Duke of Edinburgh’s Road Accident

[SirGawain]

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

It’s always sad to see someone slowly losing their health and independence and I feel sorry for him. From reports this morning, it seems that the low winter sun was a factor and I’ve been blinded a couple of times this winter so it may be that he just got unlucky rather than his age being a factor. I’m glad no one was seriously hurt. 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.

It's time to read test pensioners. They're a nightmare on the roads. They hide away in the stastics through driving small amounts locally once a week. But so many around here are going 20-30 in a national speed limit - very dangerous. They cause accidents and just drive off or scrape a car and don't even realise it.

Gaballout. What a ridiculous statement. I’m a pensioner. I drive every day, I drive long distances, I drive all over the country. I can assure you that if I caused an accident or scraped a car I would certainly realise. I drive a damn sight further and more competently than younger people I encounter the roads near me whose driving consists of just the school run or to the supermarket and can’t even park properly when they get there.

Drivers under the age of 25 are responsible for 85% of all “serious” level accidents, hence their highly loaded insurance premiums.
If you want to ban any age group from driving, it should logically be the young, not the elderly!

It was a minor collision

I don't think a RR being overturned onto its side is a "minor collision"!

The overturning is the result. The police - you know the people who dealt with it - are describing it as a minor collision.

An eye witness on radio 4 this morning said there was a baby in the other car, that someone had a broken arm and that it was on a main road near to Sandringham. It seems to me it's being massively played down because he's the DOE. Any old Phil driving around at 97 would get slated for causing a potentially fatal accident but because its the bloody royal family, they seem to get a pass.

As far as I can see, it's Buckingham Palace that said it was minor Bluelady (and who rattled your cage by the way?) but your googling skills might be, you know, better than mine. In my world "several" police cars don't attend a "minor collision" and there must have been some force involved to overturn a RR. But hey yes, what do I know with my opinions and everything.

@Kazzyhoward agreed! Massively down played indeed.

But you know if the palace make a statement, then it must be 100% true, of course.

You have to be doing something very wrong to roll and landrover on flat land.

Or hit hard at high speed.

Or BE hit at high speed. And of course there were several police cars there, it involved the Royal family, ffs.

There's no way we'll have driverless cars replacing driven cars throughout the country this century.

I hope you are wrong, the last time I checked multiple figures in the car industry were giving the next five years as a time-frame for the start of normal use on roads.

I'd imagine that once driverless cars prove viable, private driving will be phased out within a decade or two, by law. Once it's proven that driverless can do the job cheaper and safer, it will become unacceptable for other road users to face the risks that come from allowing a human to drive. Also, if virtually all vehicles are driverless, their are all sort of additional benefits that you'd get that wouldn't be present if every second vehicle had a human behind the wheel.

I bought my current car in 2014, I'm hoping that when I eventually part with it it will be because the concept of car ownership will be obsolete.

A Range Rover is massive and heavy. There must have been some impact involved if it landed on its side.

and there must have been some force involved to overturn a RR

A couple of people up-thread have already posted that it is actually very easy to overturn a RR, does not require a lot of force at all.

A couple of people up-thread have already posted that it is actually very easy to overturn a RR, does not require a lot of force at all.

Depends tbh.

It wasn't a Range Rover. It was a Freelander.

I also agree with a PP about it being played down. It doesn't seem like a minor crash from the new information that has been announced. He could have really hurt someone, or worse, and there was no need for him to be driving.

If it had been someone like Katie Price the headlines would have been much more dramatic Katie's Careless Crash - Baby Rushed To Hospital

Oh. Still, having had a Freelander, I know that they are pretty hefty too.

Yeah they're not light!! It was also armoured as well, which isn't exactly bubble wrap!

FFS yerself bluelady I really don't know why you're so cross with me

Just heard on the radio news that Norfolk County Council are already looking at reducing the speed limit on that road, as between 2012 and 2018 there have been 42 accidents.

I do know that bit of road its very straight there and people do barrell down it at a goodley rate of knots, added in the low sun factor which is a real PITA this time of year its not surprisiing there are a lot of accidents there.

I wonder what her Maj is telling him today;?

"Yes Phil I know its my highway but"

"Yes Phil I know its my highway but"

The BBC are reporting that there was a baby in the other car too.

Am I the only one who remembers the out cry when Ant McPartlin had a car accident when a child was in the other car?

Yes serious accidents are blamed on younger people but when you take into account the short infrequent distances of pensioners the amount of accidents rockets!

Also lots of pensioners are unaware of the accidents they cause for other people. I almost had a very serious accident when one turned onto a national speed limit road infont of and had to emergency break to avoid hitting it. I has injorys for months afterwards and they were none the wiser. It happens all around here with a high oap population.

So it was armoured? Yes they have a high center of gravity but still people say it rolled several times.. not a minor accident.

If this was someone from Gordie shore people would be going on about how dangerous young drivers are

Agree he's being let off lightly due to being old and royal. Ageism indeed.

Weetabix any was drunk