After the left turn, there is the first warning. “This was to me now almost with the oncoming traffic, Mr ride möller.” Clearly driving instructor Tina makes Behrend your displeasure air, a larger gap would prefer. Intervention you might, however, because in front of her no second set of pedals is used: Instead of your driving school car, you sitting in the car in Harry rode müllers and is at the mercy of his driving skills. An unusual constellation for the driving teacher, however, it is also not an ordinary hour’s drive: a driver’s license, Harry rode möller has been around for several decades, and he is already 81 years old.

the car he can drive so, the only question is: Should he do it? As before, the pensioner travels from Hamburg, even long distances. Meanwhile, with an Overnight stay, because in the piece he creates, for example, the trip to the South Tyrol. This is also on today’s traffic: “What I’m experiencing here with the whole Truck, that’s cruel. But since I have to go through and me more time,” says rode möller.

he must Voluntarily take every two years

Whether the approximately one thousand kilometers to the North of Italy in the future, to show a so-called drive-Fitness-Check. Here, seniors can have their driving qualities by specially trained driving instructors check ride möller makes the already for the second Time. “My car every two years for the MOT, so why not I?” he asks, smiling.

In contrast to the main investigation, he need not fear, because the consequences of the Test has not – in the end, the instructor should only give a recommendation. What the seniors make of it, remains to be seen. Rode möller will take Tina Behrends advice to heart, no matter how the fails at the end – nervous that he is not yet: “After all, you went a couple of years.”

70 participants in two years

seniors such as Harry rode möller, who want to obtain own decision, an honest assessment of your skills, make up about a third of the participants in the so-called running-Fitness-Check at Tina Behrend. For two years, and offers them to the Test now, the concept comes from the ADAC. 70 seniors have made the Check since then, 45 men and 25 women.

photo

Four of the participants have not passed the Test so far – a huge incision for the seniors: “Without their own fault do not drive an Amputation equivalent to almost,” says the driving instructor. Many of the participants do not come from a private drive, but at the Urging of their own children, driving teacher: “but most of the time 50, 60 years old, forcing her parents, almost.”

seniors are often the main cause for accidents

in Spite of the different motives of the seniors, however, have similar problems: “The Estimate of gaps, and the spatial vision falls to you, often severe,” said the driving instructor. But also the decline in mobility is a risk factor and, for example, can make the shoulder view, impossible. The accident statistics reflect this: In the case of older car drivers are the main accident causes, the Failure to observe the right-of-way or failure to Turn, Turn and drive backwards. They are also not in accidents in which they are involved, often the main cause of seniors over 75 even in three of four cases.

at the same time, the number of seniors is steadily increasing: 16.6 million people in Germany were in 2011 older than 65 years, in 2016, there were 17.5 million, with a further increasing tendency. Mandatory tests for older drivers, following the example of other EU States, the policy issued so far, however, regularly a cancellation and the auto industry is likely to have little interest in such a test, because you could lose an important customer group: the average age has increased, the new car buyers, according to a study by the University of Duisburg-Essen of 46.1 years in 1995 to 52.8 years, in 2017.

Relaxed with the car to Sport

Harry rode möller shows on the control, none of the typical problems, the view over the shoulder when backing out of Parking spaces sits. A little later, a Truck blocked at an intersection, the point of view, for the fit pensioners, but that is not a Problem: Without hesitation, he leans forward next to the steering Wheel, peering at the truck passing and turn left – this time, to the satisfaction of the driving instructor.

shoulder-view mirror observation sit with Harry rode möller

rode müllers Fitness is not an accident of the retired rows once a week with his club colleagues. He is good to the foot and also acts much younger. On the car, he would not be instructed – but it is convenient, for example, for the travel to the Training: “six in the Morning, the bag clamps under the Arm, and then without a car for sports – because I would stop at some point,” he explains.

The Fitness also plays for Tina Behrend an important role, it pays attention to the physical condition of the participants and their cars: Before the hour’s drive to the participant and asks how long you drive the car: “If there’s a bump connected to the other, this is also a sign.” Actually in the cars of the senior citizens to enter and to abandon the safety of your own brake pedal, cost you initially, a lot of Overcoming: “We are a driving instructor and have everything in its grip. But the Tooth was drawn up on me quickly.”

traffic monitoring is particularly important

During the trip, Tina respects Behrend primarily to the necessary safety distance, the response of the senior citizens and the monitoring of the Traffic – and also whether you will feel safe in the car. “Whether or not the candidate at the stop sign, continues for a second or two, not the rash,” she remembers.

In these categories can score a ride möller: He blinks always, pay attention to pedestrians and cyclists – and waiting for the next left turn onto a bigger gap. Also with traffic rules that did not exist previously, can handle it easily: the speed limit in a Bicycle road? The answer: in the “30 km/h.”, And that cyclists are allowed to ride side by side, he also knows.

The axe comes to the use of

After 45 minutes, it goes back to the driving school, the square in front of the entrance is tight, driving teacher, Tina asks Behrend, whether Harry rode möller would not want to Park for safety’s sake, somewhere else. “Nah, we still fit,” replied the pensioner self-confident and right. Is not the end of the road Fitness Check-up, but still, the maneuver criticism is well – served in the Sandwich-technique:, bad, good. “I found them to be prudent, you have a lot of looking in the mirror and also the shoulder looks when you Turn to me like,” explains Tina Behrend, while you fill in an evaluation sheet.

Also, an evaluation sheet is part of the driving Fitness Checks

the driving instructor was not satisfied with then just yet. “Sometimes the steering movements were quite jerky,” criticizes you. Although not yet alarming, but it was noticed, especially in the case of the lane change – but it is all still in the frame. The pad of Harry’s ride müllers Good-bad-good Sandwich is pretty skinny – as further points of criticism, there was, on the contrary, the Right-of-model observed, to stop two seconds signs waited, actually, everything’s fine.

driving-experience as a key advantage

The ride müllers great driving experience: in the past, he was a ship Chandler and drove professionally stretch for a long time. This wealth of experience helps later on, to compensate for deficits, says driving instructor Behrend: compensation by experience call this phenomenon. Older drivers can detect hazards before a rapid response is needed – or, as she puts it, “the Shit against the Wind smell”.

this is Also why Tina feels Behrend drivers such as Harry rode möller on the passenger seat for sure – and that is exactly the Problem of the road-Fitness Checks: “come To me, only seniors that are not so reflected that they would have to almost”, complains the driving teacher. That more of his peers as a Test, would also like to see Harry ride möller: “to prevent, quite simply, that the Old are no longer allowed to lump.” Because then the holiday would have been done in the South Tyrol, probably.

In the Video: Free ride for free, seniors – seniors at the wheel

Video SPIEGEL TV