Duke of Edinburgh’s Road Accident

[SirGawain]

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

My aunt-in-law started driving during WW2 and never took a driving test due to the war.

I live not so far from Sandringham and the drivers do not know how to put their lights on. So at 3pm you get a grey car on a grey road on a grey day and BOOM.

It’s not whether you can see other cars. It’s whether other cars can see YOU. And in this case, clearly not.

Wow! So there are over 100,000 90+ year olds driving and about 1.2 million 80-89 year olds driving.

I know of two.

One really ought not to be driving imo. I know it is his plan to stop driving this year, which is good. I know he would prefer to keep driving for his independence but I don't feel he is safe really.

The other is very sprightly, has great reactions, and just seems much younger in many ways than her real age. She has no health issues and is more active than many people half her age. From what I know of her in the rest of her life, she seems safe to be driving at the moment. I know she does consider things like this and says she is taking it month at a time, but is obviously reluctant to stop until she needs to as it will hinder her current lifestyle.

I think at 97 - given that he has people who can drive for him - it is selfish to drive on the public road - his reactions will be slow and he will be a danger on the road.

Eere tests not compulsory then?
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!

I wonder how much driving he has done for the last few years as it is-other than pottering around the estates-it's not really enough to keep you up to speed as it were with driving conditions is it?

@BangGoesThatTheory yes and no. Yes they are easy to roll, but they are built like tanks and the passengers are very well protected. Like the Duke, my mother walked away completely unhurt, even though she had to be rescued from her upside down car by the police!

I assuming everyone judging here has it in good authority that he hasn't had booster lessons, a test, reapplies for his driving lessons?

If we take our judgey pants off for one moment, consider that he has been what some would say was elderly for over 30 years! With how many accidents?

At 97 I assume your senses aren’t up to the standard they were when you took a driving test.

Basically true of anyone past the age of 30 to be honest

Like the head of the AA states, if you want to put a ban on driving based on age, it really should be on the young who have the most accidents.

At 97 he would have taken the test.

Yes he would. My late father had to take a test and he would have been 99 this year.

Mind you I am not sure how rigorous the test was in those days. I remember my Dad being not at his best on motorways or busy towns and cities. Oh the family rows when he was relying on my DM's woeful navigation skills and panicking when she had lost her place on the map. Many are the journeys I remember as a child sat in the back listening to them both getting more and more agitated and not caring to look.

But I digress...

My fil didn't take a driving test. He learnt in the forces in WW2 and no test was considered necessary. He was actually a very safe driver. He was born in 1921.

No one knows if it’s Prince Philips fault or not.

It could easily be that the other car was speeding.

I’m not blaming the other driver by saying this, just saying you should jump to conclusions because of Philip’s age.

@StealthPolarBear - there were no motorways in the UK until 1959, so presumably your grandad was in another country. Or did he mean the Cod War?

Great comment by the AA chap.

Quite surprised at some of the ageism on here. My 88 year old grandmother drives regularly but has regular tests and has done special courses for older drivers. How do we know he hasn't done these.

And how do we know it's his fault - for all we know the other car could have been doing 90 and no one would have seen it.

Too many innocent people lose their lives due to people who no should no longer be driving due to their age. Eg there are numerous examples of older people driving wrong way down motorways.

Oh come off it lavenderhidcote. How many? The vast majority of road accidents including deaths and and serious injuries are caused by people under 60 because most drivers are under 60.

The only reason why we hear about spectacular collisions involving geriatric drivers is because they are newsworthy because they are driving the wrong way on the motorway or happen to be the Duke of Edinburgh.

People get killed on the roads every day by incompetent drivers but it's not worth reporting.

And can you lay off the 'innocent' thing?

One of my neighbours is 99 and he drives. I don't know whether he should or not but he does

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!

Maybe the Falklands War? Motorways weren't built before the 1950s

My mum was killed aged 69, by a pensioner driving who veered into oncoming traffic. She was a passenger. He also killed another lady in her 40's.

This is a very tricky area.

As people have pointed out (along with the AA guy), it's all too easy to point fingers of blame at someone's age when there's an accident, whether it be someone over 80 or under 25, when it could quite easily have been something that could have happened to anyone. Time will tell as to what happened here.

That said, we were having kittens earlier this year, when my 87 year old dad was still driving. His health was failing, he'd had a couple of collapses and was complaining of weakness in one leg. But as a fully-independent (then) adult, who was in possession of all his mental faculties and administrative affairs, and who was adamant that independence was key to his mental health, who were we (as his children) to "forbid" him to drive? Even his GP wouldn't/couldn't.

Fortunately, he decided for himself (after we'd had a few "goes" at him) to give up, and the car was sold within the week.

I have no idea rusty. He was born in 32.
My cousin and I can't ask because it's embarrassing that we weren't listening the first time. Her fiance is fairly new to the family so we're priming him to get the actual details.

Museum I would have assumed Falklands but isn't that a bit late for someone who doesn't drive to be driving

limitedperiodonly - No, I won't. I am entitled to express my opinion just as you are entitled to express yours.

My dad was born in 1931 and took a test.

Just realised the Falklands was later than I thought...he definitely wasn't in that!