How does this happen?

https://metro.co.uk/2018/10/18/man-d...rlier-8050891/

As far as I have read, the 80 year old couple driving a "foreign" registered car and towing a caravan killed themselves and another person whilst belting it up the M40 on the wrong side of the road for 8 Miles!!!!!!!!!! How does this sort of thing happen?

I take it drugs were not a factor. Not sure about booze. Surely they must have realized something was wrong!!! Why not just stop as soon as its realized hang on ..DOH! We the only people going in this direction with 3 lanes of cars approaching but lets crack on! WTF.

Imagine doing that in Hungary? Whilst I have seen appalling driving here in Hongary, and been involved in my share of altercations I haven't seen anything like this - yet.

Dementia? Altzheimers?

I'm in NZ and I've seen a few very elderly people being very confused on the roads here.

Yes, apparently Dementia.

I've witnessed several (3 or 4) drivers go round the same roundabout the wrong way at various times. Not drunk, just didn't know any better. It's the roundabout where the old Cora now Auchan shopping complex exit on Szentendrei Ut meets the Szentendrei Ut and the start of Megyeri Hid.

Bearing in mind there was only 1 real roundabout in Hungary until 2000 (Clark Adam Ter), I guess it's not that surprising.

A couple of years ago they had to change the roundabout to traffic lights and cobblestones to mark out roundabout lanes with white lines etc - as Hungarians didn't get roundabout priorities (or direction!) and it was always queuing up unnecessarily. Works quite efficiently now.

Heres a video. Watching it had me jumping over to the other side of the sofa.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-vehicles.html

Whilst I have never had dementia or indeed know anyone with it and I am not 80 tears old, I find this sort of thing staggering especially in this day and age.

Some years ago I also did the wrong way around the roundabout in a small place in Spain. It was my very first time on the wrong side of the road and in a left hand drive car (a hire car to boot) and although there was only one oncoming car at the time, it is not something you forget.

To go for miles along a 3 lane motorway against the oncoming traffic, I am surprised that dozens were not killed.

@GBA77:
Something similar happened many years ago to a friend of mine driving via the ferry to England. Already in Dover he took a wrong right turn - getting on the wrong side of the road. Luckily there only was minor damage because of the low speed and no one was hurt.

@Piiis:
It (almost) happened to my wife's brother in law too that he took the "wrong exit" at a roundabout here in Hungary. So his wife got him not to drive any more outside their little town - when they visit us e g they bring their driver - a guy who used to work for him and gets paid and fed of course - he's kind of family too.
That's a very good solution!

There doesn't seem to be any mention where the 80 year old driver was from. The car may have had foreign number plates but it doesn't mean the driver was not British! Seems there's been a news blackout about the driver!

​​​​​​⠀‹Yes …. that is being kept very quiet …. however, it is being reported that the elderly driver was involved in another collision just five days prior to the fatal accident….

FenTiger.

I don't normally wager however I will in these circumstances. That both of them suffer from dementia may be possible but to crack on 8 miles down a one way way motor way (a bloody busy motorway) against oncoming traffic? Nah! They wont even be Hungarians. Beer on lets see.

Shouldn't the police then have taken his licence?
This happens sometimes in Germany - though not too often.

It seems to get more confusing - according to this updated article, the car that was driving the wrong way and caused the accident was British …..

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ous-crash.html

I looked at the video - horrible and unbelievable!
But most of the drivers somehow had still the chance and the time ro react ...

The law changed in the UK this year - the police can insist on a roadside eyesight test (same as in your test) and if somebody fails it, take the licence off them there & then, ie an effective ban on further driving.

I think the idea is to stop 80 year olds with very poor eyesight who shouldn't be driving from mowing down schoolkids/ other pedestrians or cyclists etc.

Fen: Looks like I owe you a beer.

Was sent this earlier then found it in the paper. https://metro.co.uk/2018/10/23/coupl...oward-8065092/.

Couple in car towing caravan wrong way on M40 named as John Norton and Olive Howard

I need something much stronger than a beer to take in this news. We need know more information. Was car LHD? They may be from High Wycombe but had probably been living abroad for a long time, hence, confusion driving wrong side of road. I suspect the driver should probably not have been driving, I.e. hadn't surrendered driving licence as advised by GP.