driving standards are appalling, in as much as not the fact they're slow, but they some of them have a total lack of awareness of whats going on around them, some can't see properly, and others are down right dangerous. Saying that, theres a lot of 'em that are ok and "make progress" which is a requirement I believe in one of the police driving manuals.
I think at the very least anyone over a certain age should have a medical to ensure they meet the minimum safe criteria for a competent driver, ie: eyesight, reaction times, physical capability, etc.
 
My pet hate is when you get trains of sheeple none of who'm are willing to overtake the obstruction in front, be it agricultural machinery, coffin dodgers or something else alltogether, but they insist on travelling nose to tail leaving no room for someone who hasn't got all day to get to where they're going to overtake.

Sure it's easy enough to overtake two cars in one go, perhaps three of four if it's particularly slow and visibility permits such a maneuver, but when you are simply stuck and there is nothing you can do about it due to the thoughtless/selfish actions of others it's most frustrating.

Clarkey and I had this the other day travelling back from buxton. In the end we pulled in for a fag as 15mph and no prospect of overtaking the train of sheeple in front was too much to bear.

So, people, if you're too much of a pussy to overtake, give a good gap between you and the car in front and allow me to overtake you!


pieman109 said:
...but quite frankly a lot of these elderly shouldn't even be allowed a push bike, let alone a car. They're driving standards are appalling, in as much as not the fact they're slow, but they some of them have a total lack of awareness of whats going on around them, some can't see properly, and others are down right dangerous.
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I've just spent a week in South Devon, the standard of driving there is nothing short of exasperating. I genuinely think some of the old folk believe they are the only vehicle on the road. Absolutely shocking.
 
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shoes said:
My pet hate is when you get trains of sheeple none of who'm are willing to overtake the obstruction in front, be it agricultural machinery, coffin dodgers or something else alltogether, but they insist on travelling nose to tail leaving no room for someone who hasn't got all day to get to where they're going to overtake.

Sure it's easy enough to overtake two cars in one go, perhaps three of four if it's particularly slow and visibility permits such a maneuver, but when you are simply stuck and there is nothing you can do about it due to the thoughtless/selfish actions of others it's most frustrating.
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Isn't expecting everyone to go your speed because you "haven't got all day" just as selfish?
 
However you do get a slight satisfaction from turning off the road to take a less direct route, in the attempt of pulling out in front of the slow moving vehicles further down the road. :)
 
I used to do 2 * 40 minutes a day commute. Eventually you get quite philosophical and realise that it doesn't make much difference to your average speed if you're stuck behind an old bid for a while.

You also realise that if that's just the average speed you do on that road then that's what you can expect.

It's a road, so there's traffic.
 
Since I started cycling to work 3 months ago all I can say is thank the Lord for old drivers.
If any driver is putting you in danger, pulling out on you, driving too close, being impatient then it is somebody under 50.
Old drivers give more room and even let you out.
 
Dimple said:
Since I started cycling to work 3 months ago all I can say is thank the Lord for old drivers.
If any driver is putting you in danger, pulling out on you, driving too close, being impatient then it is somebody under 50.
Old drivers give more room and even let you out.
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Lucky bugger. I've been knocked off twice both by old women. Each time pulling out of a junction as I was passing and knocking me off. Luckily it was only a side on impact and I was knocked onto a nice soft grass verge. First time the daft old bint didn't even realise she'd hit me until the car behind her chased her down and had to overtake and pull across the road to stop her.
This was despite the sizeable dent my bars left in her rear door and the bang that resulted.
 
It has nearly happened to me when I am running. I run on the road most of the time (lack f pavement or really bad underfoot that it is dangerous) and when I approach a junction (me on the major road, the car on the minor road), cars just seem to either not look in my direction or just assume I will stop :confused:

Why would I stop? Does other traffic stop for you when you want to pull out of a junction and join the major road? No so why expect me to? :confused:
 
On a slightly similar note:

If you are driving in a 40 limit and the conditions are good, drive at 40 not 30 or 25. Just because there is a Police vehicle behind you doesn't mean that we're going to put the blues on when you do 41. There are also plenty of times we need to get somewhere and we can't put the B&Ts on, so please, just drive at the limit like everyone else...
 
