sunday drivers

[gavroche]

nearly got knocked down by an old dear in a Corsa yesterday.
Came to this sharp bend with another road coming to it on the right. I had right of way. I saw this Corsa coming on the right but expected it to stop ( as she should have done) but she carried on and missed me by a whisker.
I stopped alongside her at the next junction and asked her if she had seen me. "No" she said, "never saw you".
her husband even had the cheek to ask me if I could see properly with my tinted sunglasses!!
I advised her to have her eyes tested and went on my way.

 

[GrasB]

Sometimes it's the older drivers who are the worst for near misses. Not because they're vindictively bad, but rather because they're oblivious to the problems that they've caused & thus bad drivers who think they're being very careful.

 

[leroy]

An anology I was once told (by a fellow driving instructor no less!) was as follows -

Men are dangerous drivers who knowingly put themselves and others in danger
Women and old people are poor drivers who unknowingly put themselves and others in danger.

Two differing types, one outcome.

Obviously I dont agree with it entirely, but these are the views that some have

 

[asterix]

Really human beings are not emotionally equipped to drive at all and some are even less so than others. The whole problem with driving is that you are trapped in your seat penting up your aggression fear and what have you.

At least on a bike you can release these feeling simply by making more effort.

It's extremely hard to get old people to stop driving when their faculties make it dangerous. We found it impossible to get my father to sell his car. He just kept getting the dents fixed.

 

[markg0vbr]

Really human beings are not emotionally equipped to drive at all and some are even less so than others. The whole problem with driving is that you are trapped in your seat penting up your aggression fear and what have you.

At least on a bike you can release these feeling simply by making more effort.

It's extremely hard to get old people to stop driving when their faculties make it dangerous. We found it impossible to get my father to sell his car. He just kept getting the dents fixed.

i had a old lady come up behind my yesterday on a 1 mile long straight flat road with nothing coming the other way, in secondary keeping a eye on the mirrors, she came up to about six foot from my back wheel did a almost 90% turn to get out to overtake, holding hand on horn with her husband shouting and gesticulating for me to move over, then did a almost 90% turn to pull back in, kangarooed a bit then sort of did a slow weave along the road until i lost sight of them!


some vehicles just scream i am going to try and kill you from a miles away, your i don't like the look of this one sense starts flashing red alert.
aside from the old-- "i have been driving 40 years and never had a accident, but i have seen thousands happen around me" -- drivers leaving a wake of destruction behind them, it is the massive 4x4 with bull bars, at school run times.

 

[Globalti]

It's not just old drivers; my Hungarian agent is so grossly incompetent that I try to drive whenever I'm over there for my own safety. Two years ago she caused a pileup in the middle of Budapest involving three other cars and a bus; knowing he I expect she was on her phone at the time. She has had three other accidents that I know of, involving her vehicle only and caused by inattention (i.e. the 'phone!)

 

[Rhythm Thief]

An anology I was once told (by a fellow driving instructor no less!) was as follows -

Men are dangerous drivers who knowingly put themselves and others in danger
Women and old people are poor drivers who unknowingly put themselves and others in danger.

Two differing types, one outcome.

Obviously I dont agree with it entirely, but these are the views that some have

You don't agree with it entirely because it's codswallop. We've all known women who are good drivers, and men who are terrible. My last girlfriend was a better driver than me (and I'm a professional driver); a friend of mine from years ago was such a poor driver I wouldn't even get in a car with him after the first time. Same thing applies to another couple I know. The only bit he got right was that as people get older their driving ability is likely to diminish.

 

[pepecat]

I love it when you see the cars driven by little old ladies who are so little it looks like the car's driving itself. The sit there peering through the tiny gap between the dashboard and the top of the steering wheel, chuntering along at about 15 mph everywhere, and indicate if and when they feel like it.
I grew up in a small town in Devon where drivers of this ilk were common. Safest thing to so was assume you hadn't been seen and act accordingly!

 

[leroy]

You don't agree with it entirely because it's codswallop. We've all known women who are good drivers, and men who are terrible. My last girlfriend was a better driver than me (and I'm a professional driver); a friend of mine from years ago was such a poor driver I wouldn't even get in a car with him after the first time. Same thing applies to another couple I know. The only bit he got right was that as people get older their driving ability is likely to diminish.

Disagree with you here, or perhaps you haven't understood the analogy fully. Of course I know good female drivers, and good male drivers - this isn't saying that female drivers are poor, it is saying that of the dangerous male and female drivers, men are likely to do it deliberately whereas women are likelyto be dangerous unintentionally. Of course however, you cannot state this as fact for every single driver.

Another interesting point to make is this from the highway code -

Be considerate to elderly drivers as their awareness and reactions may be slower than other drivers.

The highway code also tells us not to drink and drive as it will affect our awareness and reactions........ same outcome, but one is illegal

 

[Globalti]

I met a woman who works for a well-known insurance company and we got chatting about car insurance. She told me that there are certain drivers who become known to insurers as "accident magnets". Unfortunately Mrs Gti is one, she has had four minor bumps, only two were her fault, only two needing insurance claims. Once you're saddled with that you've got it for life although insurers won't admit it. My mother is another, she is an excellent driver, IAM passed as well but she has had several unfortunate small incidents in recent years; silly things like driving over rocks hidden in long grass and damaging the car.

Her off-the-record advice was that if you do have a minor shunt and need to claim off the other driver, don't tell your own insurer about it and definitely fix minor damage from your pocket rather than claim.

 

[Paladin - York]

Once I parked a 4x4 for a person in a Harrogate car park. He/she was making a proper hash of it and was starting to attract an audience. I'd never driven a 4x4 before but I offered to help and it was duly accepted. I could've saved a lot of insurance claims from being made that day. And, Oh! by the way I did get a round of applause!

 

[JBP]

I had an old man seemingly look right through me yesterday when I tried out my future commute. When I pulled up alongside him at the traffic lights he completely blanked me so I reckon it was more a case of 'pretend the cyclist doesn't exist and he isn't there' mentality rather than any senility. I'm not sure which is worse, knowingly being inconsiderate to cyclists or unknowingly being dangerous to them.

 

[lulubel]

I saw this Corsa coming on the right but expected it to stop ( as she should have done)

And there was your error.

If you see something approaching from a side road, expect it to pull out right in front of you, and you'll be much safer, and probably right.

 

[Globalti]

Years of motorcycling taught me never to trust drivers in that situation.

Release throttle, cover brakes, horn and headlight flasher though be aware that a brief flash could be misinterpreted as "come on" so I would always just hold full beam if I had any doubt. If they are not looking at you give them a toot on the horn; I always fitted twin Fiamm diaphragm horns to my motorbikes.

Move out across the road so as to create sideways movement in their field of vision.

As you approach, try to establish eye contact with the driver and watch their wheels, it's easier to spot wheel movement than vehicle movement as your perspective changes.

 

[Bicycle]

As you approach, try to establish eye contact with the driver and watch their wheels, it's easier to spot wheel movement than vehicle movement as your perspective changes.

I second that.

I was nudged off (painfully) by a little old lady in a small hatch a few months ago.

My shoulder is still sore.

I wrote asking the authorities not to prosecute (they didn't) but did suggest her license might be reviewed.