A local tale

[seth]

Mrs_Seth spotted this in the local paper and I realised I had walked past the scene a couple of hours after it had happened and had wondered what had gone on. Giffer spec volvo action!

 

 

The hoardings are 8ft high and in the bottom photo you can just about make out where she entered the site on the far side, to then continue driving at a fast enough speed to go through the hoardings for a second time, probably only stopping because she hit the brick plinth on that driveway. Looks like it must have spun the car round. Incredible!

[Albert Ross]

I like the quote from the "victim".....Wreckless driving (sic)............It looks like a fucking wreck to me! Anyone need a bumper for a Volvo? Slightly scratched.

[Guest]

Old Ovlov be back on the road in no time, Mr Jalfrezi's weak-ass modern plastic Merc probably had the A-pillar slightly dented by the timber glancing it and consequently a cat-B write-off.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

What a fucking tosser that woman must be. "Someone has crashed into and damaged my property. The culprit was 88 years old. Therefore I propose that all folk over 75 should be banned from drivng with immediate effect" She obviously thinks her garden fence is more important than any mission any over-75 might ever need to go on in a fucking car. I hope Stirling Moss reads this and backs his Vanwall through her privet hedge for a laugh.Also I am sure there is even a tone of sheer outrage that the culprit did not get injured in the accident - 'My fence is destroyed and that horrible old woman is not even slightly injured, what a total travesty of justice!!!' Give me strength.

[Torsten2001]

Good old Volvo'sI would imagine hundreds of cars pass her house everyday thus norrowly missing Jafri's Mum feeding her niece.So what!

[trigger]

Did anyone read The Sun yesterday? From the Website -

 

 

THIS driver might want to consider an eye test  after crashing his motor into the front of an optician’s yesterday.

The bespectacled 89-year-old blamed a dizzy spell after he mounted the pavement and careered through two display units.

 

He stopped in front of three staff in Seaford, East Sussex  causing £20,000 damage. No one was hurt.

 

Of course, he should have gone to Specsavers. They’ve got reinforced windows.

[MrRegieRitmo]

See, I would say no they shouldn't but when I'm 74 (if I reach that) I'm bound to change my tune! My Ritmo was crashed into by an old lady with the sun in her eyes so I'm in the 'no they shouldn't' party I'm afraid. People say youngsters are the most dangerous drivers but I think it's the very old'uns! At least youngsters could drive well if they wanted to or could be bothered, built up their experience etc, old'uns get into accidents without even realising the trail of destruction they are about to cause or have caused, completely oblivious & don't have enough wits about them to take evasive action & that's far more dangerous in my book!

 

God knows how that old lady ended up in that situation but once they've started it there's no way back until the car comes to rest in whatever way...

 

 

EDIT: are they retested at 70 or they just have to re-apply for a new license? I think it should be the former if it isn't already. I'm ok with 70+ yr olds who have proved they are capable & compus mentus, so maybe the cut off should be 80+ ??

[andrew e]

I think all are liscences should be renewed every 20 years.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

You can't just ban folk on the strength of their age man, thats totally unfair, OK fair enough maybe folk should have some sort of test or something every few years once they get to a certain age but just to say old folk should not be on the road is bollocks. If youre gonna do that you should ban youngsters, theyre always wanging off the road. School run mums, fat truckers and people on income support might as well get a ban as well, the crashing bastards. AND FOREIGNERS

[FredTransit]

I am a big believer in once a bad driver, always a bad driver. I would like to bet that every 70 plus bad driver out there was none too good behind the wheel at 25. A lot of it is to do with the fact they could get away with it even 40 years ago, cos there were less cars on the road. If an 88 year old started driving 70 years ago, there wasn't even a driving test then!

[Pillock]

Yawn. It's an accident, the age of the driver seems fairly irrelevant. A kid just passing his test could do the same, as could a delivery driver concentrating on his bacon buttie, or a rep on the phone, or me checking out the totty walking down the road. Wherever there are distractions, there'll be crashes. Instead of concentrating on the 'what ifs' she should be thankful all she has is a dislodged pillar and a scratched Merc.I do think there should be retests over a certain age - perhaps even as low as 60. But I know 80+ year olds who can drive very well indeed, and I know 50 year olds with the reactions of roadkill so maybe a fixed age isn't the way to go...

[gallondrunk]

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[Pillock]

To be fair, if they were any worse you wouldn't have specialist insurers who only do insurance for over 50s, like SAGA and whatnot.You don't get insurance companies dealing only with spotty yoofs in aging Subarus, or Zafiras with six kids in, so you could argue they must be a higher risk.

[MrRegieRitmo]

To be fair, if they were any worse you wouldn't have specialist insurers who only do insurance for over 50s, like SAGA and whatnot.You don't get insurance companies dealing only with spotty yoofs in aging Subarus, or Zafiras with six kids in, so you could argue they must be a higher risk.

