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I reported an old driver to 999 last night.

They are a danger. I was on a 60mph road last night, stuck behind some old biddy probably on the way home from bingo, doing 20mph as that's probably her preferred driving speed considering her slower reaction time.

This however was a national speed limit road where the minimum to keep to a safe standard and allow reasonable progress of traffic is about 45mph. This lady caused a huge tailback, but would the police have done anything now I've given them the reg?
Original post by Pleasantri
They are a danger. I was on a 60mph road last night, stuck behind some old biddy probably on the way home from bingo, doing 20mph as that's probably her preferred driving speed considering her slower reaction time.

This however was a national speed limit road where the minimum to keep to a safe standard and allow reasonable progress of traffic is about 45mph. This lady caused a huge tailback, but would the police have done anything now I've given them the reg?


We have issues where I live at the opposite end of the spectrum. Young lads, no sense of the road, probably drunk or on drugs, probably on their way home from doing a bit of vandalism because that's what young people do, and where I live, the speed limit is 30mph. If I report them, what do you think the police will do? Have a nice day.
Reply 2
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Pleasantri
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Original post by Seamus123
We have issues where I live at the opposite end of the spectrum. Young lads, no sense of the road, probably drunk or on drugs, probably on their way home from doing a bit of vandalism because that's what young people do, and where I live, the speed limit is 30mph. If I report them, what do you think the police will do? Have a nice day.


Now that I've given them the vehicle registration, I'd like to think the police will send them for a re-test.

You too have a nice day.
Reply 3
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Zarek
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I wouldn't hold your breath on them throwing a whole lot of resources at it. Speed limits are a maximum and the 999 service is for emergencies.
Reply 4
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Pleasantri
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Original post by Zarek
I wouldn't hold your breath on them throwing a whole lot of resources at it. Speed limits are a maximum and the 999 service is for emergencies.


I agree with you. I just wish that people who shouldn't be on the roads, would stay off them / revoke their license.
Also was the road icy or snowy?
Reply 6
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Pleasantri
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Original post by Bill Nye
Also was the road icy or snowy?


No, and that is what was so frustrating. I am a big believer in driving to the speed of the road conditions (and if bends etc occur, speed must be adjusted accordingly). If there had been ice and snow, I'd probably have done the same speed myself.

This wasn't a case of an older driver reacting to adverse weather conditions. It was a case of an older driver causing an unreasonable obstruction.
Reply 7
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Compost
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The national speed limit covers roads where you can safely drive at 60mph and others that have patches were more than 30 is unsafe in good conditions, let alone in the conditions over most of the country last night.

There are undoubtedly older people who continue to drive and are a danger (and I have contacted the police about one in the past) but it would be harsh to condemn someone solely on the basis of a single event on a bad night. Calling 999 rather than just ringing the police suggests your judgement to be equally suspect.
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 8
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Doones
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Original post by Pleasantri
They are a danger. I was on a 60mph road last night, stuck behind some old biddy probably on the way home from bingo, doing 20mph as that's probably her preferred driving speed considering her slower reaction time.

This however was a national speed limit road where the minimum to keep to a safe standard and allow reasonable progress of traffic is about 45mph. This lady caused a huge tailback, but would the police have done anything now I've given them the reg?


There's no minimum on a national speed limit road. You can overtake them if it's safe to do so, and if it wasn't safe then perhaps that's why the other driver was being cautious.
Original post by Pleasantri
Now that I've given them the vehicle registration, I'd like to think the police will send them for a re-test.

Perhaps you need to be retested yourself.

Also this is a blatant misuse of the 999 emergency service, and could well land you in trouble.


Posted from TSR Mobile
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 9
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Pleasantri
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Original post by Doonesbury
There's no minimum on a national speed limit road. You can overtake them if it's safe to do so, and if it wasn't safe then perhaps that's why the other driver was being cautious.

Perhaps you need to be retested yourself.

Also this is a blatant misuse of the 999 emergency service, and could well land you in trouble.


