Indicators - what are they for ????

[Mervyn and Trish]

I have to admit if I am at a junction I don't always indicate.

No problem with that Foxy. I did my advanced test (and passed) and the training was that you checked all round, including your mirrors, and signalled if there was someone who would benefit, or if in doubt. If there was clearly no-one around they took it as poor observation to signal unnecessarily.

[Dark Knight]

the standard of driving in the UK is dreadful
I drive about 250 -300 miles a day and you would not believe some of the stuff I see on a daily basis

people reading the paper whilst driving
people on phones
men using electric razors to shave while driving
people eating and drinking
people using I pads when driving

the list goes on

and Yes, Stephen, a lot of cars including mine have daylight running lights but NO Fr*gging lights on the back of the car
I saw one last week, it was dark, foggy and raining and this d**khead in a grey car stuck in the middle lane with no lights on
everyone was flashing him, beeping horns , gesticulating etc and he was oblivious but he did have 2 tiny lights on the front, so I assume he must have thought they would protect him when a 44 tonne truck ploughed through him, due to him being invisible from more than 10 yards away

And old people are by far the worst drivers and anyone over 70 should take a compulsory driving test every 3 years, don't care if it upsets folk, based on driving 40-50,000 miles a year it is true, they are a danger to others and should be scrutinised much more heavily to see if they are fit to drive

Rant over

[Mervyn and Trish]

And old people are by far the worst drivers and anyone over 70 should take a compulsory driving test every 3 years, don't care if it upsets folk, based on driving 40-50,000 miles a year it is true, they are a danger to others and should be scrutinised much more heavily to see if they are fit to drive

Rant over

A sweeping generalisation Batty, but if you insert the odd "some" in your point I'd agree.

[suespud]

the standard of driving in the UK is dreadful
I drive about 250 -300 miles a day and you would not believe some of the stuff I see on a daily basis

people reading the paper whilst driving
people on phones
men using electric razors to shave while driving
people eating and drinking
people using I pads when driving

the list goes on

and Yes, Stephen, a lot of cars including mine have daylight running lights but NO Fr*gging lights on the back of the car
I saw one last week, it was dark, foggy and raining and this d**khead in a grey car stuck in the middle lane with no lights on
everyone was flashing him, beeping horns , gesticulating etc and he was oblivious but he did have 2 tiny lights on the front, so I assume he must have thought they would protect him when a 44 tonne truck ploughed through him, due to him being invisible from more than 10 yards away

And old people are by far the worst drivers and anyone over 70 should take a compulsory driving test every 3 years, don't care if it upsets folk, based on driving 40-50,000 miles a year it is true, they are a danger to others and should be scrutinised much more heavily to see if they are fit to drive

Rant over

I totally agree about older drivers being tested.
I,and the baby I had in my arms were nearly wiped out by an 83 year old driver who didn't see me standing next to my car, at dusk under a street light.
He eventually admitted he was at fault, but still was allowed to drive.

[Dark Knight]

Merv

I stand by my point 100%
older people's eyesight, reflexes, reaction times etc are far worse than younger people, glasses wearers accepted of course
a 70-80 year old persons reaction times are far slower than a younger person, thus having less time to react or less to avoid causing or being part of an accident
the list goes on
this is very much a case of "it is my right to do as a I want" yet again rather than accepting that old people are old and cannot function as well as they did 20/30/40 years ago and their faculties have diminished
so why can't they accept they are not fit to drive and have respect for others rather than being selfish and arrogant and putting people lives at risk on a daily basis?

[Silver_Shiney]

Merv

I stand by my point 100%
older people's eyesight, reflexes, reaction times etc are far worse than younger people, glasses wearers accepted of course
a 70-80 year old persons reaction times are far slower than a younger person, thus having less time to react or less to avoid causing or being part of an accident
the list goes on
this is very much a case of "it is my right to do as a I want" yet again rather than accepting that old people are old and cannot function as well as they did 20/30/40 years ago and their faculties have diminished
so why can't they accept they are not fit to drive and have respect for others rather than being selfish and arrogant and putting people lives at risk on a daily basis?

As a trainee older person, I agree

[Jan Rosser]

Merv

I stand by my point 100%
older people's eyesight, reflexes, reaction times etc are far worse than younger people, glasses wearers accepted of course
a 70-80 year old persons reaction times are far slower than a younger person, thus having less time to react or less to avoid causing or being part of an accident
the list goes on
this is very much a case of "it is my right to do as a I want" yet again rather than accepting that old people are old and cannot function as well as they did 20/30/40 years ago and their faculties have diminished
so why can't they accept they are not fit to drive and have respect for others rather than being selfish and arrogant and putting people lives at risk on a daily basis?

