Saturday 18 January 2014

Elderly drivers should alert other motorists to their age - study recommends

 Survey of drivers by the AA found that almost half would leave more space in front and avoid tailgating if they were following a car driven by somebody elderly

Elderly drivers would be treated more considerately on the roads by alerting other motorists to their age, figures suggest.
A survey of drivers by the AA found that almost half would leave more space in front and avoid tailgating if they were following a car driven by somebody elderly.
The figure suggests that signs drawing attention to an “experienced” driver could have a similar effect to the “baby on board” stickers displayed by new parents.

Paul Green, of Saga insurance, said: “Anything that tries to encourage politeness on British roads should be welcomed. Driving bumper to bumper is a completely anti-social activity whether driving at 80 or 18.
“It is great that drivers want to show older people more courtesy on the roads, but it is quite alarming to think that people think it is perfectly OK to harass younger drivers.”
The Populus survey of 17,629 AA members found that 47 per cent said they tried to give older drivers a wider berth. Researchers found that the results differed little between age groups, suggesting that younger respondents were as considerate of another driver’s age as older ones.

The survey also found that 22 per cent of drivers would be more likely to give way to a classic car, but one in five said they would be less likely to yield to a 4x4 or a luxury car, with those in London having the least patience.

One in five also admitted to losing their cool while behind learner drivers. Motorists aged 18 to 24 were least tolerant of learners, with 31 per cent admitting to losing their patience, compared with 15 per cent of over-65s.

Edmund King, the president of the AA, said: “We’ve got a careless driving fixed penalty offence now, that was introduced last year, and technically you should be able to get a fine and penalty points for tailgating.
“Tailgating is one of the biggest dangers on the motorway — in many ways more dangerous than speeding. In all our surveys, along with the middle-lane-hog the tailgater comes out as one of the top pet hates.”

What do you think? Please let us know!

2 comments:

  1. No if you Can drive u Can drive thats like saying young drivers have to or any new driver its thé same diffrence i think that they should have eye test tho Mabe wé could introduce this age think and see How it goes but personally i dont think it matters

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