Who are the worst drivers? Younger or older people?

My car is 15 years old soon and so I drive carefully. I want it to last even longer. It’s still reliable and I don’t want a car that will cost me thousands a year in depreciation. So far the depreciation is around £300 a year. I don’t want high maintenance costs either, so I drive carefully. I don’t want high fuel costs either and so I drive carefully. I suppose the young boy racers think I’m slow. My 2 litre engine is ticking over and their engines scream as they pass me on the dual carriageway. Sometimes, their tyres scream as they try to follow me into a bend too fast and get out of shape too.

Young drivers are brave and they show off, older drivers have had a few knocks, in more ways than one and so can drive more cautiously. Most people given a choice would prefer an older, more experienced driver, for high speed driving; than a testosterone high boy racer in an emergency. I tend to drive slowly, by choice; it doesn’t mean I can’t drive at high speed.

I drive smoothly, I use my brakes more than I used to, but I’m gentle on them. I think brake pads are cheaper to replace than the transmission on the car. I don’t accelerate too fast either unless I have to. I was pulling out into heavy traffic the other day in the wet with traction control on and the wheels did spin, just a bit.

It’s the beginning of Autumn in the UK and soon we will have icy roads and snow. I have already driven on wet roads and some roads have even been a little flooded. Now I prepare for winter. I check I have everything I need. I have a scraper for the ice and de-icer. I have checked the tyre pressures and fluids, but it will go in for a MOT (safety test) and service before the winter starts. The battery voltage tends to drop in winter and that is a major cause of breakdowns. I’ll check the battery is fully charged and have a fully charged booster in the back of the car.

You can also be prepared as you’re driving. I tend to think ahead and be observant, that is what I was taught. I don’t race towards traffic lights, if they are on red, I tend to take my foot off the accelerator and roll in 5th gear towards them and brake as needed. I don’t drive too close to the car in front. I don’t drive in the outside lane, unless I am overtaking. I never ever use a mobile phone when I’m driving.

They say where I live in the West Midlands, we have some of the worst drivers in the country. I can believe that sometimes. The roads here do tend to be challenging though. We have a lot of speed humps, kerbs sticking out into the road, chicanes and other ‘traffic calming’. The M6 motorway does get congested around junctions nine and ten too, leading to less experienced and foolish drivers, tail-gating each other.

Are you young drivers better? They are just more confident and often more reckless. Against an experienced driver on a race track, you would be out of shape on the first corner. Experience does count and it takes time to gain experience. If you’re a boy racer, try to drive like a professional. Professional drivers have nothing to prove.

There are more amazing blogs on the home page of a zillion ideas. Comment if you have something to say. Who do you think are worse, young or old? Which drivers annoy you most? White van man or the bus drivers? Please share on Facebook and click ‘like’. I need new readers.