Anyone still thinking compulsory retests should just be for the over 60s?
As others have said, something needs to change, and it's not the actual car.as a former claims manager, I spent way too much time reading medical reports with gruesome photos to take a casual attitude to this. Certainly wouldn't let her have the kids with her.
After 10 years of no claims, we’re down to about £500…
A month?!?
er
<cough>
good point well made, years and months are two very different things.
<ahem>
as you were...
I am in favour of much tighter standards for drivers. Mandatory retesting every 3 years and most importantly GETTING DANGEROUS DRIVERS LIKE THIS OFF THE ROADS
OP - your wife is a criminal. Its a criminal offence to drive so tired that your driving is impaired. Its as dangerous as drunk driving.
For the sake of the rest of us get her off the roads
I'm with Esme on this. Driver training or assessment needed and maybe some medical examination to make sure there's something not underlying (e.g. black outs). I've known some atrocious drivers over the years but none has a wreckage record even half that bad.
Without wishing to be rude Surrey intense? Don't get me wrong it suffers from some of the worst excesses of entitled numbskullery but no more than Berkshire or Essex.
If it was me I'd be seriously contemplating removing her from any vehicle insured in my name even if only on economic grounds. That would be a very hard conversation but it might send a message about how much of an issue this is ... 5 cars written off in 3 incidents over 3 years is frightening.
Zafiras have a nasty habit of going on fire ... Google will help you on this .
I’m sure this is a troll - so we’ll done.
If not, you need to make sure your wife doesn’t drive.
I’m sure this is a troll
I wondered that then I looked at the OP's posting history. The last write-off seems to have been 10 months ago so this is either a very well planned troll or ...
Are you married to my sister ?
Quite simply the shittest driver I have the misfortune to be chauferred around by on rare occaisions.
Zero concept of stopping distances, speed awareness, hazard perception , road conditions etc
However she hasn't written off any cars thus far , unlike your misses.
That many crashes is not jut 'unlucky' its negligence . She must be driving around in some sort of daze,or bubble totally unaware of any other road user.
Some sort of driving course ( ongoing) is a must before she kills someone ( on a road bike )
Sorry but thats a reality check
For everyone's sake you need a new patio.
A zafira is probably an ok car for the purpose but it will have no modern safety features which it sounds like might be useful. At the end of the day they are older and so buying carries an element of risk, any really bad ones will have been scrapped a while ago.
Eh? We get Zaffies in at work that are less than a year old, ex-Motability cars, Vauxhall still make the bloody things!
The new ones have a large infotainment screen in the dash, which older ones lack, but they’re perfectly decent vehicles, over the last three years I’ve driven dozens, and the petrol turbo 1.4 is great fun, surprisingly quick and nimble. So I’d seriously suggest you look at the diesel, which is still fine, just not so encouraging of sticking the hoof in.
I really like them, and if I needed a car with large carrying capacity, I’d probably have one, they are really comfy as well; safety-wise, they have to meet European ENCAP standards, so personal safety is fine - other peoples safety, however, is down to the loose nut behind the steering wheel.
How are these accidents happening? Her fault? Mixed liability?
My grandfather was in a similar situation, he was forever having minor bumps, scrapes, prangs and his insurance was going through the roof (causing him serious financial difficulty) but he "needed" the car to go to church, to go shopping, to visit friends etc.
In his old age he got incredibly stubborn and cnversations from concerned neighbours and from my mother usually ended up in an argument about how he needed to drive and there was literally no other way in the entire world for him to move around (apparently buses, taxis, friends and neighbours hadn't been invented in this world of his).
Amyway, it was pointed out that the monthly insurance cost and selling the car would buy a lot of taxi trips and eventually it ended that way - thankfully before he wrote off any more walls and cars.
I'd suggest that a serious look at the root casue of these incidents is going to be more beneficial than buying another car - and how often do the grandparents visit that everyone needs to be carted around at once? Would it make more sense to hire a people carrier when that's needed?
I wouldn't let my kids in a car driven by your wife so I wouldn't place high importance on the number of seats. I also don't want to be driving my kids around on roads occupied by your wife.
It's not a game, and it's not a right.
We have an old 53 plate zafira. Had it for 8 years now and it’s never missed a beat to be fair. It cost me £3000 and was paid off 6 years ago. It owes me absolutely nothing... in fact I probably owe it. It’s been a real trooper... I mean it’s battered and filthy and drives like shit but i love it. With the seats folded down it’s easy as big as a small van and gets used for dump runs and washing machine pick ups etc all the time. Bike fits in without taking off the wheels as well. it’s done family camping hols in wales, devon, cornwall and scotland since we got it and seriously all i’ve had to do was replace tyres and one battery.
