Dear Folks,

Are you sure that you are safe driving a car at age 80?

Safe for whom?

Is this not foolhardy?

What evidence do you have that you are safe on the road?

South Florida is famous for collisions caused by people like you.

This is why Naples, Florida is so very dangerous.

But, one supposes, you still believe you are safe to drive here in Thailand, approaching the 8th decade of your life?

Really?

What might it take for you to finally relinquish possession of the keys to your car?

A head-on collision that kills somebody?

Just asking.

Best regards,

Gamma

Note: Dementia happens so gradually that Old People are unable to grasp how dangerous they become.

Yes....

Old People are EXTREMELY Dangerous to society.

Who does not agree?

Note2: So many OLD PEOPLE out on the road, as we all know. AND....are they not almost as dangerous as DRUNK DRIVERS?

This just depends upon HOW DRUNK, and HOW DECREPIT....maybe....

Edited June 25Jun 25 by GammaGlobulin

I sincerely hope you've given up driving. Thank you.

2 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

I sincerely hope you've given up driving. Thank you.

You can be sure.

I gave up driving about 13 years ago.

Having a driver is just so much better.

I can do without the road rage, thank you.

I expect to live longer, as a result of my not driving....for various obvious reasons....

Edited June 25Jun 25 by GammaGlobulin

4 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Dear Folks,

Are you sure that you are safe driving a car at age 80?

Safe for whom?

Is this not foolhardy?

What evidence do you have that you are safe on the road?

South Florida is famous for collisions caused by people like you.

This is why Naples, Florida is so very dangerous.

But, one supposes, you still believe you are safe to drive here in Thailand, approaching the 8th decade of your life?

Really?

What might it take for you to finally relinquish possession the keys to your car?

A head-on collision that kills somebody?

Just asking.

Best regards,

Gamma

Note: Dementia happens so gradually that Old People are unable to grasp how dangerous they become.

Yes....

Old People are EXTREMELY Dangerous to society.

Who does not agree?

Yes, still driving scooter and car in Thailand at the age of 84.

You are right to be personally worried about dementia - someone at the age of 80 is entering their ninth decade.

I'm the safest driver I know, so I'll be driving myself around till I physically can not. Just had 1 cataract removed, the other in a couple months. Vision & reflexes are fine, and feel much safer, DIY, than anyone else driving me.

Being a passenger is stressful, unless wife or daughter are driving. I really don't trust anyone else, and thankfully, rarely use others.

Occasionally at Krung Thep, will use app driver, and probably safest place to use. As congestion is so bad, hard to have a serious accident. Only do so, as don't want an oops, out of province. Daughter usual drives when at Krung Thep anyway.

7 minutes ago, jor said:

You are right to be personally worried about dementia

My mind is COMPLETELY intact, and...

I am still sharp as a tack.

No worries here, on my end.

8 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

I'm the safest driver I know

Famous last words....

ALL OLD GUYS say they are the safest drivers they know.

But, of course, Mario really WAS a driver better than most, at any age....

4 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

My mind is COMPLETELY intact, and...

I am still sharp as a tack.

No worries here, on my end.

Well, you got your decades confused - so you may not be as sharp as you thought.

18 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

I'm the safest driver I know, so I'll be driving myself around till I physically can not. Just had 1 cataract removed, the other in a couple months. Vision & reflexes are fine, and feel much safer, DIY, than anyone else driving me.

Being a passenger is stressful, unless wife or daughter are driving. I really don't trust anyone else, and thankfully, rarely use others.

Occasionally at Krung Thep, will use app driver, and probably safest place to use. As congestion is so bad, hard to have a serious accident. Only do so, as don't want an oops, out of province. Daughter usual drives when at Krung Thep anyway.

I'm very safe, especially on motorbikes.

6 minutes ago, jor said:

Well, you got your decades confused - so you may not be as sharp as you thought.

This should be obvious to everyone I know...by now...

14 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

My mind is COMPLETELY intact, and...

I am still sharp as a tack.

I sincerely hope that was just a personal opinion.

5 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

I'm very safe, especially on motorbikes.

You might be EVEN SAFER, without a helmet.