As a trainee older person, I agree

Me too Shiney boy - Batty is 100% right - I'm not going to argue with anything he says

[suespud]

Merv

I stand by my point 100%
older people's eyesight, reflexes, reaction times etc are far worse than younger people, glasses wearers accepted of course
a 70-80 year old persons reaction times are far slower than a younger person, thus having less time to react or less to avoid causing or being part of an accident
the list goes on
this is very much a case of "it is my right to do as a I want" yet again rather than accepting that old people are old and cannot function as well as they did 20/30/40 years ago and their faculties have diminished
so why can't they accept they are not fit to drive and have respect for others rather than being selfish and arrogant and putting people lives at risk on a daily basis?

Totally agree again...

Any responsible driver should accept this.

[Manoverboard]

Tis nought but generalised codswallop ... as per usual

ps ... good luck tomorrow.

[GillD46]

I completely agree about older drivers. My late father in law, was still driving at 91 - in LONDON! We had tried for years to get him to stop, going as far as contacting the DVLA about him and the 4 accidents he had in his last year of life! They wrote to his GP who asked him if he felt capable of driving still, of course he said he could! But we had driven behind him on several occasions and he was appalling bad.

Thankfully, a fratured hip stopped him at 91 1/2 then he put himself in a Care Home, and died. While very sad, we were so pleased he wasn't on the roads any more.

[Frank Manning]

As a 73 year old member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, and someone who passed the IAM test just a year ago, I think members of IAMs who are tested regularly should be exempt from DK's suggestion. It is far harder to pass the IAMs test than the standard driving test. We are taught to use all three mirrors correctly to signal correctly, and to drive at the highest safe speed permitted by the law (and no higher!). To do a commentary drive at all times even if mentally. Positioning on the road for corners, steering, correct use of gears and changing gear and braking at the correct times.

I can assure DK that my current driving standard is well above that which I exhibited when doing 35.000 to 40,000 miles per year in project sales.

On a more rationl note, it is young drivers of both genders who are dangerous round here, they regularly flout lane discipline, speed limits, and usually signal only when they are not distracted by the musiv in the car, their passenger friends, mobile phones, te list goes on. many truck drivers drive too fast, read a paper while driving, have one hand on the wheel if at all (I have seen them steering with their forearms while eating a pie. Just picking on older drivers is muddying the waters of road safety.

[Silver_Shiney]

As a 73 year old member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, and someone who passed the IAM test just a year ago, I think members of IAMs who are tested regularly should be exempt from DK's suggestion. It is far harder to pass the IAMs test than the standard driving test. We are taught to use all three mirrors correctly to signal correctly, and to drive at the highest safe speed permitted by the law (and no higher!). To do a commentary drive at all times even if mentally. Positioning on the road for corners, steering, correct use of gears and changing gear and braking at the correct times.

I can assure DK that my current driving standard is well above that which I exhibited when doing 35.000 to 40,000 miles per year in project sales.

On a more rationl note, it is young drivers of both genders who are dangerous round here, they regularly flout lane discipline, speed limits, and usually signal only when they are not distracted by the musiv in the car, their passenger friends, mobile phones, te list goes on. many truck drivers drive too fast, read a paper while driving, have one hand on the wheel if at all (I have seen them steering with their forearms while eating a pie. Just picking on older drivers is muddying the waters of road safety.

It seems to me, Frank, that you are actually conforming to DK's suggestion!

[Stephen]

Chelsea chariots and the elderly..........not a good mix.

I had a classic case this morning.

Dropped wife off at the doctors, came out the side road with parked cars lining the other side of the road, BUT with a gap plenty big enough for anyone with half a brain to pull in allowing the oncoming driver (me) to pass. But Ohhhhh no. Chelsea Charlie comes hurtling along thinking I'll muscle my way through. Unfortunately for him it didn't work as we all came to grid lock.
The silly old duffer then couldn't back up because the person behind popped into the gap he should have used, and I couldn't back up as I had vehicles behind me. Widows were then wound down and words exchanged. And of course it was completely my fault for driving along my side of the road and not mounting the pavement to allow him past. He then said he couldn't see me coming towards him. WHAT! he's sitting up in the clouds probably with a clear view of Gibraltar and telling me he couldn't see me. Spec savers springs to mind.

He did seem a little put out though (snigger snigger) when I told him 'typical of you Chelsea chariot drivers' ...etc etc

[Manoverboard]

As a 73 year old member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, and someone who passed the IAM test just a year ago, I think members of IAMs who are tested regularly should be exempt from DK's suggestion. It is far harder to pass the IAMs test than the standard driving test. We are taught to use all three mirrors correctly to signal correctly, and to drive at the highest safe speed permitted by the law (and no higher!). To do a commentary drive at all times even if mentally. Positioning on the road for corners, steering, correct use of gears and changing gear and braking at the correct times.

