Senior Drivers......

Senior Drivers......

DaSleeper

#1Feb 21st, 2013

I well remember my father's driving before he died at 82....shoveling his driveway......yikes!!!
And it takes me 12 hrs to drive to Toronto while it takes my daughter only 10 hrs...but she stops only for gas while I take a few bathroom breaks..

I drink too much coffee good excuse wouldn't you say????
But I guess I haven't reached my Dad's point yet since she offered to let me try out her new car last year in Mississauga

I'm sure that the usual suspects will have a ball with this headline in Sudbury.....

Anonymous tip line upsets senior drivers - Sudbury - CBC News

.But just remember that I would sooner drive in Toronto than in Sudbury, and I usually took the bypass instead of straight through when on my way to Toronto with my fifth wheel trailer......Not my favorite town to drive in.

taxslave

#2 Top Rated Post

Re: Senior Drivers......

Feb 21st, 2013

If they did that here there would hardly be anyone left on the road. People come here to die, which is about the only thing they are regular at. I figured out why nobody ever gets hurt in MVAs in town. They don't go fast enough to pass a turtle.

L Gilbert

Re: Senior Drivers......

Feb 21st, 2013

lol

And if they implemented a call line around here, it'd spill over into other age groups and we'd need a few dozen people taking phone calls and 50,000 door-knocking cops.

Nuggler

Re: Senior Drivers......

Feb 21st, 2013

Quote: Originally Posted by DaSleeper

I well remember my father's driving before he died at 82....shoveling his driveway......yikes!!!
And it takes me 12 hrs to drive to Toronto while it takes my daughter only 10 hrs...but she stops only for gas while I take a few bathroom breaks.. I drink too much coffee good excuse wouldn't you say????
But I guess I haven't reached my Dad's point yet since she offered to let me try out her new car last year in Mississauga

I'm sure that the usual suspects will have a ball with this headline in Sudbury.....

Anonymous tip line upsets senior drivers - Sudbury - CBC News

.But just remember that I would sooner drive in Toronto than in Sudbury, and I usually took the bypass instead of straight through when on my way to Toronto with my fifth wheel trailer......Not my favorite town to drive in.

Jeez DaS; it's just up the hill and turn left............least it was.

lone wolf

Re: Senior Drivers......

Feb 21st, 2013

Gee.... I wonder if they'll do the same for end-of-the-shift-hurry folk who only want to race to the end of a passing lane at the end of a passing lane.

Note to the guy who did it to me in Stinson: If you're going to be stupid, don't have personalized plates. I wasn't anonymous with my call....

damngrumpy

Re: Senior Drivers......

Feb 21st, 2013

You want to try driving in Kelowna, Now there is a treat I tell you. Yes there area lot of
seniors here me being one of them now, but they are not the biggest problem by any
means. Young women are the worst of drivers here. They have small and medium
sized cars and they think they own the road. I have a grand daughter she's 22 and even
she admits they are out of control. She does a lot of driving as part of her job. She
agrees with me. Young women from late teens to about thirty are worse than young me
or seniors and the next worst forty to fifty year old's they are not aggressive though just
dumb.
Here in the city they are going on a cleanup, changing lanes without signalling running
yellow lights, tailgating and more all being clamped down on and I approve. Am I
perfect no but then I am not stupid either. What I really notice is people coming out from
stop signs turning left in front of big trucks or buses and I wonder if they have a death
wish. Its nuts out there

Cliffy

Re: Senior Drivers......

Feb 21st, 2013

Living in a small town like Nakusp, if you have to wait more than 5 cars before you can make a turn, constitutes a traffic jam. I drove through Kalowna last summer on my motorcycle and it scared the crap out of me. 3 lanes of wall to wall traffic for 5 miles, on a Sunday!
I wouldn't survive driving in any city.

DaSleeper

Re: Senior Drivers......

Feb 21st, 2013

Quote: Originally Posted by DaSleeper

Well, that study confirms what most of us know instinctively....when I was younger I could have a couple of drinks and still drive safely.
Then I got cataracts and dropped the drinking and driving to zero, and quit driving at night.
I got the cataracts fixed, but still kept the drinking to zero when driving but last year on the two lane between Tottenham and Alliston, coming out of a curve, a one tonne black truck coming towards me is gradually crossing the center lane, coming straight towards me.
While I had more room to meet him on the left, he could have suddenly swerved back in his lane, so with only a split second, I swerved on my side of the road as I was meeting him, enough to just miss him without going too close to the ditch.

A quick look in the rearview mirror and he just slowly went back to his side of the road. He was probably texting and never even saw me.

While my wife was freaked out...the whole incident renewed my own confidence and now, at my age, I allow myself one beer if Im driving.

I knew I had posted this before............

Sal

Re: Senior Drivers......

Feb 21st, 2013

Quote: Originally Posted by DaSleeper

I well remember my father's driving before he died at 82....shoveling his driveway......yikes!!!
And it takes me 12 hrs to drive to Toronto while it takes my daughter only 10 hrs...but she stops only for gas while I take a few bathroom breaks.. I drink too much coffee good excuse wouldn't you say????
But I guess I haven't reached my Dad's point yet since she offered to let me try out her new car last year in Mississauga

I'm sure that the usual suspects will have a ball with this headline in Sudbury.....

