Older drivers should be spared prosecution

[Jocko]

Older drivers should be spared prosecution if they run red lights, drive too slowly or go in the wrong motorway lane, a government-funded road safety report has recommended.
The Older Drivers Task Force says assessments of driving skills should be offered to all motorists aged 70 and above in the UK who are caught committing offences – instead of facing legal penalties.

Seems like a reasonable idea. Then they can go on to be culled by pulling out of a country lane onto an A road and getting sideswiped by a fast car, as so often seems to be the case. Another two deaths in Scotland this week appears to be that scenario.

[Toptek]

Unfortunately, sometime ago, two youngsters in a corsa crossed the T of two audi drivers racing down a three lane A road near us and died.
Images in the local newspaper showed the debris including engines strewn across the road. I suspect the corsa either didn't see them or they were so far away that the driver perceived the gap was safe to pull out.
I get spooked by the aggressive driving  culture as I see it, I don't drive much but notice drivers drive at the limit to junctions and hit the brakes hard which causes me to swerve due to reflex action..

[culzean]

Older drivers should be spared prosecution if they run red lights, drive too slowly or go in the wrong motorway lane, a government-funded road safety report has recommended.
The Older Drivers Task Force says assessments of driving skills should be offered to all motorists aged 70 and above in the UK who are caught committing offences – instead of facing legal penalties.

Seems like a reasonable idea. Then they can go on to be culled by pulling out of a country lane onto an A road and getting sideswiped by a fast car, as so often seems to be the case. Another two deaths in Scotland this week appears to be that scenario.

I am always shocked by cars in side turnings that wait at the line until you are almost upon them and then pull out,  They have waited quite a while at the line - and could have safely pulled out earlier, they wait long enough for you to think that they have seen you and won't pull out, so what is happening ?  In anything but perfect visibility i will have my dipped headlights on, so should be easy to see.  Another thing is, many vehicles that cut out on you from junctions and make you brake often go less than a mile and turn off, normally turning right so that they stop you again... It normally seems to be old drivers with hats on - I was told many years ago by a taxi driver to be aware of drivers in hats, they often do unexpected things, he told me to stay well back from them.

As soon as I got my new motorbike the first thing I did was fit a pair of 10watt LED spotlights onto handlebars and change the headlight to LED bulb, the most common motorbike accident is a SMIDSY 'sorry mate i didn't see you'  - there are all sorts of tactics in bike magazines for making you more visible, some say you should weave from side to side when approaching a junction or wear a hi-vis coat.  I tried a hi-vis bib but the reflection in the instrument glass was so bad I couldn't see anything.  Extra lights are the way to be seen on a motorbike, and are not expensive and are easy to fit.

[TnTkr]

I was told many years ago by a taxi driver to be aware of drivers in hats, they often do unexpected things, he told me to stay well back from them.

I've heard the same and followed the advice.

[Jocko]

I had a woman pull out of a parking place right in front of me once, despite headlight on and hi-vis waterproofs. 50 yards up the road she had to stop at traffic lights so I rolled alongside her and rapped on her window. She near sh1t a brick, jumping in her seat. As she rolled her window down I said "I take it I am not big enough (185 cm and at that time 22 stone) or bright enough to see". She was full of apologies. Luckily I was ready for her but a less experienced biker could have been right into her door. Miss the bike, it was great fun.

[richardfrost]

It normally seems to be old drivers with hats on - I was told many years ago by a taxi driver to be aware of drivers in hats, they often do unexpected things, he told me to stay well back from them.

I often wear a hat for this exact reason, so people stay back. I also keep a £5 raffia trilby on my rer seat headrest on plain sight for the days I don't wear a hat. At 60, I don't yet consider myself old though.

[Neil Ives]

I understood that most serious accidents were from younger drivers, not us olduns.

[Jocko]

Yes, but there are a terrible lot of fatal accidents in Scotland involving old couples being T-boned joining main roads. I think it is just not being able to assess the speed of the approaching vehicle.
I think that explains a lot regarding drivers who sit for a spell before pulling out in front of you. They are just trying to figure how fast you are approaching and they cannot do that until you are almost on them.
For the record, I am 73 and speaking from experience.

[richardfrost]

Sideways pointing radar would be a huge benefit here, giving an analysis of approach speed, distance and therefore opportunity to pull out. In my opinion, that would be a lot more useful than blind spot detection.

[Neil Ives]

To state the bleedin obvious, people drive at inappropriate speeds.

One example : driving through a supermarket carpark at batshit crazy speed when any sensible person should realise that families of pedestrians are likely to be crossing the lanes. What is going on in the drivers brain?

I wonder if in the future, constant speed monitoring will be the norm.

[madasafish]

I was told many years ago by a taxi driver to be aware of drivers in hats, they often do unexpected things, he told me to stay well back from them.

I've heard the same and followed the advice.

I resemble that remark. 

At 74 years old and bald I need a hat in cold windy weather. If I took it off in the car, I might lose it  (the hat that is, not my marbles - they are long gone) 

[Kremmen]

I was told similar, beware the '3 F's on the road'

Unfortunately the PC brigade would complain if I expanded

[culzean]

I understood that most serious accidents were from younger drivers, not us olduns.

Rather than total accidents per age group it needs data on 'accidents per mile driven per year' - I think older people cover a lot fewer miles than younger people, and mainly in daylight ( many do this because they are visually impaired and cannot drive in low visibility conditions ) - so would expect accidents for oldies to be lower.  Many oldies will say 'I don't have many accidents but I see loads', as their mono-speeding antics annoy the bejasus out of other road users and result in risky overtakes.     Before I retired I said to her indoors ( who retired before me ) that I would be glad to get out of rush-hour traffic and onto quieter, less congested times of day - she laughed and told me I had a shock coming,  and she was right - too many people around in the daytime going very slowly and behaving erratically, added to tractors, cyclists etc..

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022437517307600

[Neil Ives]

'too many people around in the daytime going very slowly and behaving erratically, added to tractors, cyclists etc..'


If you are following me you are doing the speed limit, stopping at amber traffic lights, (if it's safe to do so) and generally looking for potential hazards. You will also know what I'm going to do next because I'll be signalling. 

[Jocko]

I love driving through Edinburgh city centre where you have miles of 20 mph zones. End up with a huge queue of cars behind me as I stick bang-on 20 mph.