How old is too old to Drive ??

[Andrew Dwyer]

That is not correct, licences have to be renewed but a driving test is not required to be taken at each renewal.

Yup, I already admitted that was an error on my part...........twice..............three times now !!

Wish people would read the whole thread before posting, would save me adding to the post count with 2 unnecessary posts !!

[seajae]

my mum stopped driving at 65 because she nudged a pedestrian at an intersection, early evening and it was dark, they were wearing dark clothes too but mum said she should have seen them so sold the car and never drove again. I am 66, reaction time was 270m/s, I like driving and still do, when my reactions slow down and my eye sight drops I will stop. Pity so many on the roads here dont worry about their driving, lack of road rules, not following signs/lights etc and reaction times, most would not even pass a driving test in the west, come back to the thai lady that had been driving in Thailand for 20 years, in Australia she cant get her licence and had failed the driving test 10 times

Edited October 26, 2019 by seajae
spelling

[Just Weird]

28 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Yup, I already admitted that was an error on my part...........twice..............three times now !!

Wish people would read the whole thread before posting, would save me adding to the post count with 2 unnecessary posts !!

Some people wish that other posters would quote the correct information before posting it instead of making an unnecessary comment.   That would save others from having to read several pages of tedious comments and then having to go back over it all again to decide whether to respond or not just in case another poster changes his self-imposed position!

[Andrew Dwyer]

Some people wish that other posters would quote the correct information before posting it instead of making an unnecessary comment.   That would save others from having to read several pages of tedious comments and then having to go back over it all again to decide whether to respond or not just in case another poster changes his self-imposed position!

Some posters make a comment in error ( yes, it does happen ), get pulled up for it , admit that they were at fault , more than once, but then have to endure posters who are too lazy to read the entire post and jump in with both feet before establishing that the error had been corrected way back in the thread.

Then add to the list of “ tedious “ comments with some unnecessary comments of their own.

[Orton Rd]

I did not pass my test until 1991, then never bothered driving much after that, never could see the attraction and never bought a car. Certainly there is no attraction to driving here, where I certainly consider myself to old at 68, I let the Mrs do all the driving, plus I don't get called on to give family and friends lifts to the airport, school, shops etc.

[Just Weird]

12 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Some posters make a comment in error ( yes, it does happen ), get pulled up for it , admit that they were at fault , more than once, but then have to endure posters who are too lazy to read the entire post and jump in with both feet before establishing that the error had been corrected way back in the thread.

Then add to the list of “ tedious “ comments with some unnecessary comments of their own.

You've just made exactly the same point again!  So I will, what's good for the goose and all that!  Some people wish that other posters would quote correct information before posting it instead of making an unnecessary comment and then complaining about being corrected.   That would save others from having to read several pages of tedious comments and then having to go back over it all again to decide whether to respond or not just in case another poster changes his self-imposed wrong position!

[Andrew Dwyer]

You've just made exactly the same point again!  So I will, what's good for the goose and all that!  Some people wish that other posters would quote correct information before posting it instead of making an unnecessary comment and then complaining about being corrected.   That would save others from having to read several pages of tedious comments and then having to go back over it all again to decide whether to respond or not just in case another poster changes his self-imposed wrong position!

Yes, exactly !!
I made the same point again because that’s all there is !!
An error, an admittance of the said error as pointed out by one poster, then another pointed it out, then your good self decided to point it out yet again.

As it seems that “ tedious “ comments are something you excel at I will attempt to accompany you on this journey of superfluous comments.

[Number 6]

Judging by my parents. Max 85 to drive locally - but people can fail far earlier. Poor judgement, slow reaction.

[wgdanson]

On 10/25/2019 at 2:01 PM, fxe1200 said:

Check your reaction time. If it is below 300ms you can drive, if it is above 300ms do not drive or ride a motorcycle.

How do you do that please?

 

Oh sorry, I just saw that link to a reaction test and scored 279ms (After a celebratory couple of beers, England at Rugby and Man City 3 - 0 at Villa.). My internet connection must be good.

Edited October 26, 2019 by wgdanson

[wgdanson]

2 hours ago, Just Weird said:

That is not correct, licences have to be renewed but a driving test is not required to be taken at each renewal.

But it should be. You simply have to SAY that your eyesight is good, yes I can see a number plate, when eyetests are FREE for over 65s in UK.

[Damrongsak]

My elderly Aunt and her daughter were unable to drive.  A neighbor volunteered to drive them to doctor appointments.  I think he was over 95 at the time.  No thanks.  I think the guy lived to be 100.

 

My Mom did OK until she broke her hip at about age 87.

[JAS21]

This reaction test. I found on my iPhone X I was about 100 ms faster than on my Note4.

 

I wonder if the screen protector affected it.

[Isaanbiker]

On 10/25/2019 at 2:08 PM, abrahamzvi said:

I think that the practice in many countries whereby after the age of 70 0r 75  a medical certificate is necessary on an annual basis, certifying the ability to drive, should be introduced also in Thailand. Very few people admit to themselves that they are still capable of driving safely, and carry on doing so, until it is too late.

 

  

Yep, but you can get a medical certificate here for 40 baht that states that you're in the best health, even when you're on drugs and/or an alcoholic.

