Seniors and technology - Hire Cars!

It was with the hire car that I came unstuck. At my age I don't find it easy to master new machines, whether it is a new washing machine or a toaster! And as for a new car, horrors. The hire firm was toally lacking in TLC. The assistant who gave me the car spent far to short a time telling me which controls were which. I tried the gears and luckily they felt the same as on my own car, but that was the only bonus. We then spent a bit of time adjusting the car seat so that I could reach the foot pedals comfortably. And then we went onto the controls. Needless to say all the controls which were on the right of my own car were on the left of the hire car. It was February and the weather was still cold and she didn't show me how to put on the heat, how to wash the back window, which control stick operated the lights, and most important of all, she could not fathom how to lock one door manually (after I had put my handbag on the back seat) before driving off. And this was only starters. Luckily I was warmly wrapped and drove home without any rain and still in the light. Of course there was a manual in the glovebox but still couldn't find everything I needed to know. Thank goodness the repairs only took three days so I only had to endure three days of misery before returning the car. When I complained about the lack of information about the car controls I was told that the assistants couldn't possibly memorize the control system for every make of car which the hire firm dealt with. But surely the hire firm could provide a simple printed sheet detailing the various controls for each make of car which could be run through by the new driver and hire firm assistant together, and then left with the driver. It would make life so much easier.

Seniors and technology - What a palaver!

Then came the nitty gritty.I had to phone my insurance company and in order to get the name and address of the other driver from his registration number, I had to inform the police and fill in a form and take my driving licence. Did you know that the police always require the paper counterpart licence as well as the little licence card?

No, nor did I, so that meant two journeys. Then I had to take the car to a repair garage nominated by my insurance company. Was that round the corner? No, it was seven miles away in Birmingham, so I had to take it once for the damage to be assessed, a second time to leave it to be repaired and a third time to collect it.

Meanwhile I had to borrow a hire car while my car was being repaired. What a palaver!

Google Mail - Seniors and technology

So I don't really have a problem driving my own car. However not so long ago I parked nose to kerb in a slip road by a small row of shops. First there was a convenience store, then the butcher which I faced, then a hairdresser and then a newsagent cum post office. While I was paying for a birthday card a butcher, dressed in his white overalls, suddenly appeared waving a paper bag. He came up to me and said, 'That's your car facing us, isn't it', and went on, 'well someone has just gone into the back of your car and driven off.' PAUSE. 'But I took down his number and the make and colour of the car.' He handed me the paper bag on which he had written this information and went back to the shop. With great trepidation I approached my car and went round to the back expecting to see a bashed and broken back light at the very least.

But I had been let off lightly, there were a couple of small dents and some very nasty deep scratches, but the car was still driveable.

Seniors and technology - Driving my car

I learned to drive in the second world war 60 years ago. And yes, I still drive although I have never taken a driving test. After the war there was such a backlog of people wanting to take the test that a large number of people were allowed to continue to drive regardless.

In those days cars were simpler. No central locking with a remote control; direction indicators which shot out a little five inch arm from the side door frames; petrol caps which were unlocked with a key instead of a lever on the floor by the drivers seat; and wind down windows. Would be drivers were taught hand signals for right and left, and were expected to use them quite frequently.

Driving was simpler too. There were far less cars on the road; hardly any motorways; petrol was served by a garage attendant, no self service required; and no need to look out for speed cameras. Not that at my age that I'm likely to exceed the speed limit anyway.

Family Planning Book - Birmingham Made A Difference

Birmingham Made a Difference 1926-1991 by Audrey Court & Cynthia Walton, 138pp available, Published by Barn Books Ltd Copyright 2001, £2.50 inc P&P from: BARN BOOKS LTD, ORDER HERE

This book describes the 65 years of the Family Planning Movement in Birmingham. Birmingham was the 7th clinic to open and became the largest. It had been the most innovative and forward looking.

It pioneered the Pill, the first oral contraceptiveand clinical trials were held in Birmingham; it pioneered the intrauterine device with one of the first trials; it was the first Branch to offer cervical smears to patients; the first to have a clinic for men; one of the first to have a special clinic for psycho-sexual difficulties; the first branch to engage a social worker; and among a handful of branches to start a domiciliary service. Birmingham was the first big city to provide a free family planning service to residents.

After the clinics went into the NHS in 1976 Midlands Region FPA carried on the pioneering spirit. It was the only Region to run Inner Cities Projects with ethnic workers; the first Region to run a Menopause Clinic and to run training courses for Doctors in ‘Management of the Menopause’; and the only Region to run a Workplace Project taking family planning and health information to occupational health staff for the benefit of their clients.

For a brief biography of Audrey Court and other 'pioneers' click here

Family Planning Book - Birmingham Made A Difference

Family Planning Book - Birmingham Made A Difference

Family Planning Book - Birmingham Made A Difference

Family Planning Book - Birmingham Made A Difference