Driving at 101, Safe or not?
 

Just on Granada, bloke at 101 who is still driving. What do we all think about it. Too old? I must say he did seem quite lucid, more so than a lot of old people I see. So how could we ensure that we don't discriminate but ensure that people whose reactions etc are just not up to the job are stopped from being a danger?

Re: Driving at 101, Safe or not?
 

I thought that you had to have medicals after a certain age in order to re-apply for your license.... Presumably if he has passed his medical tests etc then he is legally deemed as being safe on the road. Let's face it, he is probably safer than a hell of a lot of the idiots on our roads today.:)

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The problem is that the 'medical' involves getting your GP to sign a piece of paper. It does not require a sight test, reactions, or any check of the ability to make rational decisions quickly.

I know from my own experience that towards the end of his life my Dad was not really fit to drive. He knew it himself as well and would always make me drive if we were going somewhere together. It is very hard for people to give something up like that. That is why we need regular checks. Without sounding ageist in any way, I personally think that we should ALL have to take a checkup/test every few years. People will say it costs too much, how much does an accident cost when all services are taken into account. Its just that goverments seem unable to think proactively anymore.

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I entered this thread thinking you were talking about speed, I was going to say your better sticking to 99mpg because it is an instant (ish) ban at 100mph.

But your talking about age. I think each person should be assessed on an individual basis. Age effects us all differently. Some people at 60 may physically be more capable of driving than others at 30.

Re: Driving at 101, Safe or not?
 

I had to go to Writhington Hospital to have my driving skills reassesed when I had to inform the DVLA that I had Parkinson's Disease.

The tests were very thorough. I had to go on various machines to test reaction times for two hours, as well as drive for an hour around Wigan.

They could have taken my licence off me that day, renewed it for a year, or for three years. Happily they renewed my licence for the maximum three years before I have to go through it all again.

If the tests older drivers are as thorough as the ones I did, they deserve to be on the roads, and they are probably a lot safer than a lot of the boy racers, who seemed to have picked up most of their driving skills from playing on the Playstation.

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That must have been torture.
I don't think they will ever bring in such thorough test's for people because of age. Just imagine how many people would have to employed to do it. Each tester would only manage 2 or 3 people a day.

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He wouldnt have passed a test anyway because in those days they didnt have to.

I wonder what his first car was?

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We don't know when he started driving.

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I would trust someone with his driving expeience than some that are in their late teens early 20's on the road today. If is health and reactions are good then there should be no problems with him driving.

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Your license lasts for 50 years doesn't it?
Does that mean he passed his test in his 50's?
Surely he would have had to reapply or take another test if he was younger!!

Re: Driving at 101, Safe or not?
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPUGGIE J I would trust someone with his driving expeience than some that are in their late teens early 20's on the road today. If is health and reactions are good then there should be no problems with him driving.

I totally disagree on that one!!!! :not_ripe:

Re: Driving at 101, Safe or not?
 

Go on then, give us a clue why.

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Because he's twenty?:D

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Because half of the old folk on the road today dont have a clue wot day it is let alone wot is around them on the road, right young people do have a lot of accidents but there is a lot more of them and at least we have a sense of direction!!!!

Re: Driving at 101, Safe or not?
 

It's Thursday...the 2nd of Febuary......1968.:p

Re: Driving at 101, Safe or not?
 

I speak as a professional driver in my early fifties and it has been my opinion for a long time that a persons ability to drive has little to do with wether an individual is young, old, male, female, fat, thin, etc. I think it is unfair to pidgeon hole people into fit/unfit categories purely because of age. The ability to control the vehicle to the required standard and the reactions in the case of emergency is what counts. What I will say is with age sometimes comes infirmity in both mind and body and if this is the case with the individual then he/she should not be driving on these crowded roads today, I hope to be alive when I am 100, and if I am I hope that I will also be able to drive but if I am not fit then I won't drive.

Re: Driving at 101, Safe or not?
 

I think that is rather too much of a sweeping statement to actually mean anything.

Yeah I have been frustrated at times being stuck behind an older person driving really slow, oh but then they were sticking to the speed limit!!

