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A 100-year-old driver who claims to have been behind the wheel for 87 years says British roads and driver manners have never been worse than now.
Centenarian Eric Dixon says that He has been driving for 87 years and got his first job driving a three-tonne truck after leaving school at just 13 years old.
Since then he has driven everything from motorcycles to double-decker buses, and to this day he continues to drive his Kia Picanto, with no intention of stopping.
When asked how the roads have changed over the decades, Eric said the roads where he lives in Canterbury are in the worst condition they’ve ever been, with “the worst potholes they’ve ever had.”
He added that the roads have been filled and he fears the situation will worsen. “There was always a lot of courtesy and that was something that was instilled in me when I was learning to drive,” she said. “There are no manners today.”
Centenarian Eric Dixon says he has been driving for 87 years and got his first job driving a three-tonne truck after leaving school aged just 13.
Eric said the roads where he lives are in worse shape than ever, with “the worst potholes ever.” Pictured: One of the potholes in the village of West Hougham, Kent.
According to surveys, the average age at which people stop driving is 75 years old. But Eric, who passed his driving test when he turned 17, insists there is nothing he did when he was 60 that he can’t do now.
In addition to continuing to circulate through the streets, this centenarian continues to take great care of his impeccable garden, clean his windows and even climb the gutters to clean them.
He said people “care more about my age than what I can do.”
I was watching ITV’s 100 Years Driving School, which followed drivers aged 90 and over undergoing an assessment supervised by examiners.
He said, “I was absolutely sure I was better than them,” he says. ‘But then I asked myself if it was me who thought I was better than I am.
“Some of them shouldn’t be driving and they were the ones who made me think seriously about myself.”
He signed up for a government-approved test in 2017 to make sure he was okay to stay on the roads.
The assessment included a nurse performing physical checks and asking Eric questions about his health.
Eric has driven everything from motorcycles to double-decker buses, and still drives his Kia Picanto to this day, with no intention of stopping.
Centenary Eric Dixon with his birthday card from the King and Queen
He says the driving test was the hardest he had ever taken because it “included a lot more” than others, but he still got a “10 out of 10.”
Eric says he could drive from Kent to any capital in Europe without a map or signs, because he worked for a car company for 37 years after leaving the army.
The only time Eric had points on his license was in the 1940s, when he says he parked on a switchback road in London.
He retired from East Kent Road Car Company in 1984 and now lives a happy life with his partner Margaret, who lives next door.
But despite leaving the job, Eric has continued to lead a life on the road.
In autumn last year he bought his current car, a Kia Picanto, after previously driving a Skoda.
Even at 100 years old he shows no signs of slowing down and his passion for driving remains just as strong.
He is still in excellent health, without needing caregivers or walking aids.
He said: ‘I’m not taking any medication. I lived off the bags of fruits and vegetables that a child gave me during the war. You had to do it or you would starve.