So, a old friend 88 years young had a hip replacement done and duly discharged from hospital. Bit later able to drive, and rear ended by someone , car written off, As he had some problems using the clutch his daughter said get an auto. Did so and when coming to a stop pressed the imaginary clutch pedal and rear ended someone writing off his new car. Went and bought another car (manual with a light clutch) and then fell over and fractured his femur..
Wanna buy a nearly new car cheap Orb... Err no thanks.
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Pity he didn’t have the good sense to know the time had come to stop driving.
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>> Pity he didn’t have the good sense to know the time had come to stop
>> driving.
>>
Exactly! Rather stupid and irresponsible
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I ask myself whether I will pack up driving if my capacity to do so declines.
I then wonder at what point will I believe my ability has deteriorated to the point I need to stop. I may no lnger have the eyesight and reactions of a 20 year old, but I have over 50 years largely accident free driving experience.
Many simply blame someone or something else - other drivers, poor car design, rubbish road layout, lack of signs etc etc etc. Admitting personal accountability is the final option.
It is easy to be self rightoeus and insist that to carry on driving would be irresponsible. I have no desire to kill or injure anyone through my inadequate use of a car.
However I will honestly admit that it would take repeated prangs (effectively becoming uninsurable) or very seriously failing health (eg: eyesight) before I would willingly give up the freedom a car allows.
Last edited by: Terry on Sat 6 Dec 25 at 12:03
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>> However I will honestly admit that it would take repeated prangs (effectively becoming uninsurable) or
>> very seriously failing health (eg: eyesight) before I would willingly give up the freedom a
>> car allows.
>>
BUT the first accident wasn;t his fault and he had the 1st car for 14 years without accident. It's after the at fault accident he reverted to a maual and now after breaking a Femur he IS giving up driving.
Where has he been bad in all that.
He offered me the car, ( a nearly new Skoda) but I'm ok car wise.
Let he who casts the first stone.....be
Last edited by: ORB>> on Sat 6 Dec 25 at 12:19
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How do you rear end someone by hitting the imaginary clutch pedal? The usual thing is the hit the brake pedal much too hard and stop very abruptly. I've done it myself - when I was much younger!
Herself has just chosen to have a new car, on the basis that if her existing one might not have 'seen her out' she would be better off adapting to a different car now (at a very capable 76) than she might be in several years' time. That said she has been driving automatics since 2002 so she doesn't have that aspect to cope with. She switches between her car and the automatic Outlander easily enough.
I'm 72 and drive different cars quite regularly, including our own manual and two automatics. I will be very reluctant to stop driving, but I can imagine it. I bet I'm not the only one who will admit to finding night driving more challenging - the reduced dynamic range of older eyes makes it difficult to see any detail in shadows in the face of oncoming headlamps, especially 'nodding' LEDs/xenons which are a menace.
If I have a choice I prefer the Outlander to either the MX-5 or the Mazda 2 at night. Being higher up means I am less dazzled.
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> I'm 72 and drive different cars quite regularly, including our own manual and two automatics.
>> I will be very reluctant to stop driving, but I can imagine it. I bet
>> I'm not the only one who will admit to finding night driving more challenging -
>> the reduced dynamic range of older eyes makes it difficult to see any detail in
>> shadows in the face of oncoming headlamps, especially 'nodding' LEDs/xenons which are a menace.
>>
>> If I have a choice I prefer the Outlander to either the MX-5 or the
>> Mazda 2 at night. Being higher up means I am less dazzled.
>>
One of our neighbours is the same age, he's knocked driving at night on the head now. Rain, poor street lighting and very bright leds means he just isn't confident he said at night.
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>> I bet
>> I'm not the only one who will admit to finding night driving more challenging -
>> the reduced dynamic range of older eyes makes it difficult to see any detail in
>> shadows in the face of oncoming headlamps, especially 'nodding' LEDs/xenons which are a menace.
>>
>>
I'm a year older than you and I've stopped driving at night. Possibly if a developing cataract is removed I might start again, but it won't particularly bother me if I don't.
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>> Let he who casts the first stone.....be
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone (John 8:7)
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>>
>> Let he who is without sin cast the first stone (John 8:7)
>>
“He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
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>> >> Pity he didn’t have the good sense to know the time had come to
>> stop
>> >> driving.
>> >>
>> Exactly! Rather stupid and irresponsible
Afraid thats part of the aging process, you need someone to take a firm attitude
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A lot of elderly drivers know that they should stop driving but don’t really want to admit it to themselves or to others. Some frank talking by their family is needed. Hopefully new eyesight tests will be the excuse needed for some to admit they shouldn’t be driving.
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A lot of people give up by degrees.
My Mother tootled around home in Leeds but other than going to Scarborough or Keswick she rarely drove further afield.
After moving to the Midlands she rarely went further than a nearby village with Waitrose, and eventually gave up altogether in her early eighties.
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>> A lot of elderly drivers know that they should stop driving but don’t really want
>> to admit it to themselves or to others. Some frank talking by their family is
>> needed. Hopefully new eyesight tests will be the excuse needed for some to admit they
>> shouldn’t be driving.
>>
Wasn't there a pensioner that killed 2/3 other pensioners after ignoring all advice to stop driving? I think it was somewhere in Lancashire that brought all this to the public arena.
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>> Hopefully new eyesight tests will be the excuse needed for some to admit they
>> shouldn’t be driving.
Certainly prompted me to have my cataracts done, and have my eyesight corrected.
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Had my mince pies tested a few days ago…only minimal deterioration in the past two years. Given the all clear to continue driving:-) and despite my age, i’m not unduly bothered by oncoming headlights at night, unlike two friends. They still drive during hours of darkness, but only when necessary.
I’m still more than happy driving on my two annual continental road trips, lack of confidence isn’t an issue, probably too confident.
Very narrow roads through the back streets of villages don’t phase me, nor the manic tunnels of Bilbao & Madrid, but I’m sure the time will come…auto or manual, happy with either.
I only get annoyed trying to find out how to turn off lane deviation and the bongs when exceeding the speed limit in hire cars…120kph up the AP7. Pff…
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The joys of aging. - CGNorwich
