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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think that older drivers need a special plate

48 replies

Andtheresaw · 03/08/2018 13:58

My exFIL has, at last, had a ROSPA driving assessment, 2 years after I asked him to give up driving.
He was marked over 30 or so criteria on a scale of: excellent, good, acceptable; not acceptable.
His overall score was Good (!), with a recommendation to do a refresher course. The things he got 'reasonable' for were things like road awareness, consideration of others, hazard perception, lane discipline. The things he was excellent at were reversing round a corner and slow manoeuvres.
The summary at the end suggested that the tempo of his driving was such that some people may not have the patience to wait for him. he perceives this as 'the world is more aggressive than 5 years ago'. I perceive this as ; 'you get beeped because you are a danger to yourself and others'.
But...If I was behind a learner or provisional driver at a roundabout, I would have an expectation that they wouldn't pull away easily, or might cause another driver to brake, or that there may be some lane drift, so I'd give them a wide berth. I think that there should be some kind of 'getting older' sticker; not to stigmatize those who are getting older, but just as a heads up that their speed perception or reactions may not be as good as others: basically a 'bear with me for 10 secs' badge.
Does this seem like a good idea?

OP posts:
LongSummerDays · 03/08/2018 14:00

No, because some people are just wankers and would see it as a licence to be more aggressive towards them.

IAmInsignificunt · 03/08/2018 14:04

Nope it would mark them out for aggression, abuse and being taken advantage of.

PurpleDaisies · 03/08/2018 14:05

No, people are either good enough to drive on the roads or they aren’t. There shouldn’t be grades.

Original poster
Andtheresaw · 03/08/2018 14:06

Hmm.
I guess that I'm thinking of this from the view of the others on the road. People aren't generally aggressive to Learners are they? You have an expectation that they may drive erratically or not keep up with the flow of traffic etc.
My exFIL has run people off the road before by lane drifting and not noticed, and I'm just thinking that some kind of P plate (or D for dodderer Grin) would be informative all round?

OP posts:
TheStoic · 03/08/2018 14:06

On the face of it, I think it could be a good idea. Equivalent to an L or a P plate.

I don’t see the benefit in ignoring the fact that our brains and reflexes and vision changes as we age.

user1457017537 · 03/08/2018 14:07

If someone doesn’t have the patience to wait for him and he has been assessed as a good driver, that’s their problem. He has as much right to be on the roads as you or anyone else

Sirzy · 03/08/2018 14:07

If you have passed your test yet need to warn other drivers of your lack of driving skills then you shouldn’t be on the road.

Original poster
Andtheresaw · 03/08/2018 14:08

No, people are either good enough to drive on the roads or they aren’t. There shouldn’t be grades. But there are grades aren't there?
Someone who has just passed their test isn't anywhere near as competent as someone who passed 5 years ago and drives every day.
There used to be adverts on the telly telling drivers to be more aware of elderly pedestrians because their speed perception of oncoming traffic may not be so good, and yet unless there has been an accident or a reportable disease people's driving licences just keep getting renewed.

OP posts:
TheStoic · 03/08/2018 14:08

If you have passed your test yet need to warn other drivers of your lack of driving skills then you shouldn’t be on the road.

That pretty much describes a P-plater.

Sirzy · 03/08/2018 14:10

I don’t agree with the need for p plates either!

TheStoic · 03/08/2018 14:11

I don’t agree with the need for p plates either!

Oh well, we definitely need to agree to disagree there! I think they’re essential.

387I2 · 03/08/2018 14:12

Agree with PP. How old is your exFIL? Does he have any other illnesses, for example bad eyesight? Or does he simply drive too seldom and get too little practice?

BackforGood · 03/08/2018 14:12

People aren't generally aggressive to Learners are they? You have an expectation that they may drive erratically or not keep up with the flow of traffic etc.

Yes, sadly there are a load of idiots out there who are - or at least to people with P plates.
I got some for dd when she first passed her test and after using them twice, they came off, as they just seemed like a 'challenge' to a certain subset of neanderthals.

However, if a driver isn't able to do all that your exFiL seems to struggle with, then you have to ask if he should be on the road, tbh.

