When should we be giving up driving?

There are over 1 million men and women still driving who are over 80 years of age and 122 that are over 100 years old.

Only a few days ago, the Daily Mail reported that a 98 year old woman took a wrong turn that led her on to train tracks rendering her stuck on them on the way to morning mass and similar events have been reported on a not too regular basis.

Surely there needs to be an age where it is mandatory to retire your license?

karlypants wrote:

Surely there needs to be an age where it is mandatory to retire your license?

I agree. Everyone who reaches seventy should have to take a mandatory test to see if they are still compos mentis behind the wheel. A further retest every five years would remove the dodderers off the streets.

It's not just that age group. I believe that you should have to take a test (not a full driving test) every so many years after getting your driving licence.

There are plenty of people on the roads who passed their driving test once, but are very poor drivers.

My Mum's uncle passed his test in a jeep in Burma during the second word war and was allowed to drive on English roads thereafter.

I have vivid memories as a kid of being ferried about by Uncle Ernie and shitting myself.

He had a Talbot Sunbeam that he thought was a tank, ie, if you hit me, you will simply bounce off and I will keep going, unencumbered by any damage you may have caused to my vehicle, so fuck you.

The roads of Bolton immediately became about 8% safer when he popped his clogs in 1980.

Some folk should have never started!!! 
How many on here have been on a course since they passed their test?

Soul Kitchen wrote:Some folk should have never started!!! 
How many on here have been on a course since they passed their test?

Not me! I passed my test in 76!

My brother-in-law sat his test about five years ago.

His PC wasn't working at the time, so he came round here to gen up and practice with his CD thingy.

I took the theory test on it and scored about 50% correct.

His CD must have been a dud because I passed my test as a 17 year old and I'm a brilliant driver, me.

Just call me Lewis.

I stood outside the Test Centre on Chorley Old Rd, read a number-plate at the prescribed distance, drove up to Horwich, reversed round a corner on New Hall Lane and didn't kill anybody.

We worry too much nowadays.

How much damage can an inexperienced kid in a car that weighs a ton and can do 130mph actually do......?

Breadman wrote:My Mum's uncle passed his test in a jeep in Burma during the second word war and was allowed to drive on English roads thereafter.

I have vivid memories as a kid of being ferried about by Uncle Ernie and shitting myself.

He had a Talbot Sunbeam that he thought was a tank, ie, if you hit me, you will simply bounce off and I will keep going, unencumbered by any damage you may have caused to my vehicle, so fuck you.

The roads of Bolton immediately became about 8% safer when he popped his clogs in 1980.

Gave me a chuckle did that!

My 91 year old grandad also got his driving license from the second world war and he ended up driving for a living.

Me and my dad had to get him to stop driving as he was becoming dangerous, I think he gave up in his late 70's.

I remember a couple of years just before he gave up, we had dropped my dad off at Manchester airport one evening and once we got back on the motorway to come back to Bolton my grandad only realised after around a mile that he had forgot to put his lights on!

You see....?

That's what I'm saying.

They were taught in the jungle to drive with their lights off.

It's muscle memory and you never forget that shit.

You're lucky he didn't jump out and start spraying bullets from his Thompson into the trees at the side of the road.......

Soul Kitchen wrote:Some folk should have never started!!! 
How many on here have been on a course since they passed their test?

 Me! I passed my test in 1974 and a couple of years ago had to go on a course(well ,chose to) because I was caught doing 47 in a 40 zone. The course was a total waste of time but saved me 3 points

...and therein lies the problem.

I'm not blaming you, RT, but when you sacrifice "safety awareness" for "cash generation", it makes a mockery of the whole thing.

You've been done for driving unsafely but we're gonna offer you a lifeline to protect your insurance premium. (So obviously, you're gonna do it.)

Come and sit in this school hall and nod appropriately when we say that "speed kills" and sign your name here and you can walk out of here without a stain on your character.

And we (the government) have ticked another box.......

We're tough on this sort of thing, you know.......

Breadman wrote:...and therein lies the problem.

I'm not blaming you, RT, but when you sacrifice "safety awareness" for "cash generation", it makes a mockery of the whole thing.

You've been done for driving unsafely but we're gonna offer you a lifeline to protect your insurance premium. (So obviously, you're gonna do it.)

Come and sit in this school hall and nod appropriately when we say that "speed kills" and sign your name here and you can walk out of here without a stain on your character.

And we (the government) have ticked another box.......

We're tough on this sort of thing, you know.......

No wonder you struggled with the theory test CD due to your early onset of Alzheimer's seeing that it was Rammy who posted comment #10!

It would be simpler to ban men from driving if you want to make the roads safer. They all see their car as a penis extension.

rammywhite wrote:

Soul Kitchen wrote:Some folk should have never started!!! 
How many on here have been on a course since they passed their test?

 Me! I passed my test in 1974 and a couple of years ago had to go on a course(well ,chose to) because I was caught doing 47 in a 40 zone. The course was a total waste of time but saved me 3 points

I've done a speed awareness and also got invited on a defensive driving course a few years back when I did a job for a company. Both courses proved interesting and informative and the latter was a practical course only. 
I have tried to employ those principles within my driving and find it has helped me become more aware of what clowns there are driving.

Soul Kitchen wrote:
I have tried to employ those principles within my driving and find it has helped me become more aware of what clowns there are driving.

Were you looking in the mirror at the time?

If people are seriously interested in improving their driving they should consider doing an IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) course. I did one about a year ago and found it very helpful.

Natasha Whittam wrote:It would be simpler to ban men from driving if you want to make the roads safer. They all see their car as a penis extension.

This is true. I recently changed mine, and now have a 3 litre, V6 penis, and yes, its red, and accelerates like shit off a shovel.

I'm now 64, passed my motorbike test in 1968, and car test in 1974, in Cyprus with the military.  Never had a crunch that was my fault, (had two otherwise), and would point out that statistics indicate that the most dangerous/accident prone drivers, on the road are the youngsters.
Uummm, forgot what I was going to say next 

Xmiles, not being funny, but how old are you ? I ask as its usually the older driver that is interested enough to do this course, (so I've been told)

gloswhite wrote:Xmiles, not being funny, but how old are you ? I ask as its usually the older driver that is interested enough to do this course, (so I've been told)

I'm 64. You're right it is mainly older drivers that do this although IAM is encouraging younger drivers to get involved.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

Soul Kitchen wrote:
I have tried to employ those principles within my driving and find it has helped me become more aware of what clowns there are driving.

Were you looking in the mirror at the time?

Why would I want to look in the mirror when I'm driving?