Driving in general is atrocious with a general disregard for anyone and everyone else on the road.
Sorry to burst your bubble but it sounds just like anyone driving on the road in the UK...
Let's talk about road rage killings, and general anti social road behavior over there in the uk...
A driving test does not make a driver right ;)
Try Australia if you want to see seriously polite driving.
Andrew :)
Try Australia if you want to see seriously polite driving.
The nation that gave us Mad Max and The Cars That Ate Paris?
Try Australia if you want to see seriously polite driving.
The nation that gave us Mad Max and The Cars That Ate Paris?
THAT was was the joke between Emily and I, it was amazing and aside from some crazy moments with peeps on m/c's everyone has manners...and there's no tolerance for speeding (apparently)..
Andrew
My kid sister moved to just outside Melbourne about six weeks ago - she said it's just like driving in England only with big honking muscle cars. Apparently her bloke just took some massive Holden out of storage and she loves it. Everyone uses turn signals and knows what a roundabout is... which is a vast improvement over Vegas.
Apparently her bloke just took some massive Holden out of storage and she loves it.
The new Pontiac GTO is an Australian Holden Monaro in disguise.
McZipster has a point about UK driving. To be honest, I now find UK drivers to be rude, arrogant and over-confident compared to the manners and driving abilities I see in my part of Oregon.
A like-for-like comparison, IMO, would be to compare drivers around London with drivers around Sacramento - that was pretty even really.
Sorry to burst your bubble but it sounds just like anyone driving on the road in the UK...
Would this be the same UK you've spent about five days in (most likely being a miserable bugger) for the past 15 years? You must be an expert then. :wink:
My only problem with UK driving is when I go back to Cornwall and have to drive on the one lane roads with high hedges, no visibility and "passing places". There's always some bloody local behind me trying to go 50mph because they know the road loike the back of their 'and.
Having now been back in the UK for a little over 6 months and having spent the last 3 weeks back in the US and having driven close to 3,000 miles, I have to say that IMO the driving standard in the US is far lower than in the UK - people have little or no regard for any traffic signals, lanes, don't know how to use turning signals and spend far too much time on their cell phones (illegal but not unheard of in the UK) or drinking their Skinny, Tall, Tazo Chai, Iced, Mocha Whipped Latte!!!!!!
In comparison to the UK, the smaller roads mean people generally are more spacially aware (bcos they need to be) and don't think they own the road bcos they have an SUV (although the school mother crowd are doing this more frequently).
I feel safer driving in the UK bcos I have some idea of what people might actually do on the road (and it's not bcos I've spent most of my driving life there), where as in the States it seems that on occasions anything goes........
As for the original question, I do think older people react slower and therefore can be more dangerous on the road and in some cases have a harder time recognising their dimnishing abilities (which is understandbale........
I totally agree that the elderly should have medical opinion behind them if they want to drive, but I also feel very strongly that they really need to tighten up on road safety in general, starting with a proper driving test.
BULLSHIT
_________________Why should somebody who is say * 65* have to get a doctors clearance to drive if they have no history of accidents or bad driving behavour ??
.who would set the rules ?
why should a person of a certain age be subjected to rules that dont apply to anyone else unless there are troubling circunstances like a accident ??
most states you have to renew every so many years and have to certify your health as far as eyesight and capacity to handle a car goes .
now you want to bring in a doctor to .more fucking red tape ...
There are no stats as far as i know that shows the average * senior * drives dangerously and has more accidents than a teenager or a middle aged adult .
There is no doubt that your speed to react slows down as you get older (even in athletes it shows in a few years ) but you can compensate for that by experince and sence of responsiblilty the younger teen driver doesnt have that , why pick on the older generation just because of one newpaper articule ??
do you advocate all teenagers should be retested /and get a doctors permission to drive ( they might have bad eyes and slow reation to to ) cus one wraps his car around a tree after a night of drinking and it gets media attention ??
my sight and reaction im sure is not as good as it was years ago and at 68 years old I use a stick to walk, park in a handicaped space , take longer to get in and out of a car than you , and certainly could not compete on a car racing circuit.
I conpensate for that and only drive when i have to .
