To worry about cycling in an area with an older demographic?

[Mumcouchtotri]

I've moved to an area in the south west with an old demographic and I really hate to say it but some of the driving is unsafe. You can be doing nsl and someone turns onto athe road causing you to slam on the breaks and do an emergency stop. Or you can be cycling and overtaken by someone that almost scrapes your handlebars. I used to cycle all the time in bristol but here it just seems unsafe for me, let alone the children.

I've read some reports that come to the conclusion that reactions in older drivers are as bad as drink drivers.

Aibu to think that something should be done to make the roads safer and that many people on the road are a danger to themselves and others?

I'm thinking about getting a camera to report some of the unsafe drivers to the police. Is there any point in doing this?

Blimey. I think I'll just go back to thinking that many Christians are just colossally arrogant and entitled. Sadly.

Don your tin hat you are about to be flamed!

I love in an area with a large older demographic and I feel the same. Some of the driving I have seen is terrible. My neighbour had his wing mirror knocked off by an elderly neighbour and she didn't even realize she had done it. If he hadn't shouted she would have just driven off.

Luckily we also have lots of cycle paths.

Sorry, wrong thread.

I just meant to say on this one!

Oh my Lord.

What's nsl?

oops....

meanwhile - crap drivers come in all ages. 4 teens in a car is one of the worst. As a cyclist you need to be really defensive. People like me who will wait and give you a wide berth are not the rule.

although I have had a cyclist scream at me for waiting and keeping a good distance behind him, because the road was too narrow for me to overtake safely. That was a first....

I have the opposite problem.

I cycle in an area with loads of boy racers. They speed around on their phones not giving a shit. It makes me really scared.

YANBU, people seem to want to skirt around the issue of elderly drivers in case they are accused of ageism, but the thing is they are bloody dangerous.

What all of them?

YANBU

I've been in the car with my grandad and my phone rang and he swerved across a lane because he though it was a car blaring music.

Sadly, YANBU - DH was knocked off his bike by an elderly driver who "didn't see the lorry coming the other way" when she over took him, then realised she had to pull back in to avoid being hit by said lorry, hitting DH.

Within our extended family, I've heard conversations about older drivers who are becoming dangerous, no longer being able to judge distances and speeds, but family are reluctant to remove their independence, if you are somewhere semi rural with poor public transport, the pressure to keep older people driving past the point they are safe is greater.

Not sure what the answer is, other than to campaign for more cycling paths.

Its true, a lot of elderly drivers continue driving. They regress to daylight hours and short journeys.
Its often an accident that stops them entirely.
Its a hidden problem as they dont usually cover many miles and are swallowed up in the statistics.

I reported my elderly neighbour to the dvla today after witnessing some shocking driving.

Loads of opinions, including mine, here forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?p=1044033#p1044033

As an older driver, I'm 69, I think drivers should have to have a medical and pass a test at 70. I will be having a medical next year and resitting my minibus driving test as it has to be taken every three years and requires a medical at my age.

My gran won't accept her eyesight is failing and insists on driving. Her optician suggested she should hand in her licence, she threatened to sue him. She has no corners on her car. It wasn't bad enough for him to legally report her.

In my area we have a large elderly population (and quite a few boy racers - bad driving isn't limited to the old) and it's a real concern. I feel for people losing their independence but I worry about their skills and reactions. We live in a touristy area so it gets very busy at times and have lots of people driving here for the first time, this can mean the roads are busy and drivers sometimes act in an unpredictable manner I.e suddenly realising they need to turn.

We have a large number of blue badge holders and that clogs up the roads - although I totally understand how important their need for easy parking is.

We are lucky enough to have a great local bus service but it's pricey.

I don't know what the answer is but I certainly feel that there are some people who are still driving that maybe shouldn't be.

Glad to hear lots of support here.

I would solve it by having a medical test when they receive their bus pass, re tested every 5 years. I understand its hard to give up the car, but part of retirement planning should be to move somewhere with good public transport. Thats what my parents did, and I plan to do the same.

I agreed with everything you said until the part about people should have to move out of their community if there's no buses. Not possible for everyone is it?

I agree it can be the case but the public transport is fundamental to this. My mother has never driven and used to go everywhere by bus. One bus an hour - if you are lucky. The car is king.

I drive her!

Campaign for better busses.

I don't see how a medical test would prove fitness to drive, apart from adequate eyesight. Do you mean a driving test, Mumcouchtotri? And saying people should switch to public transport - would everyone here who's been driving all their adult life be quite happy to just give it up? Especially when you're old, find it harder to walk, cope with all weathers, carry stuff?

Of course people who can't drive safely shouldn't be driving, but just think about the implications of that for an old person - it's a huge loss of independence. The drivers I see racing, weaving aggressively through traffic, and talking on phones aren't old.

Another ageist thread...

Actually, you're probably safer. Something like 75pc of road death are caused by men aged 18-25.

YANBU. I don't think this this thread is ageist either. Elderly drivers often have poorer eyesight and slower reactions. They often drive less often, for shorter distances and only during the day. This keeps their accident rate down when they look at statistics.
www.hampshire.police.uk/internet/news-and-appeals/2015/september/240915-older-drivers-awareness-week

I do think we would have to retake the test when we are older. I also think that all drivers should have to have a regular eye test.

I disagree that people should have to move in their later hearts. Public transport should be better.

I also disagree that your are has bed driving purely because people are older.

I love In a large village between 2 cities. Lots of new build houses. Our estate doesn't any have 'older' people on it. The driving on here is fucking horrendous and causes no end of problems.

Yesterday a car came over one of the speed bumps so bad the wheels left the floor. We live on a corner and people come flying round it. In five years we have had 7 accidents outside the side house, because people have come round the corner to fast and hit someone coming the other way. And there are near misses every week.

If the demographic change in your area, you will probably find that the quality of driving doesn't improve at all.

Some people, regardless of age, are shit and/or selfish drivers.

This isn't an agesist thread. There are loads of awful drivers where I live, the town has expanded rapidly and the roads are awful - badly planned, chocked with parked cars, holiday makers and badly maintained.

There are lots of white van men whizzing about, lots of parked cars and people walking to the local primary schools.

I am not talking about retired age drivers but the very old ones like my 86 year old grandmother and her 93 year old boyfriend. They both consider themselves excellent drivers but my grand eyesight is failing and her bf keeps getting tested for memory problems.

We have an excellent bus service which is free with a bus pass. Admittedly the rural areas it's abysmal.
I can see the limitations with a bus service, walking to bus stops and carrying shopping. I don't know the answer but I do fear being on my bike and in car parks when there are a lot of elderly drivers about. We tend to drive to the start of cycle paths and I keep off the main roads if I have my son with me.

A medical should be mandatory following any accident involving injury to a person or damage to persons property.
Irrespective of age or sex.
It should involve alcohol, drugs including prescription, eye sight including was the person wearing glasses to correct vision at the time.
It needs carried out quickly following any accident.
The cost need not be prohibitive when insured for.
It is not so difficult.