Driving as we get older.

[Lizzie48]

I hope this works, I was reading in the news last week about an elderly (90+) man in the uk that took a wrong slip road on the motorway and a young man was killed, the young mans mother is trying to get a law passed to stop these elderly drivers. I was amazed to read that there are no health checks like we have to have here, from 75 years of age we have to have health checks, these cannot be done by our own doctors and they are very thorough! This happens each 5 years, above 80 years they are much stricter, many having to pass the test again if they hope to carry on driving.

A man from the art group, he is still in his 60's, he had a slight bleeding to the brain a year or so ago, he hadn't driven since even though he could have done, he went to have a driving test last week, he didn't pass, he said it made his realise to not give it another try, he could apply for a second test. It also made him realise that many are driving with the same problem! I was telling him about the UK and that you have to fill the form in yourself, unbelievable.

[Gemini]

You do occasionally hear of case like this. It's awful. Some drivers carry on long after they are fit to.

Lizzie, we have to renew our driving licence from 70. I'm not sure if its every 3 years?
We have to fill in a form declaring we don't have certain conditions, as you say.

My auntie was told it wasn't wise to drive when her macular degeneration got to a certain stage. She literally didn't drive from that day on, she sold her car. If everyone was sensible like her and the art group man Lizzie it would be OK.

[Oma]

Yes you fill a form in online , no medical
I think there are many who are well capable of driving well into their old age ,
But as we grow older our reflexes eyesight ect are not as sharp as it was.

I stopped driving several years ago , I just didn't feel safe . No bumps or near misses I just became anxious every time I got in the car.
It wasn't worth the stress.
My FIL gave up driving in his late 60's he had night blindness and even with special glasses he wasn't sure
So he sold the car . He drove buses for about 30 years so was a competent driver but he knew it was time to give up.

B is a excellent driver he has a gold certificate for driving , he took a course with the police ,

[Daisy]

My OH says there was a programme on tv this week about older drivers. Did anyone see it?

I do think there should be a driving assessment after a certain age. Road conditions have changed drastically since I learned to drive in the 1960s, and there have been various changes to the Highway Code. I try to keep up to date, but you don't know what you don't know as they say. We also never took a theory or hazard perception test back in the day. The Government website has practice tests which are free.

https://www.gov.uk/take-practice-theory-test

As a matter of interest I've just done the hazard perception test and the driving theory test. Both are free. (Thankfully passed both, but I had to think about a few of the questions.)

[Gemini]

As I was late to driving, I took both Hazzard Awareness and the written theory test. Plus the Under The bonnet questions which came into force between me starting lessons and taking my test.

Those were fine it was the practical which terrified me!

[Daisy]

Gem, I think mot of the changes to the driving test are sensible and hopefully prepare drivers well. When I took it you had to reverse round a corner. Why on earth did they think that was a safe thing to do! Both my GSs have taken their tests in the last couple of years or so and they had to reverse into a parking bay in a car park which is much more useful.

[Gemini]

Daisy when I took my test 20 years ago, you had to do one of 4 manoeuvres in the test. It could be Turn in the road (previously known as 3 point turn) Reverse around a corner, Reverse bay parking or Parallel park. Turn in the road was my preferred one, but of course you don't get to choose

[Daisy]

Gem, I remember my three-point turn in the road very well. It was an unusually wide two lane road with no traffic on it that day. I struggling to get the 3 points in because it was so wide! The main concern was avoiding reversing into a lamp post!

I think we had to parallel park as well as the silly reverse round a corner.

[Gemini]

I hate parallel park the most and never do it!!

[Plantaholic]

Do they still do the emergency stop. I took my test in a lovely Armstrong Siddley (sp), the examiner was so impressed with the car.

[Gemini]

I think they do Plant.

[Oma]

I had to do the reverse around the corner and 3 point turn in a very narrow road , I was told it didn't matter how many turns you took to do it as long as you didn't hit the curb, it took me 4 the tester was impressed as he said it was a very narrow road and expected more,
My emergency stop was a genuine one when going along and a little boy ran out between two cars.
As it happened I saw him and in the back of my mind thought he's going to dart out so I was ready for him.

I had to do a hill start also.

I would do anything to avoid parallel parking I hated it ,
B said I was good at it but I never thought I was , there was always room for improvement,

[Daisy]

Plant, I like your style - what an amazing car to take your test in! Mine was a driving school's very basic Vauxhall Viva.

Oma, thank goodness you spotted that little boy - the possible consequences if you hadn't don't bear thinking about.

Parallel parking seems to be something most of us hate! My DIL1's car has a rearview camera and both reverse and parallel parking are so much easier!

We live in a rather flat part of the country, and there's a rare incline in a road in Southampton with traffic lights at the top. Local learners always say they dread getting a red light there, but it does at least count as a hill start!

[Oma]

Daisy
I think it was pure luck I noticed him as I was concentrating so much on my driving at the time.

My oldest sister passed her test in a Rolls Royce, very posh😄
My uncle taught her to drive in it, he had a wedding car business back in the day and was an excellent teacher .
It was always a score of amusement in our family🤣🤣

[Daisy]

Oma, now that is posh, learning to drive in a Roller!