YeTalkShiteHen · 03/08/2018 14:14

People aren't generally aggressive to Learners are they?

I wish this was true! I’m learning and I’m afraid I’ve found the opposite. Inevitably men too.

Not sure that all older drivers should be labelled though, that seems a bit unfair to me. My grannie was able to drive competently well into her 80s, my Mum had to give up at 63 because of illness, and my dad is approaching 70 and drives fine.

viques · 03/08/2018 14:18

Can we have an S plate for stoners? And a B plate for Baby Brainers? How about a W worried plate for people who have got a lot on their minds and might not be concentrating?
My point is you can't legislate for everyone behind a steering wheel, it's up to you as the driver to stay alert, keep a decent distance, maintain your brakes and pray you don't meet an idiot having a bad day.

BackforGood · 03/08/2018 14:21

unless there has been an accident or a reportable disease people's driving licences just keep getting renewed.

This ^ is the issue, IMO.
I think once you get to 70, you ought to have to take your test again - and include an eyesight test with it - every 4 years or so.
I totally understand what a wrench it is to give up driving, but surely it is far better to force that, than to let people just carry on and then cause an accident.
Yes, I know the worst things happen when you get young men stealing higher powered cars and then street racing, but there are laws in place already for them - however difficult it is to get them enforced, or for the punishments to prevent them repeat offending. The point is, not many of us are really aware of how much our eysight has deteriorated or our reaction times slowed as we age, as it tends to be gradual.

Original poster
Andtheresaw · 03/08/2018 14:25

He's got the ROSPA report that says he is competent to drive.
I also know that I haven't let him drive me or mine for over 2 years and if we arrange to meet up I will always go and collect than rather than letting them drive here.
My children were in the car when he went straight on at a roundabout from the left hand lane but instead of following the curve of the lane went straight ahead and forced the car on his right only the roundabout island...he drove on without noticing.
There are other examples but this isn't just about him really. It is acknowledged that older drivers have slower reactions: ROSPA provides guidance on amending routes to avoid tricky roads, and testing and special courses to sharpen people up a bit. If I can make allowances for a learner or a P plate I'd do it for an older person, but I don't think that expecting people to stay in their own lane or to keep up with flow of traffic unless there is a valid reason to do otherwise is unreasonable. It would help me to know where problems are more easily anticipated: ie when learners or older people are in front of me at a roundabout.....

OP posts:
Sugarplumfairy65 · 03/08/2018 14:28

So a professional assessed him as being a good driver, but you think you know better? How old is he?

28holid · 03/08/2018 14:29

ROSPA doesn't asses your ability to drive, it's just an opinion.

Sirzy · 03/08/2018 14:32

You should always drive expecting the car in front to do something daft! That way you are ready to keep the chance of accident as minimal as possible.

Jaxhog · 03/08/2018 14:35

Either you are a good driver or you aren't. Age has nothing to do with it. My mum of 87 is a perfectly good driver and drives regularly I've seen drivers of all ages who I wouldn't go near. Should we have badges for them too?

Sugarplumfairy65 · 03/08/2018 14:40

Op Says that he had an assessment

Floralnomad · 03/08/2018 14:44

I don’t agree with P plates , either you are competent or you are not and frankly some people are just rubbish drivers and it’s go nothing to do with having only just passed their tests .

AuntieStella · 03/08/2018 14:45

If you want to mark out the 'worst' drivers in the road, it wouid be those under 25. Be cause that's the population that has the most and the worst incidents.

YABU to pick on a group because of their age, when there is no evidence (other than your personal idiosyncratic anecdotal) that they are bad drivers, and considerable evidence that even if you accept that they are, they are actually not the worst on the roads.

FlorencesHunger · 03/08/2018 14:46

I suppose you mean in the way of P plates for new drivers, It would be good as an option for the elderly, I have lots of patience for learner and p plate drivers.

I find some elderly drivers drive way too slow for the rd conditions and are sometimes equally erratic in their manoeuvres which Is very dangerous and can be frustrating.

Although many people of different ages could with I drive like a twat plate.

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