Ha ha… Bob… I can see where you get your sense of humour from… 
This is a local conversation for local people.
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I’ve toned it down for forum use Stella 
Nearly caused a car accident on my way from the barbers to the supermarket this afternoon! Had my signal on to turn left, slowed down almost to a stop, and as I started to turn, a car coming the other way appeared in front of me at high-speed, swerving and screeching to a halt – I had already stopped. It was as if he had appeared from nowhere. No collision, no damage, but a young and very angry driver gave me a good telling off, no doubt deserved, and then he drove off swerving away angrily at speed. A close shave!
How it happened I do not know. I’m what you call a careful driver, but not today it seems! I had taken for the 1st time a new prostate pill the doctor had prescribed, so am wondering if that warning about somnolence had something to do with it.
Lesson learned I think to be more than vigilant, at all times, especially into old age!!! I think this was a wake up call!
Might be an idea to mention this incident to your Pharmacy or Doctor … perhaps it is the “new” medication and if so… perhaps an alternative medication can be prescribed ???
and, just a thought… does the paperwork with the medication say anything like Do not drive while on this medication ??
No, just somnolence, but I wasn’t aware of feeling sleepy. The sun was in my eyes at the time and I was feeling tired. A touch of carelessness has to be in there somewhere. A few moments before I got to the crime scene I turned into a blind junction where there were only mirrors to see what’s coming from both directions, and I was very careful to look see if anything was coming before turning. I was in safe mode. So I have to admit to momentary carelessness! Not to happen again. I’ve been forewarned.
The first thing I did on getting home was to look at the footage in my car cam to see how it happened, but no videos of that particular moment! All that’s recorded is the other driver getting back into his car and racing angrily away.
He did seem to me to be a bit trigger happy by racing away the way he did. I was careless, but his emotions dictated the way he was driving.
A short while before I had a disc removed from my back I drove from Germany to Cornwall to see my family. Strangely sitting with my arms stretched forward was one of the most comfortable positions for me, second only to standing behind a shopping trolley. I stayed with my sister and on the first morning she asked me how long I had needed to take sleeping tablets. I told her I didn’t. She held up the bottle of painkillers that I had been given by my doctor, Diazepam. He never once told me that I shouldn’t drive after taking them. Luckily because I was comfortable in the car I hadn’t taken any before or during the journey.
Hmm… I’ll not nag you 
but, personally, I would check out the medication with either my Pharmacist or my Doc.
best of luck… 
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It sounds to me that the young driver was probably driving inappropriately fast for the road they were on (& that doesn’t necessarily mean driving above the speed limit). That will have created the ‘coming out of nowhere’ scenario’ you experienced, along with the unfortunate direction of sunlight.
Yes, in a court of law you would have been found to be at fault (you turned across the path of a vehicle which had priority), but the truth probably lies elsewhere. This is entirely based on your description of course.
The worry about the possible effect of prescription drugs is fair. However, when one considers the numerous dangers involved in driving large chunks of metal towards each other at speed & hoping to consistently miss others coming the other way it’s a miracle that any of us survive as long as we do, & that’s assuming that all drivers are not tired, are generally fit & healthy, & don’t have any distractions, which is rarely the case.
If a modern day Health & Safety official was given the concept of driving as a novel risk to assess it wouldn’t get beyond a first consideration. It’s completely mad.
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As I’m getting older, I always (try to🙄) look at least twice in every direction. I’m sure there’s a look once but not see syndrome.
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Well said.
What I am finding at home is, when I’m looking for something, I can’t find it, when it’s right under my nose. I have an image of what I’m looking, for example, the TV remote control, and can’t find it because it’s upside down - I’m looking for something with knobs and buttons on it, but upside done it’s an anonymous black piece of plastic.
I think one learns best from mistakes. I’ve made mine and won’t forget that very angry young man who was shouting at the top of his voice, who raced away in anger.
Thats just a bloke thing😉. Whats worse is going upstairs only to have to go straight back down to try to remember why you went up in the first place🙄
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See also (pun intended) : Too blind to drive…
A real tragedy that people are willing to lie about their eyesight and cause the deaths of others.
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Just checked my eyesight against the 20 metre French requirement to read a car number plate. It is 20 metres, isn’t it? Can’t get further away from my car than 28 metres and I can read my number plate at that distance, in sunlight.
I had my cataracts seen to, forgotten how many years ago, and I can see as well now as then. But will be having them checked over this year.
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20 metres is the UK licence plate reading distance for the driving test as well - I assume it was standardised as an EU thing.
I get my eyes tested by an optometrist every two years, and thankfully (when wearing glasses) my vision is 20/20 and hasn’t changed in the last few years.
Since I earn my living as a photographer via my eyeballs I have an obvious incentive to make sure they are working well!
But it’s just common sense anyway - an eye test is pretty cheap at £25 ish (and free for over 60s every 2 years) in the UK - in France I believe it’s between €30-€80.
we get our eyes checked every 2/3 years and this year, for the first time, OH has been recommended Driving glasses as there’s been some movement in his long-distance vision.
Only a small change (said our pal who just happens to be our Ophthalmologist) and glasses aren’t mandatory at this stage, but mindful of your Age now… I do advise…
'Nuff said… glasses are on order and will be with us in a couple of weeks.
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I think there are other health issues that can impact on one’s driving ability. It’s possible to not look properly to the right and left if one has a stiff neck or back trouble.
Foveal vision can be fine (looking straight ahead) but peripheral vision can begin to deteriorate with the advance of cataracts, therefore it can be even more important to be able to turn one’s head fully to the right and left so that foveal vision comes into play. As one ages a quick glance left and right may not be enough.
Glasses themselves can be a problem if they are varifocal - as not all parts of the lens will give the necessary clarity of vision.
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I’ve had glasses since I was a kid and I think as soon as you find you need some optical correction, getting glasses (or contacts) actually helps your eyesight stay in shape, as you won’t be straining to compensate.
For the last 20 or so years I’ve had three-zone varifocals, which are fantastic - top third is distance, middle third “computer” and bottom third “reading”.
Sounds complicated but they blend seamlessly into one another and you get used to them very quickly. They avoid the “specs on, specs off” dance that I used to do when taking pictures - with single vision (distance corrected) lenses I had to take my glasses off to see the image on the back of the camera.
The only caveat about varifocals is they do have to have the focal distances properly prescribed, and be lenses from a good manufacturer. I currently have Steiner lenses but have also had good results with Essilor. Not so much with Pentax ones which had too narrow a field of view - road signs in my peripheral vision were blurred with those - I took them back to Specsavers for a refund!
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