surely somebody should report this?

[pooroldcodger]

Earlier this week I was in one of those places that seem to attract old people with time to waste, you may know it as The Post Office. I was in the queue behind somebody trying to send a carrier bag full of parcels all over the world. Clearly running an internet business from he spare bedroom. At the next window was an old boy who was trying to re-tax his car. The poor lady trying to serve him was doing her best to point out that his insurance certifcate would run out on the 24th, so he needs to bring his new certificate before she could re-tax his car. Simple enough you would think. But he couldn't hear her, because his hearing aid was whistling (like Mrs Richards off Fawlty Towers). So the post office lady had to come round the front of the counter and spend literally the next 10 minutes shouting kindlyly that he needed to come back when he had his new certificate. When the penny finally dropped, he struggled to find his way out of the post office, with his cataract eyes and walking stick. When he had gone, the queue looked at each other and collectively asked how the hell was he still driving? Whilst I was buying my stamps I heard the distinctive sound of a car being revved to within an inch of its life, but still only moving at 10mph with the clutch slipping. I was waiting for the bang, but thankfullly none came.
Shouldn't the post office in such circumstances be able to report a driver who clearly should have hung up his keys many years ago for everyone's safety, including his own?
What do you think? I hope when I am unfit to drive somebody is not afraid to tell me.

 

[Shadeyman]

If you think anyone is unfit to drive your can report them. I'm not saying anything would get done about it but you can report it.

 

[jnoiles]

Shouldn't the post office in such circumstances be able to report a driver who clearly should have hung up his keys many years ago for everyone's safety, including his own?

Sure, why not. It's not like the post office doesn't have enough on its plate being everything from a travel agent to a bank. Why not make them traffic police as well.

I'd like the post office to sell stamps and let us post parcels. That's it. None of this queue for a whole day while people do a million things, slowly, in front of you.

 

[dombooth]

Earlier this week I was in one of those places that seem to attract old people with time to waste, you may know it as The Post Office. I was in the queue behind somebody trying to send a carrier bag full of parcels all over the world. Clearly running an internet business from he spare bedroom. At the next window was an old boy who was trying to re-tax his car. The poor lady trying to serve him was doing her best to point out that his insurance certifcate would run out on the 24th, so he needs to bring his new certificate before she could re-tax his car. Simple enough you would think. But he couldn't hear her, because his hearing aid was whistling (like Mrs Richards off Fawlty Towers). So the post office lady had to come round the front of the counter and spend literally the next 10 minutes shouting kindlyly that he needed to come back when he had his new certificate. When the penny finally dropped, he struggled to find his way out of the post office, with his cataract eyes and walking stick. When he had gone, the queue looked at each other and collectively asked how the hell was he still driving? Whilst I was buying my stamps I heard the distinctive sound of a car being revved to within an inch of its life, but still only moving at 10mph with the clutch slipping. I was waiting for the bang, but thankfullly none came.
Shouldn't the post office in such circumstances be able to report a driver who clearly should have hung up his keys many years ago for everyone's safety, including his own?
What do you think? I hope when I am unfit to drive somebody is not afraid to tell me.

Yeah, my grandad is just as bad, I've told him to stop so he only goes out once or so a week.

I'd like the post office to sell stamps and let us post parcels. That's it. None of this queue for a whole day while people do a million things, slowly, in front of you.

Got it it one!

Dom

 

[Sqwidge]

If your so annoyed about the post office, which you yourself are probably old enough to enjoy given that you were in there in the first place, why not use a courier? They come to yours/theirs house to pick up and go to yours/theirs house to drop off, what more could you ask for? You don't even have to leave the house to organise it.

The P.O. reporting someone isn't part of any 'transport police' or similar, its just common sense, would you trust that particular person to be in total control of their vehicle whilst your family were stood by or even crossing the road?
On the flipside though I doubt anyone would report it to the DVLA due to talking to a robot for 35 minutes before they could actually talk to anyone real that would be able to take any such relevant details or the Police just to be given a crime/log number and nothing actually be done until it's too late, not to mention the frustration that would be clearly felt by some of our forum members caused by the increased length in queue's and waiting times within said post office whilst these calls are being made.

I do agree with the majority about 'old people' driving though, I think that they should have a medical every 3 to 6 months and that those 'old people' should be assessed by their current conditions, situations and mentality, not by a set of questions brought into power when the model T ford was first built.

IF you really want to do something about it, the next time you see someone that you think shouldnt be driving instead of telling us about it, why not take his keys from him, wait till the Police turn up and explain why you did it and then tell us about it and how you potentially saved someone from being killed or killing others.
Oh no wait I forgot, we're British, we don't get involved with other people's business, we just stand by and watch it happen and then bitch about it.

Now to sit back and wait for the keyboard warriors to come and persecute me.