I have also been frustrated by a young un stuck to my tail light impatient to get past and I'm not exactly a slouch on the road.

I would rather be stuck behind an older person, damn sight safer... as long as you keep your distance though :p ;)

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i got stuck behind some dithering idiot doing 15 mph in a 40 limit area , at first i thought it was some young pratt acting daft as there were no safe points to overtake with it been a country lane

only when i eventualy found a place to overtake and was flipping the finger at the pillock did i realise it was infact an elderly driver with less awareness to his surroundings than Mr McGoo :mad:

stick them in a simulator and if they fail to get into the top ten on the scoreboard take their licenses of them :D

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they should be made to give up driving when they reach the age of 70

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driving at 101 years?!?, No they should not be!
why?.....
After age 80, there is a sharp decline in driving ability, although many drivers continue driving safely. Drivers over 80 are more than twice as likely to be at fault in a fatal collision than the average driver
there reactions would be too slow:(
there eyesight will be nearly gone
they probably have the shakes:eek:
more chance of having a heart attack at the wheel...killing other people (i know you can have a heart attack at any age but 101 you more chance!)
they dont look left and right anymore just straight ahead, oblivious of anyone else around
and probably deaf as a bat! and have there hearing aid switched off cuz of nagging wife!, if still around that is!)
and probably many more reasons .............:p

Re: Driving at 101, Safe or not?
 

Our Chav the voice of reason, passed his test a few weeks ago and is trying to loose his license for road rage already :p
I am sorry to pigeon hole people but experiance counts for a lot. Someone who has only been driving for a couple of years, johnboy, is unlikely to be as competant a driver as someone who has been driving for 10 or 20 years.

Re: Driving at 101, Safe or not?
 

For those who didn't see Granada Reports the gentleman in question said he had never done a driving test. He also managed an emergency stop when a white van pulled straight out in frnt of him. I think this man would be the exception rather than the rule when it comes to driving licences

Re: Driving at 101, Safe or not?
 

most people who have passed their test 10 - 20 years ago would probably not pass a driving test today

infact i would lay good odds that a recently passed driver would do better on a driving test than someone with 20 years experience driving

am i an angel on the road - am i hell i have adapted to every day driving by picking up the same habbits as all you more experienced drivers have although i am finding it hard to get rid of the push and pull method on the steering wheel but i have no doubt within a few weeks i will be turning corners one handed using the palm of my hand on the steering wheel just like everyone else

a tip to anyone learning to drive

once you pass throw the rule book out the window because no one else abides by it and the only way to survive is to do as they do , especialy as there are no police to pull up speeders , people parked on yellow lines at traffic lights , driving with headlights out or brake lights , the list goes on

as my driving instructer said its a mean place and the road is full of people trying to kill you

Re: Driving at 101, Safe or not?
 

True, but does that make them bad drivers?

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I've been driving for 40 years, up and down the motorways all over this country and abroad, and I take a pride in my driving. I've driven everything from a Mini to a 3 litre Jaguar (and a small removal van once but it's a long story) and I'm a member of the IAM.

I'm in my early 60s. I'm pretty confident that I'll still be a good driver in 10 years time but, in the interests of your safety and my own, I would be happy to be rigorously tested when I reach 70. If they told me I shouldn't drive any more, so be it.

I've known some elderly drivers who should have been taken off the roads years ago and I've known some who were extremely good. I've known a lot of young people who considered themselves brilliant drivers. Some were, but with others it just meant they took stupid, aggressive risks and got away with it. I knew one who didn't get away with it and I went to his funeral 3 years ago. He was 21.

I believe all drivers should be tested for competence and common sense at least every 10 years and people over 70 should be tested every 3 years because, let's face it, we all start to slow down at some point when we get older; some are later than others but it's Life, isn't it?

If the 101 year old is competent, good luck to him, but he should be tested to make sure.

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Re: Driving at 101, Safe or not?
 

Nice to westender that someone else agrees with me. Testing every few years should be compulsory for all. It should include eyesight, reactions as well as just driving.

Passing your test does not quantify you as a good driver, just someone who should be safe on the road unaccompanied. I also find it unbelieveable that you are not tested on Motorways at all. I drive over 100 miles a day to work, mainly on motorways and the standard of some drivers is disgraceful.