I drive worse than the average Thai so I fit in fine. When I start to drive better than them I will consider quitting.

Thought about it somewhat.. just a couple of weeks ago wife and I were out at a social event I turned to one side and said to the lady next to me "dearest do you think I have any signs of dementia ?"

She replied "I've no idea, I'm not your wife, she's standing over there"

So carry on driving and I'll ask her again when I remember.

2 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

You can be sure.

I gave up driving about 13 years ago.

Having a driver is just so much better.

I can do without the road rage, thank you.

I expect to live longer, as a result of my not driving....for various obvious reasons....

Exactly how much does a full time dedicated driver cost? Does he drive your car? It sounds fascinating, I may soon explore the realm of a driver for my carriage.

4 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Exactly how much does a full time dedicated driver cost?

20,000 a month should cover it. I have at least one mate in BKK with a fulltime driver.

Out in the sticks you might get one for less

Yes he will arrive at you house on a motorcycle and drive your car and wash and clean it.

3 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Are you approaching 80?

Do you still drive a car?

Are you a fool?

1. No.

2. Yes.

3. No.

7 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Exactly how much does a full time dedicated driver cost? Does he drive your car? It sounds fascinating, I may soon explore the realm of a driver for my carriage.

'Grab' genious.

3 hours ago, KhunLA said:

I'm the safest driver I know, so I'll be driving myself around till I physically can not. Just had 1 cataract removed, the other in a couple months. Vision & reflexes are fine, and feel much safer, DIY, than anyone else driving me.

Being a passenger is stressful, unless wife or daughter are driving. I really don't trust anyone else, and thankfully, rarely use others.

Occasionally at Krung Thep, will use app driver, and probably safest place to use. As congestion is so bad, hard to have a serious accident. Only do so, as don't want an oops, out of province. Daughter usual drives when at Krung Thep anyway.

Exactly how I feel. much safer knowing I'm the one behind the wheel. I'd rather have Stevie Wonder driving than many I've seen here, and been in the car with.

3 hours ago, KhunLA said:

I'm the safest driver I know, so I'll be driving myself around till I physically can not. Just had 1 cataract removed, the other in a couple months. Vision & reflexes are fine, and feel much safer, DIY, than anyone else driving me.

Being a passenger is stressful, unless wife or daughter are driving. I really don't trust anyone else, and thankfully, rarely use others.

Occasionally at Krung Thep, will use app driver, and probably safest place to use. As congestion is so bad, hard to have a serious accident. Only do so, as don't want an oops, out of province. Daughter usual drives when at Krung Thep anyway.

3 hours ago, KhunLA said:

I'm the safest driver I know, so I'll be driving myself around till I physically can not. Just had 1 cataract removed, the other in a couple months. Vision & reflexes are fine, and feel much safer, DIY, than anyone else driving me.

Being a passenger is stressful, unless wife or daughter are driving. I really don't trust anyone else, and thankfully, rarely use others.

Occasionally at Krung Thep, will use app driver, and probably safest place to use. As congestion is so bad, hard to have a serious accident. Only do so, as don't want an oops, out of province. Daughter usual drives when at Krung Thep anyway.

3 hours ago, KhunLA said:

I'm the safest driver I know, so I'll be driving myself around till I physically can not. Just had 1 cataract removed, the other in a couple months. Vision & reflexes are fine, and feel much safer, DIY, than anyone else driving me.

Being a passenger is stressful, unless wife or daughter are driving. I really don't trust anyone else, and thankfully, rarely use others.

Occasionally at Krung Thep, will use app driver, and probably safest place to use. As congestion is so bad, hard to have a serious accident. Only do so, as don't want an oops, out of province. Daughter usual drives when at Krung Thep anyway.

Soon 82 yo. Here in Chiang Mai I reguarly use 2 App based taxi services.

I reported one lady app based taxi driver:

-Using 3 smartphones all the time she was driving.

-She got visibly annoyed when she misssed a left turn which reduces the total km for the trip by about 3 km. She spoke perfect English and told me 'don't tell me how to drive'.

-End of trip I asked 'has the fare been paid?' (Meaning auto debit to my debit card). She responded 'check your own bank balance'.