 

[sludgeguts]

When I noticed my dad's driving deteriorating, rather than dent his pride & ruin our relationship I steered him in the direction of an electric cart.
Sell the car & buy an electric cart - giving him loads of cash to spare and with the cart he can get to all the local shops, no parking worries, no tax, MOT, fuel bills or insurance to worry about - and for the very odd occasion where he might need a car, I'm around or taxis are dirt cheap.

 

[pooroldcodger]

If your so annoyed about the post office, which you yourself are probably old enough to enjoy given that you were in there in the first place, why not use a courier? They come to yours/theirs house to pick up and go to yours/theirs house to drop off, what more could you ask for? You don't even have to leave the house to organise it.

The P.O. reporting someone isn't part of any 'transport police' or similar, its just common sense, would you trust that particular person to be in total control of their vehicle whilst your family were stood by or even crossing the road?
On the flipside though I doubt anyone would report it to the DVLA due to talking to a robot for 35 minutes before they could actually talk to anyone real that would be able to take any such relevant details or the Police just to be given a crime/log number and nothing actually be done until it's too late, not to mention the frustration that would be clearly felt by some of our forum members caused by the increased length in queue's and waiting times within said post office whilst these calls are being made.

I do agree with the majority about 'old people' driving though, I think that they should have a medical every 3 to 6 months and that those 'old people' should be assessed by their current conditions, situations and mentality, not by a set of questions brought into power when the model T ford was first built.

IF you really want to do something about it, the next time you see someone that you think shouldnt be driving instead of telling us about it, why not take his keys from him, wait till the Police turn up and explain why you did it and then tell us about it and how you potentially saved someone from being killed or killing others.
Oh no wait I forgot, we're British, we don't get involved with other people's business, we just stand by and watch it happen and then bitch about it.

Now to sit back and wait for the keyboard warriors to come and persecute me.

Actually sir I use a courier pretty much every day, with something either coming or going, but as I was sending a small letter to Ireland and buying some stamps, then that's why I was at the post office as courier for that would not be suitable.
Yes I supposed I could have taken the old boy's keys off him, but I have no doubt whatsoever that I would have been done for robbery and the old boy would have been sent on his dangerous way.
I do realise that the post office have plenty to do, and if they didn't offer various services, they would shut permanently. It just seemd to me that just as a publican is expected to stop serving drinks to a drunk, then a similar principle might apply to deaf and blind drivers taxing their cars. Not a perfect idea of course because a relative could go for him.
It's also quite sad because the car is often the old person's ticket to still having a life without being house bound, but surely it is too dangerous to be sentimental. Probably best to leave the post office out of it and have compulsory re-tests over a certain age.

 

[Mr Wild]

I might have cataracts and a walking stick, but I could still kick your arse.

 

[sledge]

You mention the local Post Office, well go and hang around outside my local sixth form college for a few hours. I can sssure you that it wont be long before you see some dangerous, reckless and totaly irresponsible behaviour.

I consider it wrong to generalise and sterotype, there is good and bad in every age group and you have to remember that its the minority who give the majority a bad name.

As for the Post Office informing on people......The Nazis were doing all this 70 yrs ago . Whats next? Binmen checking tax discs? Lollipop ladies looking for bald tyres??

There are procedures and laws in place to deal with unsafe road users no matter how old they are, lets leave it to the relevent authorities to impliment them and deal with those who dont meet the standards.

 

[Venters]

I remember a few years ago following an older but not really old guy in a civic with a young girl in the passenger seat, weaving across lanes on the dual carridgeway then darting across the chevroned area to get onto the slip I reckon he must have forgot he was taking. Looked drunk to me without a doubt, so followed them till they parked took down the reg and dropped it off at the police station along with the vehicles location.

Got a phonecall later from the police to say the owner had also phoned the police when he saw me at his car writing down his reg and it was okay he was driving the way he was, because he had a medical condition.

 

[pooroldcodger]

I might have cataracts and a walking stick, but I could still kick your arse.

So long as you could see it presumably?
This is not a joke. Somebody who can barely find their way out of the post office gets in a car and drives away?
There are procedures and laws in place to deal with unsafe road users no matter how old they are, lets leave it to the relevent authorities to impliment them and deal with those who dont meet the standards.
I agree. Shame they are inadequate.
You mention the local Post Office, well go and hang around outside my local sixth form college for a few hours. I can sssure you that it wont be long before you see some dangerous, reckless and totaly irresponsible behaviour.
My point was nothing to do with ageism. It was to do with being fit to drive safely or not. This would apply equally to a sixth former or a blind person of any age. I am not young myself so I am hardly going to argue against older drivers per se, only unsafe ones (of any age).

 

[pooroldcodger]

I remember a few years ago following an older but not really old guy in a civic with a young girl in the passenger seat, weaving across lanes on the dual carridgeway then darting across the chevroned area to get onto the slip I reckon he must have forgot he was taking. Looked drunk to me without a doubt, so followed them till they parked took down the reg and dropped it off at the police station along with the vehicles location.

