We will force you to drive an auto, that should kill you off.
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At an advanced age, people are so reluctant to give up what they consider to be a major part of their personal freedom and sense of independence. The lady opposite me was driving in her late 80s and often had to call me to let her handbrake off or get the Metro back into the garage. If only they would think carefully about how little they use their cars, how small a distance they travel when they do use them, and how much cheaper it would be for them to hire taxis when they need them (or, indeed, ask favours of neighbours, as I have invited them to do).
In any event, the present system by which they are denied a driving licence only on their doctor's initiative (have I got that right?) should change into formal driving-specific annual medical tests from 75 onwards, I reckon, if not earlier.
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As others have written, this can't be done fairly by age alone.
An elderly neighbour in his late sixties or early seventies used to rev his Metro 1275 Blue Rinse Special to the limit of what it would physically achieve - no rev limiter of course to protect the engine - on crawling away from rest. The owner of a cherished and tuned MG Metro myself at the time, I used to wince at the punishment being given to the engine and clutch. Thankfully, after six months or so the car cried "enough" and it wasn't replaced.
In contrast, to put gender and age bias to bed in one swoop, my sixty six year old mother drives with tactile skill and intelligent application of good observation that shames the majority of drivers at the peak of their "ability". She's not a dawdler in the process, either!
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>>In contrast, to put gender and age bias to bed in one swoop, my sixty six year old mother drives with tactile skill and intelligent application of good observation that shames the majority of drivers at the peak of their "ability". She's not a dawdler in the process, either!
I know someone who is even older than that who is equally as proficient and regularly commutes up to 100 miles or more in times as good as you or I could manage. I've never had any qualms about being driven by her whether near or far.
You can gain an idea of her age by the fact that her father celebrates his 100th birthday later this month...:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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There shouldn't be any arbitrary age to stop driving.
There should be a full re-test every 5 years for all drivers. Most drivers admit that they don't drive well enough to pass a test, if they're honest with themselves.
This would remove licences from older drivers as their abilities desert them and get some of the younger "think-they-know-it-all - but-don't" drivers off the road as well.
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A good idea but a logistical nightmare, how many tests would have to be taken every year?
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A good idea but a logistical nightmare, how many tests would
have to be taken every year? >>
The very point I made in another thread recently.
There are just under 33m vehicles on our roads and, excluding the households with more than one vehicle, there must be at least 25m drivers.
Just work out how many tests that would represent weekly on top of the standard driving test...:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Add ten to your age. Everyone over that age is by definition an old duffer and ought to be put in a home.
Subtract ten, and they are all reckless accident-prone tearaways who ought to stick to push-bikes until they have grown up a bit.
In between are experienced, safe, competent, boring drivers like me, who ought to be rewarded with 90% no claims bonuses.
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>In between are experienced, safe, competent, boring drivers like me, who ought to be rewarded with 90% no claims bonuses.>>
Only 90 per cent?
It's a pity there are so very, very few who exhibit your standard of driving on our roads these days....:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Do not underestimate the difficulty of convincing an older person the merits of giving up driving (there are very few merits for the person in question). I have been through the situation with my mother who has Alzheimer's. It is incredibly hard to say "you should not drive" to someone who has driven for 50 years and had few accidents (even if she has probably nearly caused about a 100 accidents by not paying attention but that is a separate issue).
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Do not underestimate the difficulty of convincing an older person the merits of giving up driving (there are very few merits for the person in question). I have been through the situation with my mother who has Alzheimer's. It is incredibly hard to say "you should not drive" to someone who has driven for 50 years and had few accidents (even if she has probably nearly caused about a 100 accidents by not paying attention but that is a separate issue).
Couldn't agree more. Similar to trying to convince an elderly person that they should move to a smaller house - you're on to a loser.
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