Aside from the question of how on earth it was possible to enter the wrong side of the motorway in the first place, missing all the signs for the correct slip road, I wonder if yet again an elderly motorist refused to admit that he or she was no longer safe on the roads and should stop driving.
I ask myself, would I willingly recognise that I was no longer a competent driver and stop driving before I caused some calamity? Or would I keep kidding myself I was safe enough, though maybe not quite so alert or clear-sighted as I used to be, and carry on driving just the same?
I ask that because it seems quite a lot of elderly drivers kid themselves they're still safe on the roads when they're not. They end up crashing into another car, careering into a shopfront, driving on the wrong side of a motorway, or killing someone. I want to admit my failings before I do something disastrous.
I've already decided not to hire a car to drive on unfamiliar roads, as it feels too risky. I've driven several times between the M11 and Stansted Airport, and I find all the different lanes and roundabouts too confusing for my liking. It was always a relief to return the car without mishap.
I would never drive in another country, where not only are the roads unfamiliar but I might be driving on a different side and facing road signs in foreign languages. I would be far too nervous to enjoy it.
Drivers who won't admit they've become a liability are a public menace.
It is difficult for some to admit they have challenges driving as it can be their only method of independent travel in the absence of solid and dependable public transit.
ReplyDeleteTwo of my friends recently admitted to me they wish me to drive on highways as they feel more frightened of trucks and speeding cars. I readily agreed. I'm not yet there but I know I will no longer drive in rain at night for I can't clearly see road markings and the overhead lights and careless high beams and those piercing new halogen lights blind me.
I recently had a government required medical to assess my driving abilities. I was glad of that and wonder how I would have felt if I'd failed. I can't bear the thought, frankly.
XO
WWW
It would be hard, especially if you lived somewhere without adequate public transportation, to give up driving. I don’t even like to think of that time coming. But I also know from my work that it’s not just a matter of people being unwilling or unable to recognize they are no longer safe. Often spouses and families stand by wringing their hands but don’t become insistent because of the anger of the person being told they have to surrender their license. I’ve had so many people tell me, “I just hope he/she doesn’t kill him/herself.” My response is always, “Much more importantly, he/she might well kill someone else and you’d bear some of the blame for not acting when you know you need to.” (See, psychologists DON’T just say what people ant to hear.)
ReplyDeleteAs Agent said, it is difficult when one lives in an area without public transportation or even sidewalks to walk into town, if able-bodied enough. Seniors often worry about becoming a burden to others by asking for a ride. It has to be hard to give up that freedom to come and go as you please.
ReplyDeleteOTOH, I hate driving, so I will be more than happy to be chauffeured around in my old age! I'm hoping Lyft and UBer services will be even more improved and reliable by then.
www: This is the problem, that in some areas public transport is very poor or non-existent, so if you have to give up your car, then what? As Bijoux says, maybe taxi services will become so reliable and so cheap they'll be a practical alternative.
ReplyDeleteI don't like driving at night, simply because a lot of the roadside features that guide me in daylight are no longer visible, and a lot more concentration is needed.
Mandatory medicals are probably a good idea. In the UK all you have to do is fill in a form saying you're physically fit to drive. A random check recently found that a shocking number of elderly drivers are visually impaired.
Agent: As I said to www re poor public transport. Yes, I've often heard of family members who know very well someone should give up driving but if they suggest it, they just get an angry and defensive reaction. As you say, you might injure or kill not just yourself but whoever else is in the car - or other motorists or innocent pedestrians.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: That's true, people don't want to be seen as a burden so they hesitate to ask for a lift. My mother was always concerned "not to be a burden".
ReplyDeleteThere was a news item the other day predicting that in ten years' time nobody will own a car because taxi services will be both reliable and dirt-cheap. I doubt that, somehow, but it would certainly solve the transport problem.
What a difficult problem. If they can't get around any other way they might feel they are OK if they take things slowly. And I can understand that sometimes grown up children are quite bullying of their elderly parents and want to control them, so stopping them driving is a way of doing it. In general though I think that old people who will not listen to good advice are quite wrong and any child with severe anxieties about their parents driving should actually tell the DVLA and see what they say. Thankfully accidents are relatively rare, but even one is too many. The story you refer to is absolutely tragic.
ReplyDeleteJenny: I think children can sometimes be a bit over-protective of elderly parents, but yes, if they're seriously worried about someone's driving ability, they could always inform the DVLA. Mind you, to put this in perspective, statistics show that younger drivers are actually much more likely to cause serious accidents than the elderly. But nobody tells them they shouldn't be driving!
