Head-on with a Geriatric

Today was just surreal.

We have temporary roadworks on one of our routes. The main road now has traffic lights with each direction being given a green light separately. I was heading from south to north and following a number of cars doing the same. We had a green light so proceeded.

Mid-way through the works, I heard a siren. Where was it coming from? It's never easy to tell, despite what they tell you about the siren itself supposedly making it clear. Suddenly a workman jumped into the road and stopped the car in front of me - the siren was coming from a fire engine heading north to south. It managed to squeeze past and after 15 seconds or so we continued north, though the single lane.

But of course, by now our light had turned to red and the light for traffic heading in the opposite direction was green. A geriatric at the helm of a silver car decided to go, irrespective of the line of traffic (second in line being a double-decker bus) heading towards him.

The car in front of me chose the 'Hollywood' option and darted left, though the cones, to escape a head-on collision with the blind, deaf and woefully inadequate geriatric driver.

I, sadly, had no such option.

I remember thinking: "Is this it? Am I actually going to have my very first head-on collision?"

I came to a stop just as the approaching car did. The driver looked at me and shrugged his shoulders at the same time as putting his arms up, as if to say: "Where am I going to go?"

There was more chance of hell freezing over than me giving into him at this point. A number of cars were behind me, heading north. No car behind the geriatric had proceeded - they'd seen what had happened.

Well two can play at this game. I put my handbrake on and folded my arms. He, then, had to do all the work and went onto the path to my right, so that I could pass. He then wound down his window. Well, I was ready for this. Before he managed to exhale anything I said:

"That red thing with the flashing blue lights and making a noise. Did you see it?"

Then I drove off. He didn't have a clue about anything. He was slumped behind the wheel with about as much go as a junior Disprol.

Common Sense Solution: We're told much of the reaction times of someone over 70 being equivalent to an 18-year old having consumed 5 units of alcohol. How true that is. This old man looked no further than the end of his bonnet. He poses a greater risk to other road users than a chav in a stolen car, of this I am absolutely certain. If he were to mow down the lovely 'Ellie', aged 8 and with everything to live for, the public wouldn't outcry; they would be upset about the tragic loss of life. If it was a young lad in a stolen car mowing the innocent ballet-loving 8-yr old 'Ellie' down, the same public would demand the key to be thrown away. No bullshit, no arguments, every man and woman reaching 70 years of age should be forced by law to undertake a 30-minute drive with someone from the Driving Standards Agency to ensure they are competent enough to continue to hold their licence. If not, tough shit, it's gone.