86-year-old driver smashes into South Street car park

Oh dear. At least no one hurt.

86 and driving !

It's very difficult to get elderly people to give up their driving licence, and thus a certain amount of independence without the backing of the law. I've been driven into by an elderly person who just 'lost control', thankfully at low speed, and I'm sure it happens quite often.
Surely it makes sense that all drivers should re-take their test at 80 yrs old.

we were in the co op carpark the other day and a elderley gentlman reversed out of a space and nearly hit my parter he didnt even realise and he was directly behind his car and carried on ! not good

Not good, but age is irrelevant, you've all see the standard of parking and driving in Alderley - there are plenty of younger people that shouldn't be on the road. Jason, aged 125 ;-)

A retest would be sensible, however one thing I've noticed with regard to Lucy Allen's point is that over the past few years there is a tendency by pedestrians to not take care when walking behind a reversing car.

I've even been reversing in a street parking slot to pull out into the traffic and someone has stepped off the pavement and walked right behind my car. How can a driver possibly allow for such stupid people, pedestrians seem to have a view that they need not bother to look out for cars and it will always be the drivers fault.

There are plenty of drivers who should not be on the road, and they are not all old. Pedestrians walk with impunity, they think drivers can see them and they make the mistake of thinking that because they can see the car, then the car can see them.

However, I think the biggest problem in the Precinct car park is the revised layout. In my opinion it is a totally unsafe layout - designed to maximise revenue - and compromises safety in the process.

Looking at the picture in the South St car park, I can think of many reasons why that could have happened, and age is quite low on the list.

thankyou howard but the car was stationary and only started to reverse as we stepped on the carpark and then carried on despite us so he still didnt notice even after i shouted! he couldnt see a thing! we were taking care thankyou!

I agree with Howard, people are always walking behind my car in tge village when I start reversing. It's them that will end up getting hurt, yet it would be deemed as my fault! Everyone needs to show a bit more concentration.

Although I agree with retesting the elderly, and that would include me, one of my worst experiences of bad driving occurred when I was walking on the pavement, opposite the chipshop, when a car came whizzing round the corner from Congleton Rd, by the De Trafford Arms and mounted the pavement immediately in front of me. Offering no apology, he abandoned his car on double yellow lines and went into the hairdressers. The driver?? One of our great sporting heroes and at that time probably in his 20s.

I don't think that retesting the elderly has anything to do with this, and very many other, accidents. After all, anyone, no matter their age, knows that you don't drive through fences or up walls or onto lamp posts. The problem with the elderly are their reflexes. Reflexes at 85 are not what they were at 35. It is the brain's ability to respond within split milliseconds that is compromised by age. I am sure anyone who can read and has been driving for 60 years can retake a test.