Giving up the car.

Hmm can see your point..but no I couldnt and wouldnt want to give up our car one reason is ubby is disabled and cannot walk very far, also i wouldnt be able to take grandson out to seaside as trian/bus too expensive..but if I was of an age where I thought I was past driving etc then yes (by that time grandson should be old enough and have his own car lol so HE can take ME shopping) as he is always telling me lol he is going to take me asda when he is big and gets a light blue car ....he is 4 lol..

"hubby" lol

What an emotive subject. It is such a hard decision to give ones car up, but I really admire people who make the right decision when they are no longer safe to drive. I fear that some people carry on driving far too long as it is their only means of transport, due to disability etc. I think many people do not realise it is often cheaper to give up a car and take a taxi, but obviously not as convenient. It often falls to relatives to point out that we are no longer safe, and we MUST pay attention to this and not be in denial, as hard as it may be. What a hard decision it is, but our grand children are crossing the roads out there and we must consider their little lives......

I gave up driving many years ago, because my high blood pressure always got worse when I drove. I never liked driving enough to risk a stroke. We live near the suburban rail so i take the train everywhere I need to go. My husband still drives, so shopping is easy, but he has mild agoraphobia, so he goes out as rarely as possible, and only when I'm with him.

I love travelling by train - it is so relaxing and quick in these days of congested roads. As a pensioner I travel at half fare. A trip to our nearest city, 8 miles away costs me A$1.33 which is about 80p. We have gocards, a little plastic card that we swipe at each end of the journey. Simple.

My husband decided to give up driving a couple of years ago due to his muscle wasting condition which affected his eyes...although this has never been discussed or recommended by health professionals.
He still has his license and I know he misses driving a lot...but safety first.
I also have mild agoraphobia and will not go into a large supermarket but always shop online with Tesco direct very successfully.
We are very rural with a bus passing the door (single track road) but only twice a day so I do need the car...2 weeks snowed in then breaking my wrist the very day I got the car out proved how difficult it was without the car.
My hubby is on oxygen 24/7 and can only walk a few yards so a car is essential for us.
I do think that medical professionals should take more responsibility for telling some people not to drive anymore...the Doc was VERY reluctant to tell my FIL to stop driving when he was a danger to himself and everyone else.

i think most of us decide for ourselves when it is better not to drive, but I agree that Doctors need to stop people driving who are clearly no longer up to it.

We gave up having two cars when we retired two years ago and I was bereaved for a while. When we lived in the Yorkshire dales it was difficult if one of you went out the other was marooned as the bus service was so poor. Now we live in Melton Mowbray we walk into town and I have bought a funky shopping trolley for the market fruit and veg as I cant carry shopping (it animal print so I dont look too much like a granny). We find we only use the car a couple of times a week now and for holidays, trips to family etc and our petrol and tyres/maintenance bill has gone down tremendously. All the major supermarkets deliver here for free if your order is over a certain amount. Life is so much better here than in the Dales for us that is not for everybody.

Sadly doctors can not stop people from driving, in fact neither can relatives. It has to be the actual driver who instigates it, which in some cases is not good as some people clearly drive when they shouldn't, but are not aware that their driving skills have deteriorated. It is worrying.

Thank you nanapippa for that ...yes it is worrying . Hubby's father said after a number of 'near misses' said he would give up driving 'when the Doctor told him to do so'...but it took a lot of persuasion to get the Doc to agree. I am pleased my hubby is being sensible as much as he would love to still be driving.

