Are you fit to drive?
@Sandra1952 (6047)
Spain
November 11, 2009 3:23am CST
Last week, we had our eyes tested, and the optician advised my husband not to drive, as his eyesight is borderline due to glaucoma. Apparently, if he had an accident, the insurance company may not pay out because of his condition. All it says on the licence renewal form is 'Can you read a numberplate at the required distance, with glasses if worn?'
As it happens, he doesn't drive any more as he feels that, at 75, his reactions are too slow and his concentration isn't good enough. What about you? Have you decided not to drive, or been advised not to? If you knew you may not be covered by insurance would you still drive?
1 person likes this
5 responses
@thedailyclick (3017)
•
16 Jan 10
Sadly I'm no longer allowed to drive thanks to my back problems I suffer from numbness in my right leg and can't tell how much pressure I am putting down with my foot or move it quickly enough in an emergency. Even if my specialist had told me not to drive I think I would have banned myself anyway because it makes me too much of a risk on the roads.
Strangely I don't miss it at all, I actually hate going anywhere in a car these days as a passenger.
1 person likes this
@thedailyclick (3017)
•
17 Jan 10
I think I hate being a passenger is not so much to do with the ability of the driver, who in my case is normally my dad, but because of the different driving styles. Where as I always slowed down gradually when approaching a junction he races up braking at the last minute. It's daft because he's only been in one crash and that was when he was shunted from behind waiting at traffic lights. So is actually a very safe and skillful driver.
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@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
12 Nov 09
Hi Sandra, so you alone are behind the wheel of the camper van. I don't know if there are any driving restritions in the EU on age but thinking about it you never see the over 60's driving at all. It seems they have decided to sit back in the passenger seat and make someone else drive them, or maybe by the time cars were a general thing round here they couldn't afford them in the first place and by the time they could they weren't allowed to just bribe themselves through the test anymore.
1 person likes this
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
13 Nov 09
Hi Sandra, of course I wasn't being cynical. Not many women drive here to start with and basically anyone over 60 just makes someone else drive them or if they are near one of the villages on the mountain road they just flag a car down with their walking sticks.
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
13 Nov 09
Hello, Thea. You're not being cynical, by any chance, are you? Funnily enough, you never seem to see older women driving in Spain, unless they're expats. Perhaps it's a macho Mediterranean thing that as soon as the wife hits pensionable age, the car keys are surgically removed!
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
12 Nov 09
My mom is 60 and she is diabetic and it has messed up her eyes alot. And she was told to not drive really unless emergency really. My dad who just turned 70 the other day still drives all over the place..with no problems so far. Me and my hubby don't own a car..but he does have his drivers license which he renews whenever they need renewing which I don't know why since he never drives. I used to drive alot till my mom got rid of her car..and my driving permit expired..so it has been a few years since I drove any..my mom wanted me to get my license since her eyes were getting bad so I could drive her where she needed to go.
1 person likes this
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
13 Nov 09
Hello, Becca. It's funny how many people seem to have eye trouble these days. I suppose it gets picked up more quickly because of better testing techniques. It's a good idea to keep your licence though, even if you don't use it, as restrictions will only get tougher as time goes by and more people hit the roads.
@pufitza_mison (627)
• Romania
11 Nov 09
if i would know that i can put someoane's life in danger becouse i have some problem's then i won't drive anymore... becouse i can't live with the guilt that i put someoane in a danger.
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
11 Nov 09
I'm still fit to drive, but I've been worried about my Dad for years. About 25 years ago he had surgery for retinal tears in both eyes. The left one was bad enough that he has lost some of his peripheral vision. Combine that with him being an impatient, aggressive driver and it's not too good.
1 person likes this
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
13 Nov 09
Hello, Dawn. Tony has also lost his peripheral vision. He was never an aggressive driver - that's me I'm afraid - and he only had one accident in nearly 50 years of driving, and that was because the other driver jumped a red light. At least he's made the right decision, even if it means I have to do all the driving now.
