Safe Speed Forums

I've just got back from four days in Torbay, where I was looking after my old Dad (91) who has just had a cataract operation. (This went well, he heals stunningly fast and had full vision and operation back at the end of the four days).

Consequently I did a lot of "local" running around on errands, bringing my Mum home for the afternoon from the home she is in (she is frail and although has all her marbles, needs nmore care that a 91 year-old can provide in the night).

My Dad still drives by the way - I followed him and observed his driving earlier in the year and he seems competent and observant, and drives within his limits. (He is, I should stress, exceptionally alert and active for his age and would pass for late 70s)

Anyway, all this local driving brought to my mind the concern in Devon about eldery drivers discussed on here a while back, so I paid particular attention to the prevailing traffic conditions.

I noted:

1 Main urban roads, very crowed and traffic slow (holiday time after all)

2 Other urban and residential roads light on traffic but heavily "parked"

3 A lot of drivers running back when attempting hill starts - these are out-of-area visitors, the locals can do hills starts up a wall (!) and all the wrinklies drive automatics.

4 A "three-speed" road population on main urban roads - this consists of slow (visitors) - normal and appropriate (wrinklies and sane locals) - and berserk (Torbay has a large chav driver population who are in their element, as no one can actually drive FAST)

5 In non-main urban and residential areas a "two-speed" culture consisting of wrinklies (and me!) who drive at an appropriate speed and exercise courtesy, and ALL other locals who, once off the congested main roads, drive as if there is never anyone coming the other way.

My collected experience consisted of a number of "indecisive moments" from wrinklies which were easy to cope with and anticipate, and a large number of "thank heavens I was paying attention" incidents involving taking anticipatory avoiding action to cope with "normal" locals (and chavs) driving at 40+ down residential roads with heavy parking on both sides.

I was left with the overall feeling that, whilst some of the old dears I saw driving were not probably as alert as younger drivers they were making appropriate allowances for both that and the conditions - whereas the indigenous driving population of Torbay aged under retirement age seem so frustrated by the constant jams on the major routes that as soon as the turn off on a side road they really "let loose" and throw sense to the wind.

My uncle who lived on Anglesey used to refer to tourist traffic as 'Wahinis' (Polynesian for 'beloved'). Whenever we were out on the island's narrow, winding roads we would invariably meet up with a 'bloody wahini' from Manky or the 'Pool. There was a general rule about them - if there was a white line down the middle of the road, they would drive it like it was the M1 and if grass grew in the middle of the road, they would hold up bicycles with the slowness of their progress and age or sex did not come into the equation.
My uncle died many years ago - the first person that I had ever known to 'hoon' - he drove with a passion for his cars (particularly his 2000GT Corsair) and the sheer enjoyment of the road, Just as I do my utmost to now.
About five years ago, I took my kids to stay on the island and show them the place that I had had so many happy holidays on and the bloody wahinis were still there! All still talking like Tarby or Liam Gallagher and all still driving like knobs...

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Aquila



Licat volare si super tergum aquila volat...

I've just got back from a weekend biking in Devon with t' missus and I can't believe how sloooow everything appears down there!

Following some cars on the A358 at 15 - 25mph virtually at all times, with absolute no regard for huge traffic jams behind, engendering frustration etc... I saw some spectacularly foolish overtakes, probably caused by frustration.

I followed a family and the woman driving was doing one of my favourite pet hates - when she spoke (and being a woman, this was pretty much all the time ), she insisted on looking at her passenger. Every so often, when she looked back at the road, she had to keep making sudden steering corrections. God help us.

On the M5 on the way down, filtering between L2 & L3, a Volvo 4X4 was veering erratically in the middle lane. I pulled up alongside to see if she was drunk, but no - she was on her mobile. I honked my horn at her and when she looked up, she just smiled at me. Where's the BiB when you want one?

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Pecunia Prius Equitas et Salus