My last driving infraction was about 25 year ago ,longer that most of you have been driving ..
punish the bad drivers and leave us sensible and carefull seniors ALONE
twisted evil
Go Google it John - you'll find a slew of news stories and papers indicating how much more proportionally elderly drivers have/cause car accidents. It's pretty much an accepted fact now. My grandfather hadn't had an eccident in years either - but you would never have caught me driving anywhere near him. As for teens - they've just had a test and generally have someone else who's responsible for their decisions. Yet they still have lots of accidents. They are probably too young. But that doesn't change the fact that older drivers have/cause more accidents per mile.
The following statistics for NY state for alcohol related accidents show that the 21 to 44 age group are the most likely to be involved in an accident.
http//www.nydmv.state.ny.us/Statistics/alc01-8.htm
I think it is accepted that it is a scientific fact that reaction times slow down the older you get, and part of driving is being able to react and adapt quickly to what might happen so it is almost natural that people will start to suggest that the more mature amonst us should be re-tested to ensure they are able to react......
My grandfather lives in Canada (BC) and is aged 82...I have refused to get in a car with him for the last 13 years, partly bcos I can rent my own car but more importantly bcos I just don't feel safe - he doesn't spot potential hazards on a timely basis and then when he does his reaction times are not quick enough....plus the last time I got in a car with him driving he crashed while reversing out of a space in McDonalds bcos he wasn't looking behind and another driver was also reversing out....
At 82 he is getting old and fortunately recognises his dminishing abilties and is likely to give up driving at the end of this year......
I think it is also safe to assume that alcohol related accidents affect the younger age groups more since they probably drink and go out and party a lot more than the older generation, so this statistic is probably not entirely fair.
I do advocate people being retested once they hit retirement age (65) and every 5 years thereafter - I don't care about the bureaucracy of it or the cost associated with it - the risk is that someone who is not fit to drive will crash and kill themsleves or more importantly someone else............
I think it is also safe to assume that alcohol related accidents affect the younger age groups more since they probably drink and go out and party a lot more than the older generation, so this statistic is probably not entirely fair.
Certainly not fair to the killed and injured.
While I entirely agree that older drivers may have more fender benders in parking lots, they are not generally accidents that cause injury or death.
It's speed and drinking that cause most deadly accidents. That type of driving is more often related to younger ( under 50) drivers.
I believe that there should be random tests at any age. Most older drivers are aware of their slower reactions and drive accordingly. They also tend to drive at or below the speed limit.
Keith
I really don't think that my message implied that I thought it acceptable or fair for anyone to be killed or injured regardless of age and I strongly resent that implication.
Speed and alcohol, yes they kill. Incidentally, my Grandfather got a ticket for speeding last year bcos he had not realised he had gone from one speed limit to another bcos he hadn't seen or acknowledged the sign so it's not just young people.
It is very easy for the young to blame the old and vice versa.
Go Google it John - you'll find a slew of news stories and papers indicating how much more proportionally elderly drivers have/cause car accidents. It's pretty much an accepted fact now. My grandfather hadn't had an eccident in years either - but you would never have caught me driving anywhere near him. As for teens - they've just had a test and generally have someone else who's responsible for their decisions. Yet they still have lots of accidents. They are probably too young. But that doesn't change the fact that older drivers have/cause more accidents per mile.
you the one whos making the statement that THERE is stats thats back up your claim taht elderly drivers cause a dispoportionate number af accidents not ME.
WHY DONT YOU post the facts you came up with when you googled it and im talking about STATS not some newpaper reporter who is out for a story and gives an opinion.
.
i
I think it is also safe to assume that alcohol related accidents affect the younger age groups more since they probably drink and go out and party a lot more than the older generation, so this statistic is probably not entirely fair.
Certainly not fair to the killed and injured.
While I entirely agree that older drivers may have more fender benders in parking lots, they are not generally accidents that cause injury or death.
It's speed and drinking that cause most deadly accidents. That type of driving is more often related to younger ( under 50) drivers.
*I believe that there should be random tests at any age*. Most older drivers are aware of their slower reactions and drive accordingly. They also tend to drive at or below the speed limit.
Random tests at any age for everyone or when somebody thou accident history or careless driving shows a need for it .
Yes i agree.
but NOT as the poster pointed out JUST becuase they happen to be a senior citizen , any more then they should be re tested just because they happen to be a teen and the stats show a dispropotionate number of accidents are related to teen drivers and achohol.