There is an article in this months 'Bike' magazine where a survey was taken of drivers showing a load of road signs. The only one taht got 100% recognition was Speed Cameras! Even such as uneven road surface only got 23% recognition. Side winds got 8%, minimum speed limit had 0, yes, ZERO%

The only way to improve this and driving standards is regular testing.

Re: Driving at 101, Safe or not?
 

So do I. You pass your tast around town at 30mph (if your lucky in Blackburn) then jump straight on the M65 back home to Accy. Stupid isn't it.

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I agree that everyone should carry out some kind of test every 10 years or so to determine wether they are fit to drive, but just because someone is young does not mean they are bad drivers. Almost every young lad on the road these days gets tared with the same stick and are branded as a "Boy Racer", infact this is not true.
I agree there are a lot of young, stupid drivers out there but please dont automatically asume that all young drivers are stupid, and wreckless because i for one aint one of them.
I also agree that there are some old people out there who are good drivers and dont fall under the catogry "Bad Drivers" but there are some out there who are useless and shouldnt be on the road, as for the one doing 101 mph, well he/she shouldnt be doing that speed in the first place and if they was one that was unfit to be on the road well the result could have been devastating, for them and some poor soul who was unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time!!!!!

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Nobody's been driving at 101 MPH Johnboy, he was 101 years old!

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its a good job he wasnt 111 people would think he had been driving when ill

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A company that I used to work for about 15 years ago employed a sales rep who was 72 at the time. He used to drive around his territory - Birmingham area - in second gear all the time. He never once went into third. He had never passed a driving test in his life because he started driving whilst in the army and it wasn't necessary. He could never understand why his gearbox needed replacing every six months.

He clearly wasn't a competant driver in some respects because he didn't have clue about how to drive a car, yet he never had an accident.

I'm not sure what my point is but I think there might be one in there somewhere.

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the point is if your to dumb to use a manual gearbox getan automatic :-)

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There we go, I knew you'd know what I was talking about even if I didn't!

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The point is he never had an accident, he was an experienced driver albeit a little cautious, but I think the key word here is experience which is something that no amount of money can buy.

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How is he supposed to change his CD while drinking a can of pop, steering around a bend changing down gear and indicating without spilling his packet of crisp all over the floor if he has to steer with 2 hands?

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I think we must all have a screw loose or we wouldn't be driving in the first place, putting our lives at risk day in day out on the roads, but it is good fun. By the way Bernard the medical is every 5 years from the age of 45 for PCV renewal.

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your supposed to change gear when going around corners....?

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No Chav, you are supposed to change gear BEFORE you go round corners!

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I think you will find most of what I said you should not be doing.
Anyway whats wrong with changing gear on a bend?

Re: Driving at 101, Safe or not?
 

Nothing wrong with changing gear on a bend Neil, but going round corners, for example turning left or right from a main road, the gear changing should be done before the turn as both hands are needed to turn the steering wheel. IMHO.

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What about people who drive with only one hand/arm? I have often wondered how safe some disabled people are behind the wheel. I know some cars are modified but not always. Before you all start shouting at me, I am not picking on disabled people just asking a logical question.

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I know a chap who only has one arm but although his car has a normal steering wheel it does have a ball type handle to allow him to steer with one hand and it has automatic transmission.

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How does he indicate, switch on and off lights, windscreen wipers or even use his horn to warn other road users when neccesary?

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I'm not sure, it never occurred to me but that is a valid point Neil. I think his switches are in just the same position as they would be on a normal Ford Fiesta I dont think the vehicle has been modified to that extent. Good Point.

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Cars can be adapted so that all those things are on the steering wheel as buttons to be pressed.

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Without him having to let go of his knob?

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Now I know you are fibbing Willow, you had to stick your arm out of the window that long ago :D

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Sorry my mistake!!!

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Very good point here!! Totally agree with this!!!! :D

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Neil only knows because his first job was to walk in front of cars waving a flag.:D

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Sorry Willow I was getting your age mixed up with garinda's. I know your still only 21.