Driver banned for being too slow

[LilMissHissyFit]

exactly - and as others have said it is difficult to judge other people's speed on the motorway.


When traffic suddenly slows down in congested situations, you've got the benefit that all traffic is decelerating at the same time, and you are alerted by brake lights. A vehicle only moving a 10mph on an otherwise uncongested motorway is a totally different thing.

Very much so, its not until you get close to it that you realise how slow it is travelling. You can slow, sure but I know I had huge difficulty in being slower than the traffic in the middle lane and having to pull into its path ( therin itself creating a danger- even if I didnt hit the slow moving car) or making the decision to pull into the hard shoulder and 'undertake'.
Fortunately a motorist in the middle lane beeped and flshes me as he pulled into the fast lane, seeing what was happening and was able to speed up( infinitely easier than slowing down and changing into a faster lane and speeding up in seconds)

 

[LilMissHissyFit]

You're starting from the assumption that the journey is in itself necessary. Most journeys are done because they're possible.

.

I would dispute this. I dont know anyone who drives on a motorway for the sheer hell of it. Necessity is absolutely key to my decision to use the motorway where we live. I avoid it and use the A roads where I can as I prefer them

 

[ymu]

It is legal to cycle or drive a tractor on a dual carrageway with a central reservation, yet these roads have a maximum speed limit of 70mph and normaly have far less visibility in terms of sharper corners, no hard shoulder and so on.

How come they are not total death traps?

To reiterate the point above, they often are. There's a dairy situated on a fast stretch of the A14 in the few miles where it effectively links the A1 with the M11. The milk floats cause a huge amount of accidents, often nasty ones as half the vehicles on that road are lorries. There are numerous blackspots along the more countrified sections of the A14 also due to the slow moving farm vehicles.

Slow vehicles should not be on fast roads.

 

[WouldBe]

Slow vehicles should not be on fast roads.

Hence not allowing mopeds on motorways.

 

[MikeMcc]

Used to travel in convoys at 40mph, and as I was REME I'd usually be in the tail end wagon. It used to scare the crap out of me because so many people came tearing up behind us, not realising we were going so slow. That was despite having four-way and yellow beacon flashing. 10mph is just crazy.

 

[1927]

Her GP should be made to account for not reporting her illness and 'fear of driving' to the DVLA as they should have done.

With the exception of certain conditions like epilepsy, and bad eyesight, a driving licence cannot be revoked on health grounds and there is no duty on a GP to report. This is the reason that there are 100 yr olds who don't know what day of the week it is driving on our roads.

 

[soulman]

With the exception of certain conditions like epilepsy, and bad eyesight, a driving licence cannot be revoked on health grounds and there is no duty on a GP to report. This is the reason that there are 100 yr olds who don't know what day of the week it is driving on our roads.

Yes it can. And yes a doctor can report someone they believe is no longer capable of holding a driving licence.

 

[LilMissHissyFit]

With the exception of certain conditions like epilepsy, and bad eyesight, a driving licence cannot be revoked on health grounds and there is no duty on a GP to report. This is the reason that there are 100 yr olds who don't know what day of the week it is driving on our roads.

There is actually. If a GP thinks a patient isnt capable of safely driving any motor vehcile on the road they have to notify the DVLA.

 

[1927]

There is actually. If a GP thinks a patient isnt capable of safely driving any motor vehcile on the road they have to notify the DVLA.

There isn't and even if a GP advises a patient that they shouldn't really be driving they cannot force them to hand back there licence, they can literally only advise. Unless as previously stated there condition falls into certain types, eg epilepsy, fitting, mental health etc.

 

[soulman]

With the exception of certain conditions like epilepsy, and bad eyesight, a driving licence cannot be revoked on health grounds and there is no duty on a GP to report. This is the reason that there are 100 yr olds who don't know what day of the week it is driving on our roads.

Yes it can. And yes a doctor can report someone they believe is no longer capable of holding a driving licence.

 

[mattie]

It does not eliminate, you mearly take more responsibility for trying to anticipate problems.

Again, what does this have to do with any point I've made? She's driving at 10mph, even if other drivers are 'driving defensively' she's still a risk.

Taking responsiblity has nothing at all to do with being faced with unexpected or dangerous situations because some other driver is incompetent. It's ridiculous, by your argument any bad driving is safe if other drivers are 'taking responsibility' and 'driving defensively'.

 

[dessiato]

here we have minimum speeds posted across each of the three lanes, I can't remember what they are, but the minimum on the motorway is 50km, on slow hills we have an extra slow lane for trucks etc. It works really well although it is not unusual to find vehicles travelling at the minimum speeds in the lanes. Perhaps a similar thing should be introduced in UK.

