Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Driving licence at risk..?

The Senned introduced the default 20 rule here in Wales as a means of attempting this drive to zero target. Adding in environment improvement to boost the justification.Then it was left to individual councils to apply resulting in different results on which roads were given the 20. Now, after the backlash, they have moved the onus onto the councils to amend some changes. Carmarthenshire are pretty draconian in traffic calming and their consultation on which roads need re-setting was one of the worst I have seen. It was so obviously biased to be of no use and enable no changes to be the outcome.

Have a look at the official stats https://www.gov.uk/government/stati...reat-britain-older-driver-factsheet-2022

Driver casualties per billion miles driven are as high at 86+ as they are at 17 to 24 for male drivers . For females they are way higher from age 76 onwards. Interesting to note by the way that the figures for female drivers are higher than those for males from age 56 onwards.

When my F-I-L lived in Spain in his later years he was given a driving test every 2 years to make sure he was still safe. Sure it was a test on a video system but still better than the nothing in the UK.

How would you feel, aged 75, if you caused an accident that killed someone simply because you reactions were poor or you were distracted?

We had to take mums driving licence off her a couple of years ago, this was triggered by a mysterious minor bump when she clipped a skip, a few weeks before she'd caught her own gatepost. We'd already been suspicious of her memory and spatial awareness.

Her car was parked on the drive and unfortunately using her spare key (we didn't know she had another 3rd one) she'd pop out, I used to notice it's position was very slightly different, but she vehemently denied it, so I made the car and temptation disappear. Dementia has firmly set in, but she deffo still remembers she drove and will never forgive me as the one who stopped her driving.

It is so sad that you were in this position. We were so very fortunate. Father in law had a minor bump and volunteered to give up driving and my Dad frightened himself one day without hitting anything/ anyone so gave up driving. In my view, Dad could have gone on driving for a couple more years but as it was his idea, we supported him. He saved enough on car running costs to pay for taxis when needed with plenty left over.

We know several people who have been in your position and it is never nice.

One friend had a mum who kept driving for far too long. She always carried her cheque book and any minor parking bump would result in a cheque being left under a wiper blade to pay for the damage. Fortunately, she eventually gave up driving before anyone came to any harm.

We had a similar situation with my father. Strangely it was a relief when dementia and disability kicked in to physically stop him looking for his keys and going for a drive. Thankfully he had no accidents involving other parties or vehicles, though I always said he had a standing order at his local coachworks! He always said he was an excellent driver and couldn't see why he should stop. I only hope I can make the same decision at the right time.

How would you feel if you killed someone at any age driving.?
Sure age can be a factor as per the stats Howard posted,
Don’t know where you live Howard and others but if it’s within the M25 you would see horrific and dangerous driving daily. The standard of driving has deteriorated, not helped by the phone, the congestion and the aggression ( life problems?) and the lack of police enforcement .
Drive at the 20 mph limit and you get angry drivers overtaking dangerously. Centre bollards don’t deter, cars go the wrong side Drivers overtake cars waiting in traffic not realising someone could step out and not look that way as the pedestrian would not expect a car to be on the wrong side of the road . The council had to act to stop this locally by restricting a right turn …..this was outside a school !
I am amazed kat the dangerous driving we witness so regularly and only wish enforcement was ‘confiscation & crush ‘!
Last year a young footballer slammed his Lambo into a wall at some local traffic lights…he took off too fast .
A few weeks back a 30 (approx) year old woman came out of our church, drove off and went on her phone, slamming into my friends parked van 100 metres from the church . She drove off but parked outside my house and ran off leaving the car running for 4 hours before returning. Thankfully CCTV captured it it.
On Friday some muppet drove his BMW so fast and so close to a woman putting her child in her car, admittedly not pavement side, which made her jump and remonstrate . He went on to go at about 40 in our 20mph area with kids coming out of school.
Last year my wife and kids were in the car going somewhere and a driver might have killed us in a head on at about 45 mph trying to overtake on the wrong side and at lights.. Thankfully I had not hit the go button as we would have been in real trouble……but the thought leaves me a bit cold. Going the wrong way on local one way roads as shortcuts, have nearly killed a friend who stepped off the pavement not realising a car was coming the wrong way, just clipping him. No road traffic police, speeding cameras of little use as people speed, slow, speed etc. Crush baby crush, they won’t do it again !?

Roadcraft is something you learn and in some ways I drive better but slower and more sensibly than ai did as a youngster. I don’t nip in, zip about, or ‘bully’ other road users as I did in in a hot hatch. When in the country I called it ‘London driving’.

I would support older people having to be re tested at 75 or 80 however . Safety for all road users and pedestrians is vitally important.
Driving in Europe is far easier than driving in the U.K. . We may do 3 to 4000 miles abroad each summer and the most difficult stressful part of any trip is the M2 or M20 .
End of what some might see as an older persons rant. Best regards MM
PS skid training, Advanced test and reading the Highway Code are all valuable and I hope many of you have and do these things.

It's difficult as we get older. I wouldn't want to give up driving. I have a good daily car (Volvo V60 T8) and of course my mog. I enjoy driving both of them and can't envisage a time when I can't. Now in my early 80s I expect the time to stop driving will come . In the meantime I must get the mog ready for the better weather.
A neighbour (80) is showing signs of dementia and has more or less given up, whereas another neighbour (93) was still driving well right up to a couple of days before he died.
My father was hospitalised in his early 90's but when he was discharged the consultant assured him he could continue driving.
I suppose we have to rely on friends and family to notice a degradation and take the keys from us at the appropriate time

Even better if we make it before being asked or told. I intend to give up when I see or realise a deterioration.. Thankfully I have a back seat driver who has told me for 40 plus years were I am going wrong or doing badly. She will take over sometime and I can advise her ! MM
PS Had a couple of accidents in my late teens but never been held responsible by insurance Co.

Some years ago when I was running a charity providing transport for the elderly and disabled we were transporting daily a 90 year old 30 miles each way to vusit his wife in a care home. He had lost his licence and was told he couldn't drive again until he had retaken his test. He took it and passed, back on the road again.

I live in a retirement coastal community with over 60% of the population over 65, many of them still driving into the late 80's and 90's, my next door neighbour at 94 is still driving safely. In that kind of density of older drivers you would expect an increase in car accidents but that simply is not the case especially outside of the tourist season. Car crashes are rare and make the local press, slightly different situation when the out of towners come on their holidays, same goes for the increase in anti-social behaviour.

What is a more frequent occurrence is older pedestrians being knocked down usually by younger drivers, who seem to have lost sight of or just don't care about the recent changes in priority of pedestrians crossing the road, even on pedestrian crossings.


I'm always shocked by the driving standards on roads but particularly the motorways once you get closer to London. It seems that the Police have given up on controlling the capitals roads and basically anything goes these days.