Yes but then the cars of choice of the 'people of a certain age' are not usually very high powered and they don't aspire to make their shopping trolleys go as fast as possible by adding lots of mods to turn them into a 'supercar!'

[Pillock]

Surely that's what insurance groups and declared mods are for?If i'm driving a group 3 Panda or summat, I expect to pay a lot less than a modified group 16 Cosworth. But the constant in that equation - me - is probably a higher risk than a little old lady who only goes down to the supermarket once a week.They may not be a safer driver than me, but statistically they're involved in fewer accidents by virtue of not using their cars every day, driving fewer miles when they do, and generally driving more slowly.

[pogweasel]

LOL. The grey brigade certainly know how to do things with a bit of flair. Well impressive. Sure I'd be a bit miffed, but come on love, see the funny side!Disorientated giffers are a nuisance but rarely life-threatening. That said, I saw one driving at 8 mph on the A405 (essentially the interface between teh M25 & M1) the other day, must have been totally lost / senile

[Pillock]

Last time I was on that stretch of road, 8mph was a fuppin' luxury

[FredTransit]

To be fair, if they were any worse you wouldn't have specialist insurers who only do insurance for over 50s, like SAGA and whatnot.You don't get insurance companies dealing only with spotty yoofs in aging Subarus, or Zafiras with six kids in, so you could argue they must be a higher risk.

I think those specialist companies are relying on the fact old giffers don't drive so much.

[seth]

Yawn. It's an accident, the age of the driver seems fairly irrelevant. A kid just passing his test could do the same, as could a delivery driver concentrating on his bacon buttie, or a rep on the phone, or me checking out the totty walking down the road.

I think the drivers state of mind (which is likely in this case to be directly related to age) is very relevant in this case. Here's another view of the spot courtesy of Google.

 

 

She plowed through the hoarding at what used to be the entrance to the Harvester car park ("Have you ever been to....") and came out on the far corner. Anyone of sound mind even if limited driving experience would have come to a very swift halt having crashed their car through 8 foot high, blue painted hoardings regardless of the distraction that caused them to loose a seconds concentration. They wouldn't carry on through a building site and smash out the other side. I'm not sure where she came from, whether she tuned into the site from the direction that Transit is coming or if she just shot across the road form the side road opposite?

 

I agree that the house owners call for a ban is a rather far fetched but some sort of test would be sensible. My father in law just filled out a form to renew his license when he hit 70 a few years ago.

[ashmicro]

"We have suffered considerably"Sod off, you hysterical harridan. Accidents happen. Get over it (and yourself)

[MrRegieRitmo]

Disorientated giffers are a nuisance but rarely life-threatening.

Except when they're driving the wrong way down the motorway!

[gallondrunk]

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[reallyloud]

I was under the impression that you had to retake your test at 70 years old? The vast majority of drivers who were allowed to drive without taking a test (mid 1930's I think) would have gone to the great Jowett in the sky by now, but even the 50's and 60's tests were amazingly lax.

[FredTransit]

I think you just need a medical test, I don't think you need a new driving test. We will all be in trouble if that's the case.....

[r.welfare]

Yeah, you don't need to retake a test once you hit 70, you just re-apply - but the "new" licence only lasts for 5 years. Don't think a medical is involved, as my 80yr old Father In Law still has a licence despite being in the early stages of Alzheimers*, but it's possible that this will (please God) be picked up in the next 5-year review if there is medical approval required. I can just see him doing something like this, unfortunately, but it's very difficult to argue with someone who points to having driven for the last 65 years with no hassles * This has manifested itself, in a road sense, with him "popping to the shops for some snout" and then coming back 3hrs later, having gone via Bracknell. At 28mph.

[UltimateJames]

Ive driven to Widnes and back today from Wakefield in works 6.5 tonne van and its limited to 56mph, the amount of old duffers driving at -50mph on the M62 amazes me ! Do they think its safer to drive at these speeds ? or 22mph in 30 zones grrr get the bus ffs

[pompei]

A friend of mine has just persuaded his mum to pack in driving after she went the wrong way round a roundabout ...

[Torsten2001]

I drove back from the coast today in my XR3i at 50mph, ban me, I just fancied driving at that speed.On the basis of driving down the wrong carriageway how about banning foreigners? I believe it was a Pole that wiped out a family in their Jag on the M1 at Luton.

[Mr Average]

What are people saying here, that once your 75 which no great age these days, you should have your dignity and independence taken from you at a stroke.Why shouldn't my grandparents who are both over 75 now be able to go shopping and the like just because there 77 and 80?

[retrogeezer]

There is an easy way to stop these accidents - don't sell the old codgers automatics.....job done!