Duke of Edinburgh’s Road Accident

[SirGawain]

AIBU to ask why on earth is the Duke of Edinburgh driving at the age of 97.

Badlydrawn, can you please curtsey a little lower? Ah thank you, thats much better.

@longwayoff don't be so ridiculous.

Puzzled - well said.

Reminds me of the ridiculous argument my mum put up against me learning to drive - "Drivers are most likely to have an accident in the first year since passing their test." As if I could somehow bypass that first year by not getting a car!

Additionally, we have no idea how many accidents would happen if many older people did not voluntarily stop when they realised their own limitations.

I stand by my earlier point about driverless cars anyway. Not only are there societal trends against ownership (through not being able to afford a car at all, to leasing), app summoning of vehicles is standard, and there will be sufficient numbers of people who hop on for the convenience of it (me!), that it will likely catch on quite quickly.

I've just come back from a 16 day road trip where I drove an automatic for the first time. Before I did I would swear blind they were no fun. Now? Total convert - and people repeat the same rubbish I used to say at me about them.

Perhaps she means libel?
liable to be sued for libel?

Fuck me it was a simple typo, I thought we abolished hanging for those on here a couple of years ago. Last time I had the temerity to mention one I got called a cunt!

This is a type of accident that happens to many drivers of all ages every day. It's not necessarily down to age. (It was my first thought too I admit, then I gave it more consideration and realised someone did pretty much the same thing to me a year ago)

@Badlydrawnperson, you're very defensive is he a mate of yours?

I can't stand him for the most part. I have elderly parents and am not keen on the braying mob with torches and pitchforks trying to get everyone over 30 off the road.

Thanks @soupdragon for a voice of reason in a sea of ire.

I don't know if this is a serious point but surely nobody in 2019 with dashcams, the internet and newspapers willing to pay money for information really thinks this will be hushed up do they?

Not hushed up as it's already in the news, but played down and spun, as in minimisation in the press of the impact of the crash on DOE and the other car's passengers or the potential for the outcome to be much more serious. As opposed to (as a PP said) if a similar thing happened to Katy Price or other commoner.

Katy Price has been cut an awful lot of slack over the years for her string of motoring offences IMHO.

My DS2s physics teachers (PhDs also university lecturers) reckon that his is the last generation that will drive themselves and that driverless cars will become the norm as soon as this is technologically possible as the vast majority of accidents are a result of human error.

The road speed change and calming measures were approved last week. That is coincidence.

@KeepOnKeepingOnAgainandAgain

I think this is true. I hope they get on with it - especially for motorways as motorway driving is just as boring as flip but still requires intense concentration.

Also @longwayoff there have been plenty of fatalities and serious accidents on that road, hence why the decision had already been made. I often can't get home as the whole road is sealed off regularly.

I’m imagining Chuck, Anne, Andy and Ted sitting around the living room talking about who’s going to be the one to shop Dad to the driving licence board.
“You do it, Nan, you’re his favourite! He’ll forgive you!”
My dad gave up his licence readily and was happy with his scooter, thankfully. We were dreading the argument. He had a number of mates that ran over roundabouts on the regular and were irate when it was suggested they give over driving. They were nearly as dangerous to deal with on their scooters.
I suggest the Windsor’s start looking at scooters with cross-country capability for Phil. He’ll love it, eventually.

At least it's a change from the non-stop non-news about Brexit.

My grandad, who is in his eighties has never driven however he tells us stories about driving at 100mph down the motorway in the war. We're not sure which war!

He's either confused or fibbing. Given that a) there were no motoways until the late 50s b) he would have been 11 at the end of Ww2, so woulf have needed a licence c) No pre war production car was capable of topping 100mph, let alone anything an ordinary member of the public was likely to be driving. For example a sports car like an MG Midget manufactured in 1939 would struggle to get significantly above 75mph.

Unless he was an 11 year old car thief driving non-existent cars on yet to be built roads.

Erm well maybe the Grandad in question was talking about motorways in another country. . . ? Like one does tend to visit when fighting a war. Maybe it was 100Km an hour.

Let the poor old feller have his "I was quite the lad in the war" story for goodness' sake.

There was an awful accident a number of years ago when a man was driving a land rover defender, fell asleep behind the wheel and went through the crash barrier on the motorway and ended up on a railway line. It caused an train crash in which at least one person died.

He had been up all night talking to some woman on the internet. I read a comment about it afterwards that stayed with me . . . that one of the things influencing his decision to drive after no sleep at all was likely to be that he knew his vehicle was probably the biggest vehicle on the road, ie if he did crash, he wouldn't come off worst.

I do wonder whether no one has worried about Philip driving because "those bulletproof Range Rovers are tough as old boots, he won't get hurt even if he does have an accident." Which has turned out to be the case. Shame about the other people though.

Or perhaps it was because they judged his driving to be fine.

I'm not sure how many times it needs to be said on this thread but HE WAS NOT DRIVING A HUGE RANGE ROVER!!!!

His car is a Land Rover Freelander.

It's a small 4x4 not particularly bigger than a Ford Focus - just taller.

A Land Rover is still built like a brick shit house though. Anyway, everyone’s missed the point. If Prince P is so environmentally aware, why is he driving a diesel car?

Oh please, we're scraping the barrel now.

There was an awful accident a number of years ago when a man was driving a land rover defender, fell asleep behind the wheel and went through the crash barrier on the motorway and ended up on a railway line. It caused an train crash in which at least one person died.

Great Heck on the M62 Ten people died in the resultant collision, including the drivers of both trains involved, and 82 others suffered serious injuries. It remains the worst rail disaster of the 21st century in the United Kingdom.

I’m sure the people in the other car will do pretty well out of it, either by selling their story to the press or with a decent payout.

The same shit was trotted out about the people McPartlin crashed into.

One of the women in the other car has sustained a broken wrist which will affect her for a good few weeks including whatever job/employment she may have.

A new Landrover has been delivered to Sandringham.