It will be a sad day when i say goodby to the zaffy.
It sounds like your wife could do with more support if she's that tired and exhausted and that you could do with a break from the stress. Is it a sign of depression or anxiety? If you haven't already it might be worth asking her and seeking therapy. Can you do more around the house or to participate in any childcare? Is she working and can she request flexible hours so that she can start later or finish earlier? Or could you so that you can give more support? Could any kids go to a playgroup or club so that she can have a nap?
There's a lot of pressure to be seen to be busy and productive, you've got to do more than the Jones's to be recognised as equal but sometimes you've just got to say **** it and look after yourselves
Old Zafiras decent?
As a punishment for cavalier driving? Yeah, as a car no, they’re notoriously shit and also ironically perhaps IME often driven badly, maybe it’s just the same one I see but it’s that car only does 45mph, 45 on the motorway, 45 around roundabouts, 45 in ASDA car park.
3 cars written off in 6 months is my wife's record.
Followed by somersaulting my mate's speedway outfit at the local track - but that last one wasn't really her fault because her passenger got terrified and jumped off on the bend.
She was pretty handy on a motorbike though and never dropped one despite being able to leave most of us for dead on a winding road.
Now everyone thinks she's a respectable old lady...
Eh? We get Zaffies in at work that are less than a year old, ex-Motability cars, Vauxhall still make the bloody things!... safety-wise, they have to meet European ENCAP standards, so personal safety is fine – other peoples safety, however, is down to the loose nut behind the steering wheel.
Count-Zero, I didn't know they were still for sale. I'd swear its about 4 years since I saw a new looking one. If someone has a habit of pranging their car then some of these features might just help: blindspot alerts, lane drift warnings, adaptive cruise control, assistive emergency breaking, speed sign reminders/alerts. Do most 2nd hand Zafira's have those things? As well as reversing cameras, parking sensors etc which usually are not about high speed collisions but might avoid yet another insurance claim. Perhaps I am wrong and those features will be available on the cars the OP is considering; or perhaps the feeling of vulnerability that you get in some older cars will help keep her aware...
As a punishment for cavalier driving? Yeah, as a car no, they’re notoriously shit and also ironically perhaps IME often driven badly, maybe it’s just the same one I see but it’s that car only does 45mph, 45 on the motorway, 45 around roundabouts, 45 in ASDA car park.
Yup, a car for people who have no interest in driving. The Nescafe of the motor industry.
"I’d suggest that a serious look at the root cause of these incidents is going to be more beneficial than buying another car"
Yep - First off ,I'd suggest an Eye test!
🙂
My Dad killed a cyclist - not his fault - but it marked him and stayed with him for the rest of his life. Would your wife want that?
Zafira sounds perfect. Horrible car, so might encourage her to stay off the roads as much as possible. Have you explained to her that tiredness and busy roads are not reasonable excuses?
Would your wife want that?
With her accident record and cavalier attitude it sounds like she doesn't give a shit, tbh, if she was bothered something would have changed already.
My brother had an old petrol auto Zafira and it served him well, he only did the bare minimum maintenance over the 10 years he had it (and I think he thought engine oil was optional), don't think he had any breakdowns until last year when he finally got rid. Very basic interior and far from quick off the lights but for moving the 6 of them about (inc. a lot of 4 hour+ journeys) it did it's job.
So straight outa the mean streets of Surrey here.
The cavalier attitude bit seems a bit odd. However having a conversation with anyone else let alone the wife about their driving skills is extremely difficult. Good luck on that one.
It’s probably a bit late now but I’d suggest a car with full collision avoidance / lane keeping systems (new Volvo) for your wife on a lease. Which would probably not be that much more than your current insurance costs.
OP's gone very quiet, maybe we can't hear him from under the patio?
I second what aweeshoe said. This problem probably has roots.
Horrifying isn’t it?
Completely terrifying - as others have said, you need to address the causes of this. If she was driving a train or flying a plane there would be a proper investigation into these collisions and I'd guess she'd be suspended until the causes were found. I'm of the view that every reportable collision should result in points and retraining - these aren't accidents, I don't believe in 'bad luck'.
Sensible thoughts
Eye test, if she doesn't have regular checkups already. Some eye conditions restricted peripheral vision
Defensive driving course, proper instructor, done locally
Mobile phone, in the glove box
Don't get a zafira they have a very large a pillar which blocks vision. Lots of accidents at roundabouts including fatal https://www.core77.com/posts/71732/How-a-Combination-of-Crossroad-Angles-and-Cars-A-Pillars-Have-Created-the-Perfect-Deadly-Intersection-for-Cyclists
Volvo lane keeping systems stop you overtaking cyclists I you don't indicate
Is she practicing crashing, so that she can crash, with out hurting herself or others, but so she takes out the grandparents in the back?