Like greenmossgiel we have given up not for medical but for financial reasons. Where we live there is no parking, we were paying monthly garage rent on top of all driving bills and luckily in Oxford public transport is good - and oh how we appreciate the bus pass. Even taking train fares into ac (and they are going up) we are still financially better off.
We are so lucky as there is a community car club (Commonwheels) if we want a car for a few hours for diy garden or big household shops. I foodshop online, Sainsburys and Tescos, and we have only rented a hirecar once since we gave up the car. We are both well enough to walk for local shopping as well so I know we are we are better off than a lot of people.
My father was still driving at 89 and should have stopped years before but he lived in a Cambs. village, and was disabled so would have to take taxis everywhere, but they did not exist. He finally stopped when he got really physically too frail, but I was dreading telling him to stop.

silversurfergran, you have echoed my own thoughts. We've been thinking: Will we give up/we we not give up? Then along comes the energy price rise (and isn't it a massive one?), so we're definitely even more inclined now to pack the car in. Energy prices are going to hit so many people very hard. We don't have a Community Car Club where we live, but hopefully, if the need arose, and we had to have a large or heavy piece brought home, my daughter would help with her car! Online shopping is a very good idea, and may just curb those impulse buys!

Yes greenmossgiel I think you are right about on line shopping stopping impulse buys. Also perhaps one plans meals more which also saves money. Perhaps I should start doing that, but I must confess I love shopping so not sure I will

Doctors are obliged to notify the DVLA if you have certain medical conditions so in a way they can stop you driving but its not necessarily age related.

My father drove until he was 90 - not that with it by then?!! and it took alot of persuasion to get him to stop. Now, If you saw the Duke of Edinburgh on TV last night I think you would agree that you would trust him on the road. It is very difficult if the person concerned seems unable to know when to stop. For alot of us I think it gives us a real sense of losing alot of our independence. If you live near public transport it would make this decision easier. I have shopped on line for the past 5 years, buying groceries, cleaning materials, booze etc. This saves alot of lugging things home. For fresh food I shop locally and enjoy chit chats with my local shopkeepers as well as getting cheaper and sometimes better quality food. I find this much more rewarding than trawling round the supermarket. Even if you don't have local shops a short bus ride with your free bus pass will get you to some fresh food shops.

I gave up driving for financial reasons. It was really hard at first but I'm used to it now. I think the hardest part was finding patience when using the bus! Now I switch off, enjoy the view or read a book. I also enjoy train journeys which I often do. My next big journey is from Bristol to Aberdeen which I'm hugely looking forward to.

SoNanny - there is so much less stress and strain on public transport. (apart from delays and missed connections of course) I do like looking out the window, and read a lot on long journeys.We are gradually extending our trips out and still reckon we are benefitting on the financial side. It's so hard on countrydwellers though as the public transport can be so difficult, we townies don't know how lucky we are!

I too enjoy a train journey especially with my I-pod plugged into my ears

I remember when I worked at Toowong, about a half hour train journey from home. Those of us who came by bus or train would arrive at work relaxed and at ease. Those who drove in would be stressed, telling horror tales of near misses and parking nightmares. Oh, and under office parking was a political minefield; if the boss gave his parking spot to the wrong person when he went away for a time, there would be hell to pay.

One woman lived near a railway station but still drove in, often arriving stressed and tense. When I suggested riding in on the train, in view of the fact the office was just across the road from the station, she reacted as if I'd suggested she attend a black mass or something. Public transport was apparently beneath her dignity. There's nowt as queer as folk.

This is the official advice from the Instiatue of Advance Motorists with statistics:
17 September 2012

The number of drivers over 90 years old is set to increase by 18 per cent (12,400) over the next five years. By 2017, there will be 82,400 ninety-year-olds driving on the roads. At present, there are 70, 000 drivers over 90.

The number of eighty-year-old drivers is currently 1,049,058, this is set to rise by 22 per cent to around 1,283,000 in the next ten years.

Drivers over the age of sixty-five now make up 25 per cent of licence holders – a figure that is set to rise as more and more baby boomers reach retirement age.

Currently there are 154 drivers over 100 including one 106 year-old and two 105 year olds.

Drivers over 70 are no more likely to cause crashes than any other driver, and are considerably safer than younger drivers, according to research by the IAM. Eight per cent of drivers are over 70 yet they only account for four per cent of all injury crashes.

Currently, motorists are required to renew their licence at 70 and then every three years after that.

InstAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Today, over 10 million people can expect to reach 100 so the chances are they’ll be driven around by their 70 year-old children. While their frailty puts them at risk if they are in a crash, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are a risk to other drivers.

Despite the increase in numbers, we should resist calls for compulsory retests for elderly drivers. The government needs a strategy now on how it is going to manage more elderly drivers and make them more aware of the risks they face. The top priority must be non-compulsory driving assessments available nationwide to help them deal with modern high speed traffic and eliminate any bad habits.

“Better training for GPs and other medical staff is also needed to ensure information and options are clearly spelt out. Finally those nearing retirement need to start planning now for their future transport needs and the inevitable day when they may have to lay down their car keys forever.”

SoNanny are you another Bristol lady?
I can't give up my car as it has the hoist for my scooter in it. Taxi drivers don't like lifting it in and out so I'm either immobile when I get to where I'm going , eg shops, or I have to drive!

I chose my present house for its proximity to the shops and bus stop, although the buses are only hourly. For various reasons, mainly wear and tear on my shoulder, I have given up using the car for long journeys - both sons' families live conveniently close to stations. With my railcard, it's no more expensive than a full tank of petrol. In a year's time I will have to renew my licence again.

We live in the middle of nowhere with virtually no public transport - there is a bus in and out of town once each day in termtime, but even that is quite a walk away to the nearest bus stop.

We gave up our second car when I left work; we manage with one, and do so with careful planning and synchronizing of diaries. WE could not manage with no car at all.

My Dad took a great deal of persuading to give up driving - we campaigned long and hard after he mis-read a road direction and crashed into a wall. He ventually saw that he was not safe and now has a motorised scooter which he uses to go into his village for shopping each day.

A local elderly lady has just driven across a road junction and into a wall because she got the brake and accelerator pedal confused; and I was once hit by an elderly lady driver who smashed into the side of me on a car park as she had reversed out of a parking place with foot to the floor. I was lucky to survive. She gave me her insurance company details and I told them in no uncertain terms that she should not be re-insured. I also spoke to the police. Later that day her son rang me and tried to persuade me to withdraw what I had said and he would pay all the repair bills - he was worried she might be a burden on him if she was stopped from driving - he got pretty short shrift from me as I was lucky to be alive!

I know how you feel Mishap. When DS was 16 he was knocked off his scooter on a very busy major roundabout by a driver who initially stopped but who then, while other drivers were rushing to help, put his foot down and took off. Luckily someone had the wit to follow and take his number so the police were able trace him. They were however reluctant to prosecute as he was in his 90s, his wife was registered blind, and he therefore "needed" to be mobile. This in a built-up area in the South East with good public transport - it was hard to be sympathetic, with a young son who had very nearly gone under an HGV. They wanted to "have a word" and "gently suggest" it might be time to think about giving up driving. It took a strong letter pointing out that not only had several people come forward voluntarily to witness that this gentleman had caused what could have been a fatal accident but had then driven away from the scene, before he was banned for 6 months and asked to take a refresher course before regaining his licence. This he refused to do, as he objected to the very idea that anyone had anything to teach him about driving.
I know it's hard to give up the freedom and convenience the driving license gives us, just when we can need it most, but it's just something else we all have to face about aging, I think .

Over the years I've lost several family members and friends due to traffic accidents and each time it has made me more and more nervous. I was never a very good or confident driver in the first place, and then the family car was my husband's company car which I was not insured to drive (relief!!)
But for years I was beating myself up for avoiding getting back behind the wheel and being such a wimp.
After the last family traffic accident tradgedy (my husband) I made the decision. I made a list: The things in my life that I was enjoying and that I could something about were on the first list - that was the list to keep andfor me to work on. The second list - the things that I couldn't do anything about or that were a worry to me, went out of the window.

Driving was on the second list.

Once I'd made that decision I felt such a sense of freedom and release!

And then came THE BUS PASS!! Yay!