How to report an elderly driver that is clearly unable to drive properly

fionajbanana · 8 September 2013 at 9:49AM

I don't know his name and lives down one of three streets.

This man must be in his 90s and he drives too slowly and he sits leaning forward with forehead almost touching the windscreen as his eyesight probably isn't brilliant. He is unable to turn his head at junctions because of the position of his head. He has almost caused accidents.

We have plenty of buses going into town. I know reporting him will kill off his independence, but one day he is going to cause an accident.

I have lived in the area for under 4 years. My friends that lived here for 15+ years, say he has been like this for the past 8+ years.

So can you anonymously report a driver that is clearly unsuitable for driving? Who do you report it to? What is the process?

Quentin · 8 September 2013 at 10:01AM

If he is involved in an incident that gets the police involved then the courts will deal with it.

Till then myob.or grass him up if you have something specific.

alastairq · 8 September 2013 at 10:01AM

I don't know his name and lives down one of three streets.

This is the first of your problems.

What you have described could also be attributed to 90% of the other residents in those three streets.

Do you know for certain his eyesight isn't brilliant [or better than yours?]?

HAve you seen the driving position of very short 18 year olds recently?

The only thing you CAN do is, if you witness a near-miss involving the person's vehicle, then take a note of the vehicle's registration number, make, colour, etc, date, time, place, and go to a Police station...and make a witness statement.

And to be fair and non-discriminatory, do exactly the same for every other near-miss you witness, regardless of how old you think the driver is?

You will not retain anonymity, however.

He has almost caused accidents.

And to make you feel better, make sure you don't do likewise?

scotsbob · 8 September 2013 at 10:01AM

fionajbanana wrote: »

So can you anonymously report a driver

Anonymously????

What are you afraid of? Bad enough being a grass but a cowardly one is even worse.

alastairq · 8 September 2013 at 10:03AM

What are you afraid of? Bad enough being a grass but a cowardly one is even worse.

Till then myob.or grass him up.

That's too harsh!

Making this place seem like a school playground?

Strider590 · 8 September 2013 at 10:17AM

This is a bit of a taboo subject in the UK, most people are against taking any action against older drivers. It's a different story in the US, where they woke up to the dangers decades ago.

Here we're force fed the idea that speeding and drink driving are the only danger, but the elderly pootle about at stupidly slow speeds, so how can we call them unsafe?

I mean look at it this way..... Drivers that do 42mph on every single road, when they cause an accident with some hot head overtaking them, what do the authorities do? They reduce the 60 speed limit to 40..... :mad:

They don't want to give the message that driving slowly can be just as dangerous as driving too fast. I think it'll be decades before they start to tackle dangerous elderly drivers.

alastairq · 8 September 2013 at 10:29AM

Nothing 'wrong' with slow drivers..or slow vehicles.

What is 'wrong' is the inability of [faster???} drivers to cope with those slow vehicles.

And, in my jaundiced [and ageing] eyes, it is that inability to cope that is far more worrying as a risk, than any slow driver.

I think the recent events in Kent only go to hilite this inability amongst far too many drivers out there?

Being able to drive quickly is a luxury to be enjoyed, not a 'right'..on the Public Highway.

And as an oldie, I'm willing to bet everyone on this forum is more likely to get in MY way, than the other way around?

So, if anyone reading this has issues with 'slow' vehicles, try looking to your own driver abilities first?

Because, in those 'abilities' may lie the solution..and the 'slow' vehicle will cease to be a problem?

Of course, if those abilities are in reality quite inadequate..then the answer isn't to vilify the slow vehicle driver...but to seek help in improving one's own capabilities?

Or..maybe take a pop at the inadequate ability of het driver right behind that slow vehicle..because it is often they who make matters worse for you....not the slow vehicle.

photome · 8 September 2013 at 10:33AM

Strider590 wrote: »

This is a bit of a taboo subject in the UK, most people are against taking any action against older drivers. It's a different story in the US, where they woke up to the dangers decades ago.

Here we're force fed the idea that speeding and drink driving are the only danger, but the elderly pootle about at stupidly slow speeds, so how can we call them unsafe?

I mean look at it this way..... Drivers that do 42mph on every single road, when they cause an accident with some hot head overtaking them, what do the authorities do? They reduce the 60 speed limit to 40..... :mad:

They don't want to give the message that driving slowly can be just as dangerous as driving too fast. I think it'll be decades before they start to tackle dangerous elderly drivers.

Lots of old people are a menace on the road for that exact reason. many roads in norfolk have variable limits, one I can think of goes from 60 to 40 to 30, 20 ,30, to 40 and then back to 60 in the space of about 2 to 3 miles, yet many times I will follow and old person who is doing 40 ish in the 60 and then contionues to do exact same speed through all the limits!!!!!

I get help up in the 60 and then they disappear in the lower limits only for me to catch up again in the 60.

How can anyone say this type of driver isnt a danger, they clearly have no concept of the speed they are doing

photome · 8 September 2013 at 10:35AM

alastairq wrote: »

Nothing 'wrong' with slow drivers..or slow vehicles.

What is 'wrong' is the inability of [faster???} drivers to cope with those slow vehicles.

And, in my jaundiced [and ageing] eyes, it is that inability to cope that is far more worrying as a risk, than any slow driver.

I think the recent events in Kent only go to hilite this inability amongst far too many drivers out there?

Being able to drive quickly is a luxury to be enjoyed, not a 'right'..on the Public Highway.

And as an oldie, I'm willing to bet everyone on this forum is more likely to get in MY way, than the other way around?

So, if anyone reading this has issues with 'slow' vehicles, try looking to your own driver abilities first?

Because, in those 'abilities' may lie the solution..and the 'slow' vehicle will cease to be a problem?

Of course, if those abilities are in reality quite inadequate..then the answer isn't to vilify the slow vehicle driver...but to seek help in improving one's own capabilities?

Or..maybe take a pop at the inadequate ability of het driver right behind that slow vehicle..because it is often they who make matters worse for you....not the slow vehicle.

there is nothng wrong with slow drivers as long as they drive to the conditions and the speed limits as my post above ...many dont, at least thats my experience here in Norfolk and Suffolk (mainly)

Strider590 · 8 September 2013 at 10:42AM

photome wrote: »

Lots of old people are a menace on the road for that exact reason. many roads in norfolk have variable limits, one I can think of goes from 60 to 40 to 30, 20 ,30, to 40 and then back to 60 in the space of about 2 to 3 miles, yet many times I will follow and old person who is doing 40 ish in the 60 and then contionues to do exact same speed through all the limits!!!!!

I get help up in the 60 and then they disappear in the lower limits only for me to catch up again in the 60.

How can anyone say this type of driver isnt a danger, they clearly have no concept of the speed they are doing

Don't get me started

The thing is, even the govts propaganda machine, the BBC, they sometimes run reports on elderly drivers causing major accidents.

There was one where a 90 something mounted a kerb, panicked, hit the gas instead of the brake and then mowed down a pedestrian (young girl), It was reported on briefly by the BBC news and now i'll be damned if I can find it anywhere online.

At other times the report made onto the live website for the best part of a few hours and was then archived.

Like this one http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-19952050
Campaigning to do something about elderly drivers and it's pretty much been subdued by the media.

Great isn't it? your kids get squashed by an incompetent old fool and all record of it disappears. But the BBCs report on the latest iPhone, sticks around for several months.