Is she expecting a lot of money in a will?
Surrey driving is not intense!! I lived on the border of Surrey / Berks for 10 years and the driving is absolutely not intense. It's average.
You seem to be using that as an excuse for your wife. As plenty of others have said - she shouldn't be driving tired. Fix the root cause before she kills herself / someone else.
Can't believe I agree with TJ on a driving thread.
From the cost and description of writing off cars, these aren't parking prangs or gentle rear-enders, which means I'm calling bollocks on Surrey or any of the Southeast being difficult to drive in.
Stick a 12 inch spike to the middle of the steering wheel, it might make her concentrate.
Bus pass might be the best option here.
Get a Volvo XC90, pretty much as safe as cars get and can be had fairly cheaply for an older one.
If she crashes a lot then getting an abnormally big car just means that she is more likely to kill someone else.
You need to sort out the cause of the tiredness if it really is that.
And maybe get a car she feels more involved driving and so less likely to 'drift off'. i.e. large alloys/low profile tyres, good steering feedback, manual instead of auto, lower to the ground.
And maybe get some driver training.
Can't be too hard ot suggests as she must realise the danger to others and the possibility of killing someone - even a kid on a bike.
And maybe get a car she feels more involved driving and so less likely to ‘drift off’. i.e. large alloys/low profile tyres, good steering feedback, manual instead of auto, lower to the ground.
But that will probably all be built around a quick engine...
If this isn't a troll (and chapeaux if it is), and the comments about stopping driving fall on deaf ears, I'd be trying to find the smallest, lightest, most underpowered car with the best visibility I could find. Fiat Panda, Nissan Note, Toyota Yaris Verso. 1.0 litre obviously.
That's some track record - and you don't appear to have taken any action to stop it.
In my view that makes you complicit.
If she continues driving without any training, education or other intervention and there is a 'next time' which results in injury or death will you be able to deny any responsibility?
I'm with TJ^^^ and that's a rarity; it's criminal behaviour and all you're concerned is what car to get.
Get a grip.
If it’s true, OP’s wife ain’t cut out for driving. Not all of us can be driving Gods. I’d be looking at other options.
...but it’s not true. Nobody would post that subject here ‘cos you know the reaction, plus the immediate default to a Zafira seems odd. Unless it’s a punishment for the wife.
it’s amazing how selfish and self centred car ownership makes people.
it's a privilege not a right and can be revoked by the state at any time. are you going to wait until somebody loses a life or receives life changing injuries before you do something other than posting on an internet forum for advice? because that suggests you don’t think it serious enough to act.
“my wife might kill somebody, not sure what to do?”
the fact you view this as a fiscal and material matter rather than a human one is indicative of the ingrained car culture that prevails in the uk.
But that will probably all be built around a quick engine…
not necessarily - you mention a Panda - the 100Hp Panda is suppossed to be great fun but it is not uber-powerful. Fiat 500 also.
When I got my Alfa GT I drove a 16 inch alloyed car, a 17, and an 18. The 16 seemed too divorced from the road and therefore not as easy to drive slow, the 18 was too rough a ride, and the 17 was just right. My Giulietta is 18 but the suspension is better, so about the same.
Actually driving fast and feeling like you are driving fast are two different things.
Actually I drive the 230Bhp Giulietta slower than my 170Bhp GT I just got rid of.
also, let her choose the car and get a car she 'loves' - then she won't want to crash it - maybe...
That’s some track record – and you don’t appear to have taken any action to stop it.
In my view that makes you complicit.
Actually I drive the 230Bhp Giulietta slower than my 170Bhp GT I just got rid of.
Neither of those cars needs more than 35bhp to do 70mph.
The 16 seemed too divorced from the road and therefore not as easy to drive slow,
I love the bollocks spouted on car threads on this forum.
Anyhow OP, a "cavalier" attitude is worrying in this context. Good luck with addressing the issue without provoking a divorce. I was in Surrey on a bike not so long ago, the vast majority of drivers seemed to be driving around perfectly safely, thanks to all those that took care around me.
If she crashes a lot then getting an abnormally big car just means that she is more likely to kill someone else.
I don't think the op or his wife are worried about that. This is about money. People are getting distracted here and failing to answer his question. Stop worrying about who she is going to kill, neither of them are concerned about that.
I rather think the whole post may just be a bit of wind up to get everyone frothing at the mouth and searching the barn for the pitchfork.
Nico - would your reaction change if Mrs OP took out a member of your family?