-Outside and interio of the car quite dirty, the foot space at the front passengers seat area full of old food wrappings, plastic bags, empty cans and more.

I reported the above on line. 15 minutes later their Bkk office called me.

Within 3 or 4 hrs Bkk office called back to tell me the fare had been reversed back to my bank account plus extra 200Baht and the driver had been dismissed.

I should be honest in my experience 99% of these drivers are quite good, safety conscious and focused on customer satisfaction.

There are several facets to this debate.

Firstly, almost everyone believes they are a safer driver than average. Statistically, that's impossible. By definition, roughly half of all drivers are below average.

At 80+, experience is undeniably valuable. But reaction time, processing speed, peripheral awareness, flexibility, eyesight, hearing and particularly night vision often decline with age. Confidence doesn't always decline at the same rate. Many older drivers genuinely believe they're still driving as well as they did twenty years ago.

The young have their own blind spots. They overestimate skill, underestimate risk, drive too fast, take unnecessary chances and think they're invincible. Just look at the number of young motorcyclists riding as though the laws of physics don't apply to them.

The reality is that dangerous drivers exist in every age group.

Three examples from my own experience:

• Father-in-law (Bangkok, aged about 78): Driving along Sukhumvit Road, he stopped in the middle lane to drop me off. When I told him he couldn't stop there, he immediately cut across the left lane without looking, almost collecting a motorcyclist, just to reach the kerb. I was a nervous wreck. Family rule: my son never travels in a car driven by him.

• Father (UK): On country lanes he drives too fast, misjudges bends, clips kerbs, scrapes hedges and spots potholes too late to avoid them. He genuinely believes he's a perfectly safe driver. Family rule: my son never travels in a car driven by him either.

• Real case: A former Mayor of Worcestershire, aged 88, drifted across the centre line and collided head-on with another car. His wife was killed and the young woman in the other vehicle was left with life-changing facial injuries. After a lifetime of public service, that's the tragedy people remember. He was charged with causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving, but died before the case reached trial.

The common thread? Every one of those drivers believed they were safe.

• Just as the bloke who's had five pints thinks he's fine.

• The person full of cold medication thinks they're fine.

• The driver with a stinking hangover thinks they're fine.

• Almost nobody voluntarily says, "I'm too dangerous to be behind the wheel today"

And that's precisely the problem. We are all very good at judging everyone else's driving, but remarkably poor at judging our own. The comments in this thread illustrate that perfectly. Some display classic overconfidence (Khun LA), while others fail to recognise that their own position is every bit as irrational as the one they're criticising (Gamma's lack of self awareness that he's full on bonkers !).

At age 80, one is approaching one's ninth decade, not one's eighth. One's eighth decade starts at age 71.

Edited June 25Jun 25 by Etaoin Shrdlu

6 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

You can be sure.

I gave up driving about 13 years ago.

Having a driver is just so much better.

I can do without the road rage, thank you.

I expect to live longer, as a result of my not driving....for various obvious reasons....

I can do without the road rage, thank you.

What about your driver? Can he/she?😆

1 hour ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

At age 80, one is approaching one's ninth decade, not one's eighth. One's eighth decade starts at age 71.

I work in 12 year cycles.

9 minutes ago, D Peter said:

I can do without the road rage, thank you.

Road rage requires two. One does something the other person doesn't like or considers dangerous and the second person reacts.

Either person can change the situation at will.

At 79 and approaching 80 in Thailand, I worry more about any other Thai driver than my driving ability.

5 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

Exactly how much does a full time dedicated driver cost? Does he drive your car? It sounds fascinating, I may soon explore the realm of a driver for my carriage.

If you want to remain, among the living, then....

Please get a female driver, and NOT a HE.

1 hour ago, D Peter said:

I can do without the road rage, thank you.

What about your driver? Can he/she?😆

She's Thai.

So, no road rage.

1 hour ago, Dan747 said:

At 79 and approaching 80 in Thailand, I worry more about any other Thai driver than my driving ability.

As any 79 yr old would say and think.

8 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

I sincerely hope you've given up driving. Thank you.

And will do the same with your posting here on AN.......or is it still TV for GammaG? 555