[News] Driving wrong way on a motorway

[Brian Parsons]

Looks like we are all in agreement that there should be at least frequent mandatory testing for the very elderly.

Unfortunately, I don't think we could subsidise nor expect the elderly to pay for these tests. As sad as it is, perhaps they should not be allowed on the roads at all.

Self driving cars are close to becoming a reality, so it's a short term problem anyway - but as mental and physical health deteriation affects ALL people in their 80's, a blanket ban could save many lives.

I'm not sure that their independence is a fair argument against it either... the elderly has subsidised homes and bus passes. The modern world is designed for the disabled. I don't think they necessarily have to lose any independence if we take away their right to drive.

As someone who is in his 70's and at the time of writing is still in full control of his faculties I am mildly offended by the suggestion that we should be retested. It will come to us all in the fullness of time. What seems like a cracking idea for a 20/30 yr old will not be so appealing in 50-60 yrs time. I used to live near the junction were the tragedy happened and what baffles me every time is how can a car with caravan turn so tight as to go down the slip road when exiting from a roundabout.

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[Deleted member 2719]

In my experience, the overwhelming majority of fatal and / or serious injury RTCs involve young drivers (typically males under 25 but increasingly females too).

If we really want to reduce casulaties on our roads this is the demographic that needs to be targeted.

I don't know the stats but, this seems obvious to me, young girls drive so aggressively nowadays.

Do girls have more testosterone now??

WTF is going on, I have seen cars do fast silly manoeuvres and my automatic thinking tells me young male...............................wrong young female.

Why has this changed

Any thoughts?

 

[BensGrandad]

The only thing that I would agree is needed is physical, health and eyesight tests for elderly when they renew their licence at 70 years old and then every 3 years on further subsequent renewals.

 

[Sorrel]

The oldest thing is how people who do this keep going going rather than pull over. Do they think everyone else is going the wrong way?

 

[Austrian Gull]

It's called ghostdriving in German. Happens quite regularly here with big announcements on the radio as to where it's taking place and how to react if you see someone heading the wrong way.


Normally the culprit is elderly and/or drunk...

 

[Guy Fawkes]

I don't know the stats but, this seems obvious to me, young girls drive so aggressively nowadays.

Do girls have more testosterone now??

WTF is going on, I have seen cars do fast silly manoeuvres and my automatic thinking tells me young male...............................wrong young female.

Why has this changed

Any thoughts?

The Fast and the Furious movie franchise influencing behaviour?

 

[Creaky]

As someone who is in his 70's and at the time of writing is still in full control of his faculties I am mildly offended by the suggestion that we should be retested. It will come to us all in the fullness of time. What seems like a cracking idea for a 20/30 yr old will not be so appealing in 50-60 yrs time. I used to live near the junction were the tragedy happened and what baffles me every time is how can a car with caravan turn so tight as to go down the slip road when exiting from a roundabout.

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Could it be that not being used to driving on the left they have gone the wrong way around the roundabout - that would make the slip road a natural exit.

One of the most counter-intuitive manoeuvres for me when driving on the right is to go anti-clockwise around a roundabout.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

I witnessed an elderly driver going the wrong way and heading towards me in a similar situation a few years ago, this was along the A259 heading past the smugglers rest where they have traffic islands now. The driver may have become confused and thought that they were separate roads and picked the right hand road, not realising they were dual carriageway lanes.

She drove fairly slowly but still carried on driving towards the oncoming traffic, luckily there is another lane we were able to use to go around her, helped by the fact that traffic was very light for that time of day.

I suspect there is an element of not knowing what to do and thinking that carrying on until they can get to a point where they can get back to the correct side of the road is the best course of action? - I mean, whoever has even thought about what to do beforehand if they suddenly found themselves in that situation? - should there be an advice campaign to maybe help guide people what to do in a situation like this (or would that open up those behind that campaign to potential prosecution if something then goes wrong and someone gets hurt or killed because of that advice and therefore its better that no-one to produce anything to safeguard against that risk and plead ignorance?)


The vehicle in the video had a real problem in that there was fast moving, heavy traffic making it impossible to dive into the hard shoulder and by stopping in the outside lane, they would still be harms way should a vehicle not realise its blocked and crashes into it (even if they have removed themselves from the vehicle)

 

[Driver8]

The vehicle in the video had a real problem in that there was fast moving, heavy traffic making it impossible to dive into the hard shoulder and by stopping in the outside lane, they would still be harms way should a vehicle not realise its blocked and crashes into it (even if they have removed themselves from the vehicle)

By carrying on they are doubling the speed of impact. Much better to just stop as everyone else would soon stop too.

 

[BensGrandad]

Perhaps anyone, whatever age, should have to resist their test if they get banned, and everyone, whatever age, should have to resist every 5 years.

I have suggested this before and been told that all it would do is increase the numbers driving without a licence so in the event of an accident present extra problems for those who do have a licence.

 

[DJ NOBO]

As someone who is in his 70's and at the time of writing is still in full control of his faculties I am mildly offended by the suggestion that we should be retested. It will come to us all in the fullness of time. What seems like a cracking idea for a 20/30 yr old will not be so appealing in 50-60 yrs time. I used to live near the junction were the tragedy happened and what baffles me every time is how can a car with caravan turn so tight as to go down the slip road when exiting from a roundabout.