 

[LilMissHissyFit]

There isn't and even if a GP advises a patient that they shouldn't really be driving they cannot force them to hand back there licence, they can literally only advise. Unless as previously stated there condition falls into certain types, eg epilepsy, fitting, mental health etc.

http://www.mind.org.uk/Information/Legal/driving.htm#dvla

incorrect...

as detailed in this link... her MS and her 'fear of driving' could easily have contituted a risk under B and C of this legislation.Including attacksn of giddiness... if she said she has panic attacks associated with driving that also could be enough for her her be reported
They have an absolute duty to report and the DVLA medical officer can then make a judgement as to whether they should keep their licence. Its not for the GP to judge

ETA also see here
From the DVLA's medial guidance

Psychiatric conditions not normally requiring notification, e.g. eating disorders, or those conditions which do not fit
neatly into the aforementioned classification will need to be reported to DVLA if causing or felt likely to cause
symptoms affecting safe driving. These would include for example any impairment of consciousness or awareness, any
increased liability to distraction or symptoms affecting the safe operation of vehicle controls. The patient should be
advised to declare both the condition and symptoms of concern.

From here
http://www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/medical/aagv1.pdf
page 33

 

[LilMissHissyFit]

Wonder what the ink cartridge was for? If she has a printer, do you think she has a computer? Maybe she doesn't have internet access to order online

Is there no local WH Smiths?

Tescos is just there too isnt it?
Some older people believe ordering over the internet is highly dangerous and someone will steal all your details. My MIL calls Myself and Mrfit 'reckless' for shopping online.

 

[WouldBe]

They have an absolute duty to report and the DVLA medical officer can then make a judgement as to whether they should keep their licence. Its not for the GP to judge

Can the GP get in trouble for that?

I have complained several times of double vision of moving objects (and when driving everything is moving) to my GP and they haven't even advised me to stop driving.

 

[gentlegreen]

Tescos is just there too isnt it?
Some older people believe ordering over the internet is highly dangerous and someone will steal all your details. My MIL calls Myself and Mrfit 'reckless' for shopping online.

A quick Google revealed these people within a mile from her house :-

http://www.smart-cartridge.com/07bristol.htm

 

[Bob_the_lost]

A quick Google revealed these people within a mile from her house :-

http://www.smart-cartridge.com/07bristol.htm

The article may have omitted her terrible fear of search engines?

 

[detective-boy]

They have an absolute duty to report

Bollocks.

 

[untethered]

The article may have omitted her terrible fear of search engines?

No, she did find them, phoned them and found they were out of stock of her particular cartridge.

(Pure speculation, but hey.)

 

[LilMissHissyFit]

Bollocks.

This message is hidden because detective-boy is on your ignore list.

 

[detective-boy]

This message is hidden because detective-boy is on your ignore list.

Don't you just love people so confident in their own ignorance ....

Particularly when they can't even be bothered to learn from the link they posted themselves ...

 

[1927]

Bollocks.

Thank you DB! You are the first person to agrre with me on this thread, considering what you do to earn a crust, and the fact that I run a transport company I would think that we are likely to have a better understanding of the rules on this subject. Furthermore I would point out that in the quote from LMHF in an attempt to prove she was correct and in attempt to prove me wrong she quoted from the DVLA website.

"The patient should be advised to declare both the condition and symptoms of concern."

Thus proving what I was saying and actually proving herself to be wrong.

QE fucking D

 

[1927]

Don't you just love people so confident in their own ignorance ....

Particularly when they can't even be bothered to learn from the link they posted themselves ...

Only just noticed that bit on the end which is why I said so much above!

 

[detective-boy]

Thus proving what I was saying and actually proving herself to be wrong.

An absolute classic example of U75 fuckwittery, to be honest!

 

[longdog]

Does the Dartford Tunnel still have the minimum speed limit?

The woman in question shouldn't be on the road. It's all very well saying people should be able to slow down and not crash in to the back of her, sure they should, but that doesn't mean the idiot behind them isn't going to pile in.

DVLA should require her to have a positive report from her doctor before she is even allowed to take further lessons or a retest. If she is that afraid of driving she has no place on the road. I'm terrified of heights, that's why I'll never be a pilot

 

[detective-boy]

Does the Dartford Tunnel still have the minimum speed limit?

I think it does. There are very few actual minimum speed limit areas in the UK (mostly tunnels and bridges). The woman subject of this thread did not breach a specific minimum speed limit (signed with blue circular signs bearing the minimum speed) but, by driving ridiculously slowly, failed to drive with reasonable consideration for other road users, a general offence which can be committed in a wide range of ways, including this (and splashing through puddles to soak pedestrians ... in case anyone was tempted in today's monsoon conditions ... ).