Sponsored by
Kev Lawrence: At a certain age driving is best left to others
Last Sunday, while trying to get out of Hampton in a bit of a hurry, I got stuck behind the world's slowest driver.
Last Sunday, while trying to get out of Hampton in a bit of a hurry, I got stuck behind the world's slowest driver. It was an elderly lady, hunched over the wheel of what looked like a battered old Morris Minor, and I clocked her doing about 9mph.
I was unable to overtake as there were so many speedbumps and parked cars. It was painful, as she inched her way along Rothbart Way, into Archers Wood, then right on to Hargate Way.
Dog walkers were making faster progress, and my mood shifted from one of frustration, to pity, then back to moderate anger, before I developed full blown rage. I have absolute confidence that she knew nothing of me behind her, as she never once glanced in her mirror.
Nor did she know where her indicators were, or if she did, she chose not to use them. Her brakes worked fine, and if she found herself going above 10 mph, she slammed them on. It was a bit like watching a boy of 10 trying to steer his dad's car round the estate for a joyride. It was horrible.
Finally, after about 10 minutes of my life that I will never get back, her route mercifully differed to mine and I was able to escape. I did not beep or shake my fist, partly because I was always taught to respect my elders, and partly because she probably couldn't hear or see too well, so it would have been a waste of time anyway.
Much is made of speeding motorists these days, a section of the public so often picked on by an unfair system that doles out harsh fines and life ruining points punishments, for the pettiest of so called "offences".
And yet when was the last time you saw a driver done for going too slowly? It doesn't happen, and yet if I followed this lady on a daily basis, and others like her, I bet I would see a trail of enraged car drivers tagging along behind trying to get to work, and situations of danger as tempers fray.
I saw in the news recently a 93-year-old guy had just bought himself a new Hyundai i20. His driving licence was obtained at a cost of five shillings over 76 years ago, and despite not having his own hips, he is still deemed fit enough to drive. Upon delving further into this, I also found out that the world's oldest driver was a New York man named Fred Hale, who was still driving at the age of 108.
Now without being disrespectful to these people, I believe that when you reach a certain age, say 75, driving is something that should be left to others. Cars, and their drivers, are getting faster and faster. And when a human gets older, his or her reflexes get slower, thus rendering them dangerous.
So here's my solution: when you hit the age of 75, take a bus, or get a lift from a loved one and leave driving for others.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Peterborough
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 1 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: West
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.