 

  I extended my 5-year license a couple of years ago with a destroyed leg in an extended cast that finally needed an artificial knee joint from a country in Europe, but I was fit to drive my pick up with a clutch and one leg.

 

When is too old too old?

 

IMO, when the reaction time decreased in a way that makes the driver to a danger for others. When the eyesight decreased and of course certain types of Alzheimer's where people sometimes forget what they do, or where they are.  

 

Of course does that include many other illnesses as well. 

 

 There shouldn't be a general age limit; there are 75-year-olds who are fitter to drive than some 35-year-old people. 

 

  But let's be honest, most people here neither know what the traffic signs mean, nor do they understand that they have a turn signal and they should drive on the left lane when doing 35 km/h. 

 

  Blame the education for it which is also the reason for so many other failures. 

 

     

Edited October 26, 2019 by Isaanbiker

[Isaanbiker]

55 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

I did not pass my test until 1991, then never bothered driving much after that, never could see the attraction and never bought a car. Certainly there is no attraction to driving here, where I certainly consider myself to old at 68, I let the Mrs do all the driving, plus I don't get called on to give family and friends lifts to the airport, school, shops etc.

Please be honest to yourself. The reasons that you don't have to drive others around is just an excuse for your own failure.

 

  Why would i always want to rely on others if i can do that by myself?

 

In a country where many people do not even have a car, it's very useful to be able to drive one, don't you think?

 

If you don't want to do friends and family a favour what kind of friend/ husband/father/uncle,etc.. are you? 

 

No offense intended.

[Orton Rd]

I don't consider not wanting to drive a failure. In the daily mail today is an article that says almost one million never bothered driving after they passed. I am not a father or uncle, thankfully. As for a motor bike I would not even get on as a passenger.

Edited October 26, 2019 by Orton Rd

[Lacessit]

38 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

I don't consider not wanting to drive a failure. In the daily mail today is an article that says almost one million never bothered driving after they passed. I am not a father or uncle, thankfully. As for a motor bike I would not even get on as a passenger.

Each to his own. I love my scooter for short trips around Chiang Mai, because it is so much more convenient than a car. Park anywhere, bypass 300-400 yards of cars waiting at the traffic lights. I will hate it when I have to give up driving.

[Orton Rd]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/cars/article-7604183/I-havent-driven-car-years-refresher-course-worth-it.html

[TTL2]

On 10/25/2019 at 1:43 AM, richard_smith237 said:

This is a subject fairly close to my heart... 

 

Last summer my father (81 at the time) and I had a disagreement regarding his driving. He was driving too fast, I was not pleased about it (my son was also in the car, I wasn't driving as I'd had two beers with dinner).

 

Since, whenever we go out, I don't drink and I drive us all. I have also made it an absolute rule that my son will never go in a car with his grandfather driving. I advised my sisters to do the same. 

 

I love my father, I respect him, but I see the deterioration in his physical movement and abilities, while he is perfectly mobile, his reactions are slow his perception is 'off' (every time I go home there are more hedge scratches on the car from the narrow country lanes). 

 

The issue is this: Independence is greatly valued, but should it come at the cost of risk to other road users. 

 

--------

 

The back story to this is my sister following a weaving car. She thought they were drunk, she pulled in called the Police. She got back on the road and a few mins later pulled up behind a traffic jam (country roads), there had been an accident. 

It turns out the vehicle she had reported have been involved in a head on collision. It wasn't a drunk it was a guy in 88 years old. His wife died in the collision. Those in the other car survived (a Volvo XC-90), a little girl is now scared from the rear curtain airbag cutting her forehead. 

 

Even more tragic is that the 88 year old had lived a life of service to his community, highly respected as the Mayor of Worcester he will no be remembered as the guy who killed his wife in a car crash. 

 

--------

 

How old is too old to drive?? I don't believe there should be an age limit, but I do believe there should be more regular testing of someones medical ability to drive. i.e. after 60 years old every 3 years, after 75 years old ever year. 

 

In Thailand the issue is more complex as there are so many road users not fit to drive anyway !!!

 

 

So, how old is too old...its a tricky one...  the only option is to drive around in a Volvo XC-90 then when some old chappy does misjudge the road you are far more likely to survive with minimal injury. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My father still drove when he was around early 70's. To be frank, I am not impressed how the way he drove even though he is a regular driver. I speaking from personal experience as the road condition and the confusion of interchange lane were designed by less literate contractors and engineers (so call local engineers). And it also affecting the culture of driving habit here. Old crappy folk does have temper when they drive in stress, it is bad for their emotion and bad for their well-being despite they are fighting to continue driving to meet their end. They literally couldn't control their speed of acceleration and we have to calm them down during a drive by restricting talking about problems during their driving session to keep them focus and perhaps saving our own life. 

[Pattaya46]

Not easy for some people to admit they can't drive anymore. 

My father reduced driving a lot past 81, and drove for the last time at 84, but we had to wait nearly 2 more years before he accepts that we sell his car...

Edited October 26, 2019 by Pattaya46

[canthai55]

From some of the posts I have read over the years on this Forum ...

Most Everyone

[Lacessit]

6 hours ago, canthai55 said:

From some of the posts I have read over the years on this Forum ...

Most Everyone

The extrapolation from "some" to "most everyone" has me confused.