I can assure DK that my current driving standard is well above that which I exhibited when doing 35.000 to 40,000 miles per year in project sales.

On a more rationl note, it is young drivers of both genders who are dangerous round here, they regularly flout lane discipline, speed limits, and usually signal only when they are not distracted by the musiv in the car, their passenger friends, mobile phones, te list goes on. many truck drivers drive too fast, read a paper while driving, have one hand on the wheel if at all (I have seen them steering with their forearms while eating a pie. Just picking on older drivers is muddying the waters of road safety.

Exactly my early, albeit a tad succinct, point to DK

[Dark Knight]

Mobyplod

are you seriously going to stand by your rather inane view, that a person of 70 or over has the reflexes and reaction time of a 30 yr old
or that they have the same eyesight or hearing as a person 30 years younger,
sounds to me like you are exactly the kind of person who thinks they are above reproach and they can do as they see fit and refuse to acknowledge that laws of physics, chemistry and biology or that they are in fact getting old?

sound like naught but selfish, arrogance to me

[Onelife]

Hiya vapoupuffer,

Your points about impaired elderly drivers are well made but when all things considered 'they' even with their imperments are far less a driving hazzard imo then the young idiots who morph into Jason Button everytime they get behind the driving wheel.

I personally believe most elderly drivers drive within the confines of their driving ability once reaching those twighlight years and in most instances are no more a risk than drivers who take chances. That being said l do on occassions find myself winding down the widow and shouting...' You stupid old sod' to those who are doing 20mph in a 30mph zone

Naah, leave things as they are and let the old buggers have a bit of independence.

Regards

Keith

[Stephen]

Your more polite than me Keith.

I'm thinking of getting one of the 'old' type land rovers, the one with the front bumper that looks like it's a steel girder. I can then without fear of damage to my vehicle jolly along the coffin dodgers that are sitting on four cushions peering between the wooden steering wheel spokes doing 20mph in their pride and joy Austin seven........bless'm

Yes, I know I'll be ancient and decrepit one day.........next week. But hopefully I'll know when to hang up the driving gloves and put the cushions back on the sofa

[Dark Knight]

Aww Keefy lardarse
you are far too kind
perhaps my cynicism is borne out of driving 250 miles everyday and being amazed how some people survive to reach 70 plus never mind still driving when they cant even get upstairs without help

[david63]

The point about "older" drivers is to some extent valid but not necessarily always true.

• Hearing is probably deteriorating.
• Eyesight may be deteriorating but arguably it could be said that with regular (free) eye tests that it is better than many "younger" drivers.
• Reaction time does get slower but in many cases this is compensated by experience.

[Manoverboard]

70 year olds, DK, certainly do NOT have many of the more desirable attributes of a younger person but they will generally be more inclined to drive within their limitations and have far greater experience. There's a very big difference between a young 70 year old and an old 80 year old when at the wheel of a car and that's for sure.

The ladies take most of the flack but Mobietta, just one example, is just about 70 and has driven hundreds of thousands of miles without having had an accident, she has guaranteed lifetime no claims bonus protection and yet is on balance a fast driver. A good driver, imo, is one who can anticipate rather than react which is what many of the younger ones have to do most of the time due to a lack of expertise.

The boy/girl racer 30/40 year old types can be a real menace in our neck of the woods, they charge round the single track roads / blind bends / narrow bridges in the countryside in their BMWs trying to crack yet another sales target and it is deffo they who cause most of the accidents ... probably, imo, because they only really know how to drive on Motorways or dual ( or is it duel ) carriageways where speed and slick manoeuvres is/are all important.

Having said that there are a few duffers about who absolutely should not be on the roads, even country roads where there is far less traffic as a general rule.

[Dark Knight]

sales reps in BMW's area whole new thread, as are blondes in Audi's or BMW's

but I admit I might have been a tad over zealous about oldies, due to the fact one nearly caused a massive pile up when he pulled out from the inside to the 4th lane in one go without looking at about 55 mph

[Not so ancient mariner]

Lets face it: - there are muppets of all ages whose driving leads a lot to be desired.

As my father used to say "Any fool can drive - and most of them do!"

[Dancing Queen]

It's quite foggy here this morning, I've just been out and can't believe how many idiots haven't got their lights on, I had to park on a main road so I was checking my mirrors for when it was safe to alight and just when I thought it was another of the said 'idiots' would emerge from the fog without lights on .. sorry I was too busy looking after my own safety to notice if they were 'old people' but I somehow think not

[Manoverboard]

So ... knowing the danger why didn't you park on the other side of the main road, thus enabling you to alight safely on the footpath

[GillD46]

Surely in poor visibility you should park in the direction of the traffic? That is what I was taught.