Got a phonecall later from the police to say the owner had also phoned the police when he saw me at his car writing down his reg and it was okay he was driving the way he was, because he had a medical condition.

Good on you for trying to do something about it. Scary response though!!

 

[sledge]

There are procedures and laws in place to deal with unsafe road users no matter how old they are, lets leave it to the relevent authorities to impliment them and deal with those who dont meet the standards.

I agree. Shame they are inadequate

Inadequate? what do you base that statement on?
Everytime I look in my local paper there is a list of individuals of all ages who have been dragged in front of the local magistrates for contravening various traffic laws......what am I missing?

 

[The Beard]

I'm normally quite defensive of older drivers, but on the way to work the other day doing 65 on the M60, I realised the car in front about 200 yards away was travelling quite a bit more slowly than me. I wasn't quite prepared for how slowly. As I hit the brakes and brought the Panda down to 30, yes you read that correctly I became concerned about traffic gaining on me from behind. As we were passing an on-ramp and because of faster moving traffic from behind it took about 400 yards before I could get out.

Under the circumstances, I don't see how 30 is an appropriate speed for a motorway and as the driver looked to be well past retirement age maybe he should re-think his decision to keep on driving.

But, self examination and self criticism is always the hardest kind. People of all ages are equally responsible for their own driving and as such, all ages should consider their ability to drive.

 

[sludgeguts]

But, self examination and self criticism is always the hardest kind. People of all ages are equally responsible for their own driving and as such, all ages should consider their ability to drive.

Sadly, the majority of drivers believe they are the best in the world, it is unfortunate that a lot of them think the way to prove this is to drive brains out through a town centre, dodging in and out, braking hard and accellerating even harder.

 

[pooroldcodger]

Inadequate? what do you base that statement on?
Everytime I look in my local paper there is a list of individuals of all ages who have been dragged in front of the local magistrates for contravening various traffic laws......what am I missing?

You are missing the point that in respect of fitness to drive, the "system" relies heavily on the honesty of the driver to declare themselves unfit to drive, which in the case of somebody who relies on their car is probably asking too much. Or the intervention of a GP I believe can also result in a driver being unable to obtain insurance. But if the driver does not see a GP then he or she can continue until they declare themselves unfit.
I was not having a go at old drivers across the board. I am not so young myself. Only unfit drivers of any age. So if anybody was offended, then I'm sorry.

 

[Prilliant03]

Any system that relies on people willingly declaring themselves unfit to do something they've been doing for years, and that will probably cause them a massive upheaval in their personal lives, is a system doomed to failure.

I watched my own dad's driving deteriorate due to poorly controlled diabetes, and it took a very serious threat to report him to the DVLA before he got the message and sorted out his medication with help from his doctor.

It feels horrible to interfere like that, but I'd do it again tomorrow if I had to.

 

[missey]

Any system that relies on people willingly declaring themselves unfit to do something they've been doing for years, and that will probably cause them a massive upheaval in their personal lives, is a system doomed to failure.

I watched my own dad's driving deteriorate due to poorly controlled diabetes, and it took a very serious threat to report him to the DVLA before he got the message and sorted out his medication with help from his doctor.

It feels horrible to interfere like that, but I'd do it again tomorrow if I had to.

Good on you, you will never know if you saved his or someone elses life

My friends sister was killed by a 72 year old man, she was 23 He came over 3 lanes of an empty road...to add insult, he claimed in court that she jumped in front of him and must have been suicidal
He was clearly too old to have been on the road, he had his life, and made her loose hers, as the rest of her family too

 

[Prilliant03]

Good on you, you will never know if you saved his or someone elses life

My friends sister was killed by a 72 year old man, she was 23 He came over 3 lanes of an empty road...to add insult, he claimed in court that she jumped in front of him and must have been suicidal
He was clearly too old to have been on the road, he had his life, and made her loose hers, as the rest of her family too

Really sorry to hear that Missey. It's bad enough that people do awful things, but to then lie about it and plead innocence is just sickening.

My mum is 72 and still driving (Fabia VRS!! ) but she's informed my sister and me to let her know as soon as we feel she needs to start using the bus.

 

[sludgeguts]

Good on you, you will never know if you saved his or someone elses life

My friends sister was killed by a 72 year old man, she was 23 He came over 3 lanes of an empty road...to add insult, he claimed in court that she jumped in front of him and must have been suicidal
He was clearly too old to have been on the road, he had his life, and made her loose hers, as the rest of her family too

As I said on another thread, people will lie through their back teeth if they have done something bad. There are very few people out there who would be honest enough to own up to something so horriffic.
No matter how well you think you know somebody. I suspect the 72 y/o was done up in his best bib & tucker, probably even sporting a huge chestful of medals etc etc.