Dick Van Dyke has a car crash at 97yo, he shouldn't even be driving imo.

[Advancedpie]

As great a man as he is, the time to stop was long before now.

I think this is an issue a coroner raised a few years ago after a 90 year old drive hit and killed a pedestrian. And frankly I call bollocks to those saying plenty of 97 year olds are fit and healthy with fast reaction times. As I understand it, reaction times peak at 26 years old.

Or fly in his fine four fendered friend?

I hope he's OK.

The issue is self assessment. About the top quarter of 80 yo drivers are as good as average 25 yo drivers. Maybe 10% of 97 yo drivers (but I couldn't find a study!).

If that's the case, as long as people assess themselves correctly, it's all good. Except for two confounding issues I can think of. Men tend to be worse drivers, and IME they don't get nervous and age out of driving as quickly as women do (case in point, also see Prince Phillip). Secondly 90% of drivers think they are above average.

Hence, no 97 yo drivers should not be relying on their own assessment of reaction time and skill to decide if they should drive.

I’m more shocked the car didn’t just fly over the gate. He’s want to get that serviced.

May people of 97 are fine to be driving? Really? I strongly disagree

🤣

Are any of the percentages about driver age and skill in this post not completely made up?

This can't be real. He can't still be alive.

Are any of the percentages about driver age and skill in this post not completely made up?

Only 97%

@Kendodd The quarter of 80 yo percentage is correct from a study. I'm estimating loss to 100 but as I wrote, there wasn't a study I could find that went over 80 yo. I'll post links if you're not just being sarcastic.

The 90% of drivers think they're above average is widely quoted but possibly apocryphal. There are statistical analyses of it though. Again I'll link if you're obsessed.

Men being worse drivers is known.

I didn't make it all up, no.

However, links will have to wait for tomorrow!

he was on the masked singer USA last month and he was an absolute force.
I can only hope to live to 97, let alone dance around in stage singing whilst wearing a heavy gnome costume.
Huge respect for him.

Yes driving at 97 is insane I don't care what anyone says tbh

I dare anyone to take my driving privileges away. I bet I'm a better driver than you.

In this part of Canada (Ontario) drivers are tested at age 80 and thereafter every two years. The initial screening is a classroom test plus fine-motor skills test, which might be followed by an actual road test.

It's weird because if a person in their twenties skids and hits a gatepost, no one says anything. But when it's an older person, it's such a different story.

Basically, car accidents tend to decrease with age, but do start rising for the over 75s and rise A LOT for the over 85s.

My parents are in their mid-seventies and driving much less nowadays. They tend to take the bus for longer journeys. They're in Scotland so have free bus travel. It's hard getting around in rural areas of the UK with no car though, bus services have been cut a lot.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-older-driver-factsheet-2020/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-older-drivers-factsheet-2020#key-findings

Between ages 17 and 75, the rate of car or van drivers involved in collisions per billion vehicle miles travelled falls with driver age from 1,384 (drivers aged 17 to 24) to 211 (drivers aged 71 to 75). The rate increases in age between ages 76 to 85, before rising sharply to the highest rate (2,014) for any group for drivers 86 and over

It's weird because if a person in their twenties skids and hits a gatepost, no one says anything. But when it's an older person, it's such a different story.

I don't think it's weird, it makes sense to me because I would expect a young driver to get better at driving. An old driver, with a long history of driving in all kinds of road and weather conditions should have the driving skills not to skid in the first place, the fact they have skidded might well be a sign of deteriorating skills.

I can't work out if this is a joke or not?
If it's not a joke, I think it's a really dangerous attitude to have but unfortunately, I think an awful lot of people do have this attitude.

80% of accidents involve young men

And they are talking about over 70's being banned!

Older drivers are less likely to have an accident.

Go figure.

Go figure? It’s really not that hard - there are far fewer people over the age of 90 still driving.

In addition to the breath test, a mandatory sight test for all drivers after an accident.

An 87 year old man killed a teenager about ten years ago where I live by driving into her as she walked along the pavement. His eyesight wasn’t up to driving.
My grandfather carried on driving in his 80s way past the time when he should have stopped. His car was covered in dents.
I definitely feel there should be tests or an age limit.

It’s every 3 years from the age of 70, but it’s just a paper exercise and a declaration-hardly worth doing as shock horror people lie on the declaration

Sadly, it can be very difficult to get older people to realise they are no longer capable of driving safely.

my friend went through this with her DF. He was very frail, could only walk a few feet, was not physically able to get into a car , had had several minor prangs and had leg ulcers so bad he could not wear shoes. Yet his GP certified he was fit to drive after she contacted DVLA.

he died two weeks later.

Trouble is, the young men NEED to gain the experience if they're to become safer drivers.

Old people just steadily decline without adding any benefit of experience.

My mum refused me driving lessons on the grounds that drivers in their first year after their test were most likely to have an accident. She didn't acknowledge the logic that I would, at some point, need a first year of driving, and that no, not driving for a year after the test wasn't a winning strategy.

It will all become a moot point anyway, with the increasing likelihood of driverless vehicles/ecological doom. I'll never find out if I'm a good driver at 97.

Really?

My Dad is over 75 and a very competent driver. He has great reactions after driving for so long as he predicts what the stupid people will do, he has seen everything. He's been cleared by his doctor and optician to drive and enjoys his freedom.

I do think everyone of any age should have to do repeat tests as anyone can be prone to letting bad habits slip in, but it's not necessarily age related.