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You make it sound like a retest would be a punishment - the idea would actually be to potentially protect senior drivers and other road users.
If you were fit to drive you would have nothing to worry about in a retest.
If you were not fit to drive, why on earth would you want to defend your right to drive?

 

[BensGrandad]

What I dont understand is how long this took? so wasnt it possible to put the lane markers to closed and stop the traffic. or was it all over in a few seconds,.

 

[Brian Parsons]

You make it sound like a retest would be a punishment - the idea would actually be to potentially protect senior drivers and other road users.
If you were fit to drive you would have nothing to worry about in a retest.
If you were not fit to drive, why on earth would you want to defend your right to drive?

I have no objection per see about being retested as I'm already subject in a way to just that. I have an eye condition that needs medication to keep it under control. Once a year I visit my specialist, he examines me and notifies the DVLA of my ability to drive safely. A friend of mine's son was involved in a fatal accident in Scotland. He was banned from driving for 5 yrs followed by a retest. Only problem was he needed lessons to be shown the "new way to approach junctions and other things". Would that then be the case for all elderly drivers because there's still hundreds who can't go straight over a roundabout correctly.

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[Guy Fawkes]

I have no objection per see about being retested as I'm already subject in a way to just that. I have an eye condition that needs medication to keep it under control. Once a year I visit my specialist, he examines me and notifies the DVLA of my ability to drive safely. A friend of mine's son was involved in a fatal accident in Scotland. He was banned from driving for 5 yrs followed by a retest. Only problem was he needed lessons to be shown the "new way to approach junctions and other things". Would that then be the case for all elderly drivers because there's still hundreds who can't go straight over a roundabout correctly.

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I think the problem is more that people don't consider other road users as much any more, and are less aware of their surroundings and other vehicles when driving, so straight line dual carriage roundabouts, hogging the fast lane when the inside lane is clear and faster traffic wishes to pass, cutting up other drivers (especially on roundabouts), or using the left hand lane to turn right across the path of drivers going straight on in the right hand lane on a dual stretch of road, etc......)

Whether its part due to a cultural thing that's developed and changed (me first rather than after you) or its that everyone is now in too much of a rush nowadays with so many meaningless distractions in life that people put too much importance on (tv, internet, phones, etc) and therefore feel they need to rush more to try to fit more of this in and feel the need to force their way through traffic, etc - meaning people also get frustrated behind slower (usually over caution, elderly drivers) and take more risks

More should be done to promote awareness and consideration of other road users when driving imo to try to counter these bad habits that are more likely to cause crashes than (just) speeding.

- Also teaching people how to judge the width of their vehicles would help, people who are afraid to take corners with any speed or slow if other vehicles approach despite being in different lanes with plenty of room to go past each other may be people who need retesting or extra lessons in safe driving

 

[Triggaaar]

We could exert our influence inside the EU to make it happen in Europe.

We're not even using the rule in this country, yet you think this is a pro remain point.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

We're not even using the rule in this country, yet you think this is a pro remain point.

*cough* it was a sort of joke *cough*

 

[Weststander]

I think the problem is more that people don't consider other road users as much any more, and are less aware of their surroundings and other vehicles when driving, so straight line dual carriage roundabouts, hogging the fast lane when the inside lane is clear and faster traffic wishes to pass, cutting up other drivers (especially on roundabouts), or using the left hand lane to turn right across the path of drivers going straight on in the right hand lane on a dual stretch of road, etc......)

Whether its part due to a cultural thing that's developed and changed (me first rather than after you) or its that everyone is now in too much of a rush nowadays with so many meaningless distractions in life that people put too much importance on (tv, internet, phones, etc) and therefore feel they need to rush more to try to fit more of this in and feel the need to force their way through traffic, etc - meaning people also get frustrated behind slower (usually over caution, elderly drivers) and take more risks

More should be done to promote awareness and consideration of other road users when driving imo to try to counter these bad habits that are more likely to cause crashes than (just) speeding.

- Also teaching people how to judge the width of their vehicles would help, people who are afraid to take corners with any speed or slow if other vehicles approach despite being in different lanes with plenty of room to go past each other may be people who need retesting or extra lessons in safe driving

The issue of middle and outer lane law-breaking hoggers was looked at detail by a motoring organisation.

It emerged that the vast majority of those committing this offence, do it as they find periodically changing lanes tiresome.

In many miles driving on the continent, drivers always pull over after overtaking on two or three lane carriageways.

Strange how this is a UK thing.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

A pensions company, due to the recent ability to turn one's pension into yacht cash, showed the results of a survey where it indicated, the older you were the more confident you were of being right but the more likely you were of being wrong! It is obviously a lot of twaddle.

 

[Weststander]

A pensions company, due to the recent ability to turn one's pension into yacht cash, showed the results of a survey where it indicated, the older you were the more confident you were of being right but the more likely you were of being wrong! It is obviously a lot of twaddle.

The confidence that comes with dentures.

 

[Triggaaar]

*cough* it was a sort of joke *cough*

Ok. Yours wasn't the only comment linking this to Brexit, and it's impossible to tell since the 'jokes' look just like the real moaning