Old Age

[jont]

Another example of age discrimination is in travel insurance. I'm probably going to go to the Nürburgring later this year & I know the premium will be huge; that is, if I can get it at all.

OTOH car insurance is also hugely age discriminatory in the other direction.

In a similar vein IIRC there was a case taken to the European Courts to do with Male vs Female insurance premiums (as in males pay significantly more if all other factors are identical), and the case was rejected as not breaking the discrimination acts, so I suspect the same applies in these age cases.

Jon

[PeterE]

My father, who is 88, decided last week it was time to give up driving.

It's sad in a way, as in his younger days he was a very keen driver, who travelled all over the UK from Land's End to Northern Scotland on holiday, but eventually the effects of old age get to us all.

In recent years, like many older drivers, he had tended to limit himself to local routes and times of day when he felt comfortable. However, he said that the increasing difficulty of doing what were once routine tasks had begun to prey on his mind.

Sometimes people complain about accidents caused by elderly drivers, even though in terms of numbers and effect they are far less than those caused by reckless young drivers. However, the vast majority do eventually give up driving voluntarily without causing harm to anyone.

The cost of car insurance also tends to skyrocket above about the age of 75, so it is age discriminatory in both directions. And it's not necessarily cheap when you're at a supposedly ideal age (47).