Dear LPG, 


You might remember my recent message about hands-on shopping and female pensioners who will never be persuaded that you can shop properly using only your eyes. 

Let me reintroduce myself. I am a pensioner who has lived with my mother for the past fifteen years and, while I cannot say she has taught me everything I know about retirement, she has certainly been a constant companion on my own retirement journey. 


I mention shopping again because our trips to the market can be among the most hazardous outings we undertake together. I wonder if I am the only pensioner-aged child who finds themselves following a parent who spends much of the journey explaining how painful walking has become since passing that eighth-decade milestone. 

As my own legs begin to remind me what lies ahead, I can sympathise with those children whose parents are now in their mid to late eighties. The constant commentary about aching limbs is not only a reminder of their struggles but also a glimpse of our own future. 


We usually drive as close to the market as possible. Then, after reminding me that she will take much longer than I will, my mother sets off while I lock the car. Remarkably, for someone armed with a walking stick and shopping trolley, she makes surprisingly good progress. 

My greatest concern, however, is her road-crossing approach.  I hold my breath every time she steps off the pavement with a vehicle approaching at a distance that would make me think twice. I find myself hurrying to catch up, ready to take charge of the trolley or grab her arm if necessary. She often seems to look straight ahead regardless of approaching engines or the occasional impatient blast of a horn. 

I cannot remember her ever behaving like this when I was a child. Back then, walking with my younger brother in his pushchair, I was expected to recite the Green Cross Code every time we reached a kerb, even when the roads were almost deserted. That was over sixty-five years ago, and there was far less traffic than there is today. 

When I challenge her about her road-crossing habits, she has a ready answer. Those extra steps to the nearest zebra crossing, she says, take their toll, and no driver in their right mind would run over an old lady with a walking stick. Besides, standing still is apparently far harder than walking when you reach her age. 

I keep reminding her that if the journey has to be made, I would much rather have a mother with aching legs than one lying in a hospital bed. 


As a driver myself, I have noticed that pedestrians of all ages seem increasingly less aware of the dangers of stepping into the road. With more vehicles than ever, drivers already have plenty to contend with. Although most of us take extra care when we see an older pedestrian crossing unexpectedly, accidents can and do happen. 

I recently came across a sobering statistic. According to the provisional Reported Road Casualties Great Britain: 2024 figures, people aged 70 and over accounted for 22% of road fatalities and 8% of all casualties. 

So my message is for anyone guilty of this particular misdemeanour. Please don't launch yourself off the kerb and into possible oblivion. Think of us children, grandchildren and the rest of your family who are not in any hurry to lose you! 

A few extra steps to a safe crossing may feel like a nuisance, but they are a small price to pay for many more shopping trips together. 

IK, Lewisham. 

 

 

IK offers us the source of her findings and suggests that point 6 might hold a few relevant statistics… 

 

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