ReplyDeleteAndy has to get his license renewed every year, after they give him an eye test to check his vision. I thought I would have to do the same, but then they raised the age limit and I got renewed for three years. Next time it will be every year.
ReplyDeleteI drive in town to the grocery store and PO and to do other errands. but when the serious heart issues began after my retirement I quit driving on the highways. they always made me nervous anyway. but the thought of having a stroke and it killing not only me but a young family or other innocent people is something I just couldn't live with! the marine does the driving for all that. and I'm so glad. I can't imagine I commuted on those highways for over 20 years!!! another PLUS in being retired. I used to think I couldn't live without my car. now I think if I didn't have one I would be just fine. maybe!
ReplyDeleteit's like having no milk in the house and suddenly you crave a glass of milk.
This is surely a pertinent topic and one all of us older drivers have to consider sooner or later. Coincidentally, it’s a matter that I was reminded of presently, too, as my license just came up for renewal and you’ve written on this same older driving matter. Lots of issues to consider about when to give up driving, but safety for others and the driver is certainly upper most. The most effective way in which to insure this as best can be done seems to elicit a variety of solutions, some more effective than others from what I’ve gathered.
ReplyDeleteJean: There are no compulsory eye tests in the UK, all you have to do is declare that your eyesight is fine on the licence renewal form. You can be as dishonest as you like!
ReplyDeleteTammy: This is it, if you have an accident you could kill or seriously injure several people. It's so irresponsible to continue driving when you know you're not entirely safe.
Joared: There need to be viable alternatives to driving, so unsafe drivers aren't tempted to keep taking to the roads or be housebound. More bus routes and cheap taxis are two possibilities.
ReplyDeleteAs I have mentioned elsewhere, I can still drive and my faculties are still all functional but, I prefer not to drive for paractical reasons most important of which is having to find parking places close to the places that I visit. Chaotic conditions arising out of incompetent drivers also is another reason.
ReplyDeleteI can however appreciate that for many Westerners my lifestyle is simply not an option but, age related accidents like what you mention I thought were strictly in the joke books.
Ramana: Unfortunately they're not from the old codgers joke book. There are regular reports of people driving the wrong way on motorways - usually without any injuries but this time it was lethal.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you.... the older I get the more nervous I get with driving especially for long distances and in the dark
ReplyDeleteJohn: Driving in the dark is especially tricky when road markings are hard to see and many roads have no street lighting. A self-driving car would be very handy!
ReplyDeleteI understand that it can be hard or scary to give up the independence that comes with driving, especially in places where public transportation isn't really an option. That being said, no one has the right to endanger other people's lives because they don't want to stop driving.
ReplyDeleteLike Bijoux said, hopefully things like Uber will make it easier for people to give up driving when they need to. And I totally agree with you about not driving in another country, where the signs are in another language, and you may be driving on the opposite side of the road. That seems stressful at best, and potentially very dangerous.
Danielle: I do admire those people who have no qualms about driving in another country and find it easy to adapt. And who aren't put off by rogue rental companies who might charge you a fortune for repairing a small dent.
ReplyDeleteI had to gently persuade my dad to stop driving, though it made me feel mean.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping the self driving cars will be ready for when I'm too old to be safe.
Sx
Ms Scarlet: Yes, it feels mean to stop someone doing something they want to do, but the possible danger to other people can't be ignored.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if self-driving cars will ever be safe enough for widespread use?
I would love to have a self driving car.
ReplyDeleteI don't drive because of poor eyesight...my husband used to drive very well in all conditions and in other countries but advancing paralysis forced him to stop.
These days our employee drives us...and drives well...but there is such a loss of intimacy, of spontaneity, that I long for a self driving car.
Helen: Self-driving cars would be a huge step forward for elderly drivers who don't trust themselves on the road any more. But will they ever be safe enough? I would certainly feel the loss if I had to give up driving.
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree with your last sentence Nick. I think driving tests should be compulsory from 75 and then every 5 years. I picked my family up from Stansted airport earlier this year and got into such a state driving round all those roundabouts and car parks. Eventually I pulled into McDonalds for a coffee and waited there until they phoned me!
ReplyDeletePolly: Compulsory driving tests are probably a good idea, given the number of elderly drivers who insist on "soldiering on". So you know what I mean about all those confusing roads round Stansted Airport!
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