Posted from TSR Mobile


As I already explained, that old woman caused a huge tailback and was preventing the reasonable progress of traffic. She is a danger on our roads.
Original post by Pleasantri
They are a danger. I was on a 60mph road last night, stuck behind some old biddy probably on the way home from bingo, doing 20mph as that's probably her preferred driving speed considering her slower reaction time.

This however was a national speed limit road where the minimum to keep to a safe standard and allow reasonable progress of traffic is about 45mph. This lady caused a huge tailback, but would the police have done anything now I've given them the reg?


Tbh I'm more annoyed by people doing 20 in a 30 zone, as it's almost impossible to overtake in a neighbourhood area.

However, I don't think driving under the speed limit is a reportable offence as it's not classed as dangerous driving? If it were we'd be reporting every tractor on a country road
Reply 11
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Original post by Pleasantri
As I already explained, that old woman caused a huge tailback and was preventing the reasonable progress of traffic. She is a danger on our roads.


There was no minimum speed limit on the road.

And by calling the emergency services you are diverting resources away from real emergencies, and some would consider that a danger to society.

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Pleasantri
They are a danger. I was on a 60mph road last night, stuck behind some old biddy probably on the way home from bingo, doing 20mph as that's probably her preferred driving speed considering her slower reaction time.

You seem to have stereotyped the driver, who I assume you don't actually know.

20mph in a 60mph zone, when the limit is safe to do, is potentially dangerous. They would be more likely to get done for careless driving though IMO. As has been said, dialing 999 for this was NOT appropriate.

This however was a national speed limit road where the minimum to keep to a safe standard and allow reasonable progress of traffic is about 45mph. This lady caused a huge tailback, but would the police have done anything now I've given them the reg?

There is no minimum speed, and the maximum can be below the speed limit if conditions mean that it would not be safe.
Original post by Pleasantri
As I already explained, that old woman caused a huge tailback and was preventing the reasonable progress of traffic. She is a danger on our roads.

I understand the frustration, but please remember that slow drivers are safer than aggressive ones. It is inconsiderate to drive very slowly (when condition are good), but it's not a deliberately selfish act, unlike most antisocial and aggressive driving.

The danger from a very slow driver is that other drivers don't drive within their limits. You should be able to stop in the distance that you can see to be clear - if a pedestrian or animal (e.g. a horse) is on the road, they're probably doing less than 20mph. There could also be an accident, debris, or a broken-down car stopped on the road.
Original post by Pleasantri
As I already explained, that old woman caused a huge tailback and was preventing the reasonable progress of traffic. She is a danger on our roads.


It's inconvenient but it's not an emergency. While you were complaining about some old lady (hopefully after you got to your destination and not while you were driving), someone might have been in a real emergency and unable to get through because you were wasting time complaining about a slightly delayed journey. In future call 101.
perspective sure is a funny thing
Original post by Compost
The national speed limit covers roads where you can safely drive at 60mph and others that have patches were more than 30 is unsafe in good conditions, let alone in the conditions over most of the country last night.

There are undoubtedly older people who continue to drive and are a danger (and I have contacted the police about one in the past) but it would be harsh to condemn someone solely on the basis of a single event on a bad night. Calling 999 rather than just ringing the police suggests your judgement to be equally suspect.


I did explain in my OP (I appreciate that you didn't bother yourself to read it properly though) that this was a road where a minimum of 45mph is sensible to keep traffic moving. This lady was doing 20mph and caused a huge tailback.
Original post by Pleasantri
They are a danger. I was on a 60mph road last night, stuck behind some old biddy probably on the way home from bingo, doing 20mph as that's probably her preferred driving speed considering her slower reaction time.

This however was a national speed limit road where the minimum to keep to a safe standard and allow reasonable progress of traffic is about 45mph. This lady caused a huge tailback, but would the police have done anything now I've given them the reg?


I'm not in a position to comment on what the police may or may not do with the information you gave, but for non emergencies please use 101 instead of 999. It's the police non emergency number.
An old lady causing a traffic jam may be annoying and could even be potentially dangerous in the right (or rather wrong) situation, but it's not an emergency so it's best to keep the emergency lines clear.

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