Safe Speed Forums

Suppose the Police observe an instance of careless driving. Perhaps it involves an old person who might be losing their faculties. What should happen? Here's the Safe Speed view:

In such a cases the proper reaction is to send the driver for a driving assessment. Then an examiner would determine if the driver was safe to drive. If he isn't safe he has to stop driving. He would have the option of further training if he didn't pass the assessment first time.

If he has become incompetent, giving him 4 points is virtually useless. If he hasn't become incompetent giving him 4 points is also virtually useless. It's quite obvious to me that we should determine immediately if he is competent to continue driving.

In practice, I'd like to the the police issue a 7 day "go for assessment" notice at the road side. The recepient of the notice would then have the following options:

1) Reject the offer of assessment and choose a court case.

2) Take the assessment at their own expense within 7 days. (Obviously we would have to ensure that examiners were available on that sort of notice.) The examiner then determines either:

2a) Safe to drive. Assessment passed. Return to driving normally. OR

2b) Unsafe to drive. Assessment failed. Driving licence returned to learner status. Further training and driving tests possible.

3) Ignore notice. After 7 days the notice becomes a driving ban pending actually taking the assessment.

Isn't that better?

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

If 2a also give driver some points. If offence repated then what happens?

Can go along with this idea - Paulie! We do try to give on the spot advice when we pull anyone anyway - depends on offence and circumstances as to whether we caution - with honey or with acid . Not that much extra admin to deal with this kind of paperwork either - about the same as the NOIP etc!

cra - would imagine that we would place these "offenders" on data base - like the Speed Awareness bods do. If repeat in 2a - guess we would dish out lots of points and a fine, plus more intense training course. Maybe even ban or revoke to provisional status again.

ohhh! the possibilities of further torture here!

Nice one!

Guess what I witnessed today?

Just walking back to my car in PC World carpark when a Miss Marple lookalike in a Nissan Micra appears at the miniroundabout to the carpark entrance.

I wince as she misjudges the corner and forces a pedestrian into a smart sidestep to avoid getting his foot run over when she mounts the pavement with two wheels
Wince again as she does something similar at the turning into Sainsburys carpark
Grimace as she clips the rear corner of a Vauhall Cavalier with her nearside door
Close my eyes as the front offside cornber of her car goes underneath the canopy off the trolley park and sends half a dozen shopping trolley clattering around inside.
Cover my ears as she revs the gonads off the poor Micra trying to find reverse

Being a good samaratin I go over to offer some help, she is in floods of tears. I ring her son on her mobile and he comes across from work (not too far away thank heavens).
Turns out she got in a tizzy when she went the wrong way at the entry to the retail park and ended up in the Carphone Warehouse carpark; from there on it all went downhill.
Son says she shouldn't be driving (although she had a licence - she showed it to me for some reason) and would be selling the car which was her late hubbys.
The Cavalier driver pitched up at one point, but his car wasn't damaged - the Micra had some lovely black tramlines down the door though.

But that's just one little old dear who clearly shouldn't be driving (IMHO), wonder how many thousands more there are

There is a system in place in my part of the world where people over 70 years old can drive, but subject to certain conditions. There is no such thing as a full, ten year licence for any one that age. A driving licence must be re-issued every three to five years and subject a medical certificate issued to the driving licence authority.

Secondly, I'm a member of a ROSPA Advanced Drivers Group. I wouldn't mind having careless drivers join ROSPA. A few hours driving tuition with a qualified driving instructor and lectures by fire, police and ambulance personnel looking at the effects of careless driving might make many drivers think twice.

My Dad is 80 and is still driving and is a good safe driver (for now!). I think he has to have a medical once a year to carry on driving, but i'm not sure on that one. He has never taken an official driving test and in 64 years of driving has had only one accident. That accident took place about 30 years ago and involved a look but didn't see. He has in that time received only one endorsement on his license, you guessed it speeding; at the age of 75 he became a 'criminal'.

Make of that what you will; here are some possible conclusions, you may have more:

1. Exceeding the posted speed limit is not necessarily dangerous; in 64 years he had no speed related accidents.

2. He was lucky.

3. The time he got caught was the only time he exceeded the limit.

Max

_________________
Tailgaters - Please Pass
You have an Accident to go to!