Anonymous tip line upsets senior drivers - Sudbury - CBC News

.But just remember that I would sooner drive in Toronto than in Sudbury, and I usually took the bypass instead of straight through when on my way to Toronto with my fifth wheel trailer......Not my favorite town to drive in.

I am totally conflicted on this. In many cases, older drives have experience on their side, follow rules of the road, and do just fine. While the younger generation speed like crazy, think they can handle anything, take big risks but can physically respond faster.

If older drivers are actually a hazard, they need to lose their license. I get that they don't want to give up their independence, but if their independence threathens another's life...adios...kiss your license buh-bye.

On the other hand, where is the youth tip line? Does it exist? I know they can irritate me too. The little old guy with the hat just kind of peddling along in the lane, but reality is, I get to the light and look over, "well, there's Fred" hat and all, right at the light. So screw this idea.

As for drinking and driving, not for me. Not even one glass. My car used to be my livelihood. If I had lost my license, I would have lost my job. It taught me a valuable lesson. If it cuts one second off of your reaction time, that could be someone's life. No glass of wine on earth, is worth living with that, even if they said I was innocent.

Spade

#10

Re: Senior Drivers......

Feb 21st, 2013

Restricted licences should be implemented more often with the elderly and the dozy.

wulfie68

#11

Re: Senior Drivers......

Feb 21st, 2013

Bad driving habits aren't age restrictive: every age group has bad drivers, and most of them think they are good drivers. I do think people want to underestimate the hazards seniors create on the road, and a large part of this is political: youths don't have the powerful lobby groups that seniors do.

taxslave

#12

Re: Senior Drivers......

Feb 21st, 2013

I'd rather haul 100 tons of logs down a 30% grade with no brakes than drive in any city at rush hr.

talloola

#13

Re: Senior Drivers......

Feb 22nd, 2013

I am a senior driver.

I drive just as well now as I always have, I am a good driver, have been told as much throughout my life,
BUT, what I have now, much better than ever before is PATIENCE, and also pity for all of the younger
drivers who are impatient.
I drive now very content, and nothing much ever bothers me.

I don't really know what is meant by senior driver, a person is considered a senior at 60/65, but can
drive many more years, if able.

I agree that many young to older women are poor driver, especially those who are afraid on the road,
afraid to enter an intersection for fear that everyone waiting to go through will suddently dart out
and smash into her, I have had to wave my arm, (politely) to encourage some women to move through,
as it is long past their turn.
Also drivers who drive so slow that they hold up traffic for a long period of time, and don't seem to
be aware that there is any other drivers on the road, except them.
Also, people who speed 'everywhere', without any consideration for walkers,
cyclists, handicapped people, children who might make a mistake, etc, pets, etc.

It is not senior drivers that are a concern on the road, it is all drivers who really cannot relax,
or have to speed, or are agressive, drinking, stoned, have a medical problem,and they could be any age.

SLM

#14

Re: Senior Drivers......

Feb 22nd, 2013

I think the experience an older driver has is their strength and to their benefit behind the wheel. It can, possibly, compensate for at least small amounts of diminished reflexes and responses that we all have when we get older. The flip side of the coin though is that we've all probably known someone who has had diminished capabilities (not necessarily capacity) when they get older and we've also probably known a few that just simply refuse to see it. Many of us have to redefine what independent means as we get older, and that can be a tough thing to do for some people. But the crux of it is, if someone is in that position in their lives and they continue driving, they can not only be a risk to themselves but to others as well.

I don't necessarily think a 'rat Grandma out' dedicated phone line is necessarily the way to go though. I do think retesting at an age where age itself can become a factor in safety is necessary. If tests are passed, great, drive to your hearts content.

taxslave

#15

Re: Senior Drivers......

Feb 22nd, 2013

Older drivers is one thing but here in the raisin warehouse we have some that have to get out at every power pole to check if they will make it past. What's worse is that many of them have lost their license and now have scooters that they drive on sidewalks, street, flower gardens all without looking for other traffic, metal or human. Traffic lights are beyond their sight range so are ignored.

earth_as_one

#16

Re: Senior Drivers......

Feb 22nd, 2013

This tip line is unnecessary. Once you turn 80, you need to renew your driver’s licence every 2 years. Here are the four main steps you will take to renew:
Renew a G driver

relic

#17

Re: Senior Drivers......

Feb 22nd, 2013

I see a lot of "seniors"that should not be driving.Iwatched one old goomer labouriously climb out of his Crown Vic,wit two canes,hobble arround to get his walker out of the trunk.In my opinion he,by the look of him,was not "sharp" enough to be driving.I'm only 62 and I'm first to admid I'm not as sharp as I was,say ,when I used to drive truck in Ottawa.They always picked me for long or hot shot runs because I could get there WAAyy befor any of the other drivers,now i avoid driving in traffic if I can.
BUT there are a lot of other,much younger drivers that are worse because. A,they think they can drive,B, they put too much faith in the technology now in new cars. The rest are just stupid.

Spade

#18

Re: Senior Drivers......

Feb 22nd, 2013

Long gone is the time when the horse continued safely down the road when the rider dozed off or had night vision less than nil.

L Gilbert

#19

Re: Senior Drivers......

Feb 22nd, 2013

As long as a driver is paying attention to their driving and are aware of what's around them, they don't bother me much. I have patience for them.

Quote: Originally Posted by Spade

Long gone is the time when the horse continued safely down the road when the rider dozed off or had night vision less than nil.

We're getting there. Cars can park themselves nowadays.

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