Duke of Edinburgh’s Road Accident

[SirGawain]

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

His car is a Land Rover Freelander

Isn't it a discovery? Bigger than a FreeLander. Don't think they make freelancers any more.
I'd have thought it'd take a fair bit to roll it really. Ours has always felt really stable and solid. But maybe it's the angle it hit/was hit at.

A new Discovery was delivered to him today apparently. Or rather to the royal residence.
I'd like to think he isn't back driving quite so soon, especially on public roads.

A new Discovery was delivered to him today apparently.

"To him?" Nobody knows that. If it was a lease car/Royal deal/whatever then they will automatically have replaced it, under whatever scheme they operate. Doesn't for one moment mean he will be driving it. There are other members of the household who might, however.

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.
Not true the worst accident was the Quintinshill rail disaster in 1915 with 226 dead and 246 injured. Second worst was the 1952 Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash which killed 112 people and injured 340.
At Great Heckhe driver of the car was jailed for five years and his insurers paid out at least £22,000,000.

OhDearGodLookAtThisMess

As I said in the sentence directly after the one you quoted. To the royal residence. It was the press which said him. I did say myself it was to the household. And said that I didn't think he'd be back driving quite so soon. I know how leases etc work with Landrover. I know a replacement is sometimes part of the arrangements.

Just to say, DofE took delivery of his own vehicle that he drives in balmoral, just saying.

He's been to hospital for checks and there was a baby in the kia, a woman with broken wrist and a 28 yr old with cuts to knee, according to Telegraph today

What's all this about too big a car and so on..he was blinded, dazzled by the sun and pulled outout when he couldn't see. From what it said

Duke's a hazard :-)

Those women will I bet sell their story this week to the papers.They will get thousands out of this. If they don't then the Royals will have given them a better offer.

Not true the worst accident was the Quintinshill rail disaster in 1915 with 226 dead and 246 injured. Second worst was the 1952 Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash which killed 112 people and injured 340.

Did you not see where the previous poster specified the 21st century. Try learning to read before you go full Ken Barlow on another poster 's ass.

Not true the worst accident was the Quintinshill rail disaster in 1915 ..

Except the poster said "worst rail disaster of 21st century". Last time I looked 1915 was in the 20th.

His car is a Land Rover Freelander

Isn't it a discovery?
No it was a Freelander
Bigger than a FreeLander
Some are, but it was a Freelander
Don't think they make freelancers[sic] any more.
They renamed it Discovery Sport

TKMaxx is still shit.

I love in an area which (according to the census) has a slightly higher than average number of older people.
I don't see all these incidents where 'old people's are a menace on the roads which people keep mentioning.
I see a lot of bad drving, often by women who appear to be in their 30s and forties. We did a 100 mile trip yesterday and do if not once get stuck behind an 'old person' driving at 40 mph in the M1.
There were people sitting in the middle lane when they shouldn't have been, but they weren't noticeably 'old'. I would love to know which areas of the country you live in where all these old people cause such problems.
If the driver concerned had it been the Duke of Edinburgh this would not have made the local news, let alone the national news.

My 21 year old daughter was recently in the far right lane of a three lane highway slowing down for a red light and preparing to turn right, indicators on. A driver in the left hand lane slowed down to let a car merge into the traffic but instead of joining that lane the car pulled across 3 lanes to make an illegal right hand turn and slammed into my daughter's car with enough force to write off both vehicles. He was 81, without insurance and had been discharged from hospital that morning.
Fortunately our insurance has covered the cost of her 6 month old car and the continuing physical issues she has incurred, although not without a fight.
It's not ageist to ensure that elderly drivers are competent to drive. A 97 year old man, especially one that has not been in the best of health recently, does not have the reflexes needed to drive on modern roads.
I was horrified by the headlines reassuring the health of HRH whilst ignoring the fact that a baby and 2 women were taken by ambulance with serious injuries. This has nothing to do with the Monarchy and everything to do with keeping the public roads safe for all users.

Duke's a hazard......

I get it, even if no-one else does shows age.

Roundthehorn, they were not "serious injuries."

ignoring the fact that a baby and 2 women were taken by ambulance with serious injuries.

Except that isn't a fact. There were no serious injuries at all.

He was 81

And? The woman who smashed into the side of me having come out of a junction across 2 lanes of traffic was in her 40s. The man who rear-ended a friend's car was in his 20s. There are shit drivers everywhere and of every age.

I honestly don't believe for one second that they would let the DofE drive if he was not competent. Of course they could stop him if necessary. This was an accident that could have happened to anyone and does in fact happen to many different people all the time.

He is 97 and unhealthy. He had no business being behind the wheel of a car on a public road. Especially when, unlike most people, he has unlimited access to chauffeurs and his own private land to drive on if he just misses being behind the wheel.

He should be ashamed of himself. He could have killed that family. He could have killed a baby!

He could have killed...

As could you every time you drive your car.

unhealthy

In what way?

I'm not a 97 year old with failing health.

That is irrelevant. You could still kill someone with your car and therefore, by your own judgement, you should not drive.

I believe the council were already reviewing the safety of that road prior to this and have decided to reduce the speed limit along it. The road itself was dangerous.

The RF PR team are out in force on this thread!

@SoupDragon yep, council were due to meet the following day to discuss safety at that specific part of the road.

As none of us were there it's fairly inappropriate to decide what happened.