Burnsy2023 said:
On a slightly similar note:

If you are driving in a 40 limit and the conditions are good, drive at 40 not 30 or 25. Just because there is a Police vehicle behind you doesn't mean that we're going to put the blues on when you do 41.
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Although they can if they're feeling particularly vindictive. There is no 10% leeway for speed limits anymore as speedometers are expected to be correct these days. Something my old boss found out when he went only a couple of miles an hour over the limit ;)
 
Richie said:
It has nearly happened to me when I am running. I run on the road most of the time (lack f pavement or really bad underfoot that it is dangerous) and when I approach a junction (me on the major road, the car on the minor road), cars just seem to either not look in my direction or just assume I will stop :confused:

Why would I stop? Does other traffic stop for you when you want to pull out of a junction and join the major road? No so why expect me to? :confused:
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Without going into whether it's right or not to run on the road, or who has right of way etc... Does a main road really seem like a wise place for running? Are there no parks or anything, that don't frequently have vehicles capable of killing you flashing past? I don't mean to be offensive, I just think it seems so dangerous, there's no way I'd do it. Mind you, I probably wouldn't ride a motorbike for similar reasons, far too many idiots on the road. I'll keep my big metal cage around me!

On topic... I too find it pretty frustrating but it doesn't bother me too much. I'm usually happy to wait for an opportunity to overtake but I do get quite annoyed getting stuck behind someone doing 15/20 on city roads instead of 30, when there's no good reason.

What really winds me up though is people who just seem to be completely oblivious or just inconsiderate to everything else on the road. An example that happened this morning, on the way in to work on a dual carriage way with traffic lights about half a mile down the road. There's a car in the left hand lane doing about 50, which is fair enough, but there's also a car in the right hand lane doing the exact same speed, making no attempt whatsoever to overtake, with me sat behind him waiting. A similar annoyance from the motorway, people sitting in lane 3 when there's traffic up ahead in lane 2, but they're barely catching up on it at all. There's plenty of time to safely pull over and let me past, and then pull out again to overtake what's in lane 2, but do they? Pfft. Usually seems to be middle aged men in big saloon cars.
 
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estebanrey said:
Isn't expecting everyone to go your speed because you "haven't got all day" just as selfish?
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Read my post properly. If there was a sufficient gap left between vehicles... say oh I don't know... the recommended two seconds, then I could overtake one car at a time, with enough room to pull in between the car I have just overtaken and the car in front of them safely, wait until the next overtaking opportunity and repeat.

Instead people drive nose to tail and **** up any chance someone who isn't a total cretin might have otherwise had of making progress.
 
shoes said:
Is that so? I thought there was always an element of over read on the speedometer regardless of vehicle/age of vehicle.
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Not according to the copper that was leading the course my boss had to go on to avoid getting points on his licence. It was news to me too :)
 
Devrij said:
If I went the speed limit on my roads I'd be dead by now. Going 60 on the twisty narrow roads with blind corners and the like... not a wise choice. 55 is where it's at.
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Yup some of the roads I drive are no wider than a modern car and we have traffic coming both ways, completely insane to go at 60 even when in the national speed limit.

If a truck comes hold on tight and drive in the bushes:)
 
I have a similar drive to OP on rural a roads about 400 miles a week and I go through the same thing although I can't generalise it to old people just poor drivers.

I am patient with overtaking and can deal with slow drivers and even people in convoy as long as they appreciate that I would like to overtake and leave me some space to get back in half way up the queue, especially if no one else seems to be worried about passing the slow lead car/tractor. Making progress is about making sure the decision to pass is worth while and safe and then making sure everyone knows what you intend to do.

What really upsets me though is just poor driving, people who cruise along and you think great I am happy at this speed I'll relax behind and look at the road and then you have them slow right up or weave about at which point your concentration just goes on what the muppet in front is doing. Then I stat worrying that if you choose to overtake are you going to spook them. Lorries/cars/vans that can do 60 or more in most conditions and then have to slow right down to 20-30 going up a hill either because they cannot maintain speed or because they are not paying attention are bad as well, especially as the one place it affects me it is not that safe to pass and queues form! That and when you pass someone nicely in a NSL then reduce your speed for a 30mph zone and suddenly the other driver is sat in your boot because they dn't seem to be aware they are in a village etc!
 
If there is no one behind me I wait for an opportunity to over take them, then I drive in front of them even slower. See how they like it.
 
Diagro said:
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
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Well I sit my Uk in 2001, California in 2004 and next week and Oregon driving test. Hope I have more than a 50% chance but I now what you mean. There are all these tricks and tips you learn to help pass your first test, you quickly forget all these tips.
 
estebanrey said:
Isn't expecting everyone to go your speed because you "haven't got all day" just as selfish?
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Not really, if the road ahead is clear there simply is no logical reason to sit behind a tractor.

Instead of it being an obstruction you just drive round it becomes a major hindrance to your progress as the line increases.

I used to get it on the commute back from Lincoln, at 60 mph, home in 20 minutes.

Get stuck behind a line of fools sat behind a tractor? Home in 45 minutes.

25 minutes is a long time if say for instance you get caught short (entirely possible).
 
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