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

Strider590

alastairq wrote: »

No you won't.

Probably for the very reasons you quote earlier?

Right...... Because I get in my car every single morning and think "ugh.... here we go again, I wonder what stupidity is going to turn this commute into a nightmare this morning".

And this morning was no exception, first im blocked in my road by poor observation of a lady in a Nissan Duke, leaving me sat there until the entire traffic light system changes round again.

Then someone nearly drives into the side of my car as they cross a central reservation to turn right, but without checking for cars waiting there.

By this time im thinking "great, I wonder who's going to try to kill me next"

Then I have to deal with some numpty who keeps moving into the RH lane on the dual-carriwageway, but doesn't overtake anything until the very last minute, where he does so illegally on solid lined hatch markings (he did this several times, so im pretty sure this guy was just being a "c u next tuesday"). This was not some boy racer, it was a normal looking middle aged man and his wife, driving an old Fiat Punto.......

So if you think I enjoy taking my life in my own hands every day, with the idiots that are out there, you have completely missed the point.......
I've actually started cycling to work, partly to save money, partly for fitness, but mostly to avoid the stress I have to deal with each day in the car.

The main stress points for me are anywhere that I want to make progress but have in the past experienced hostility from other drivers, mostly at dual carriageway merge points, where the favourite hobby appears to be bunching up or blocking the road at anything from 10mph to 70mph.

Prothet_of_Doom

It is illegal to drive with uncorrected vision, so if you know the reg number, send an email to your local plod explaining that you've seen him driving erratically.

I have no idea what they'll do, but my experience of the old (85 Plus) is that they find driving, very confusing, and scary and are very aware how the roads and they have changed.

unsure

Strider 590,
I have no great need or desire to "win". I was making what I believed to be a constructive contribution to the original post; essentially that dangerous drivers come in all shapes and ages and should be judged as individuals rather than collectively. I stand by that. It is the way our legal process and other institution work. Judging people as groups rather than individuals leads to prejudice and bigotry.

I took the tone of my reply from your aggressive and histrionic response to my original post. Since it is a statement of fact that you clearly didn't know about the IAM assessment, the credibility of your comments is in question. That you choose only to believe what suits your own view, does not surprise me. you know nothing other than the age of the person and situation you are presuming to judge. It is not just elderly people who find it difficult to admit when they are wrong, we all do.

You are basing general arguments on a tiny number of personal anecdotes, hardly an objective or reliable analytical process. I would not be so foolish as to say that if I knew one good elderly (or young ) driver all others must be the same, yet that appears to be your logic. It is flawed. You are also inventing arguments that I did not make. I am not aware that anybody has advocated "dawdling". I certainly haven't.

What I have said is that there are poor drivers in every age range and dangerous ones should be taken off the road. That seems to me uncontroversial. In addition I've said that impatient drivers cause danger, that seems to be what has upset you. Again, I consider that to be uncontroversial. Self control and the ability to stay calm are very important attributes for a safe driver.

I am sure you will come up with another twist or two. I've said my last words on the subject.

Prothet_of_Doom

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

If Govt really gave a sh*t about safety, they'd force retests every 5 years, and a failure would mean you can't drive again until you pass. But that would mean job losses, which in turn means less tax being collected,

!

Retest every 5 years, but with a 1 year period in which to repass, so you could make 12 or more attempts in the year. The problem is do I retest for the car, the motorbike, or the bus ?

Strider590

unsure wrote: »

Self control and the ability to stay calm are very important attributes for a safe driver.

They're also important attributes for a guide dog, but just you try kicking one in the nuts.......

We all have animal instincts, to deny this is to deny human nature, what I object to is this idea that it's ok to knowingly p1ss people off, because "it's their own fault if they get mad".

If you've got two children and child A comes to you crying their eye's out whilst claiming child B hit them, would you not ask what what child A did to deserve being hit?

It seems we get to adulthood, get a car and then suddenly we can aggravate other people from the safety of that metal cage, without taking any personal responsibility.

aliasojo

Strider590 wrote: »

When push comes to shove, it's arrogance which stops them handing back their license and some old people are so arrogant it's untrue.

Actually I don't believe it is. I think they genuinely simply do not recognise there is an issue.

Age related driving problems will have crept up over time, I expect most don't even appreciate just how their driving has changed.

Strider590

aliasojo wrote: »

Actually I don't believe it is. I think they genuinely simply do not recognise there is an issue.

Age related driving problems will have crept up over time, I expect most don't even appreciate just how their driving has changed.

I used to think this way..... But when your constantly being overtaken and/or honked at, you either have to wonder why OR you have to arrogantly assume that everyone else are maniacs.

dibuzz

My 80 year old ex neighbour has COPD and his car was his freedom. He only drove to the Post Office or Asda and stayed in the car whilst his wife went in but it was a change of scene for him.
His daughter saw him make a mistake once he said it was another driver's fault. I wasnt there so have no idea but it was enough for her to mention it to his consulatant and ask if he should be driving. She said he probably shouldn't and informed the DVLA who revoked his licence. He had only had his new Motability car 2 weeks and had to send it back.
He went downhill so fast it was scary to see, he started drinking which put more stress on his wife who was in the early stages of Alzheimers and a few months later they are both in nursing homes. She no longer recognises me which is very hard as we were very close, in fact she was my only friend and he is just wasting away.
His daughter was only doing what she thought was right and for the sake of other road users it was the right decision but it has had a devastating effect on them both.
I don't know what the answer is, obviously some people lose their ability and awareness as they get older. It's just sad that it usually comes at a time they most need the freedom their car brings them.

alastairq

Incorrect. If I'm behind you, our road conditions are exactly the same, unless you're leaking oil!

Then you misunderstand what is meant by 'conditions'...

they are definitely not the same....for both drivers.

You are in your vehicle, the other driver in theirs.....both at differnt points on the road, viewing the road around you with different perspectives.

By being just a little bit further ahead, the driver in front has different timelines to you.

For example, you may think you have sufficient time to overtake a slow-moving vehicle, given what you can see.

The driver in front, seeing the same situation, but from a bit further ahead, may well see there is insufficient time to do similar.

You are driving you vehicle, whose characteristics are known to you. You are not driving the vehicle in front, whose characteristics are unknown to you.

By being metres apart, problems developing ahead will appear on different timelines to each driver.

Some simple examples?

Of course, you are also presuming you can 'see' exactly what the other driver can see?

But fail to comprehend that they might see 'more' than you have.....ie, have they seen something you haven't?

alastairq

Strider, I say what I posted because, by the time you get to that part of your life , you will view things from a wholly differnt perspective.

You have not allowed for the effects of the passage of time.