AT 91, great-grandmother Irene Montgomery is behind the wheel “most days”.
“I would be lost without the car,” says the Ballygawley pensioner.
“I am driving 60 years at least and I have never had an accident, thank goodness.
“You just have to be careful. A lot of drivers, not all of course, drive too fast.”
Mrs Montgomery, who worked with her husband on the family farm, started driving at a time when you didn’t have to do a test.
“It’s so long ago I couldn’t tell you what year I started driving. My husband taught me to drive and he was very patient with me.
“We were at the peat and I used to drive up in the car.
“I was on the farm all my life. It was a small farm with cows, pigs and hens and I didn’t have a minute to myself.”
Mrs Montgomery has four children, seven grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
The first car she drove was a Ford.
“That was the family car. There have been many since then.
“I did a good bit of driving. I would have driven to Ballymena and back again because my daughter lives there. I don’t still drive to there.
“I used to have three sisters and we all went to Portrush every year where my daughter has a bungalow.
“Two of them are gone now. We went last year, my daughter came with us and did the driving for us, but I drove the year before that.
“I drove to Portrush when I was 90.
“But I still drive up to my sister’s every Thursday and then drive on to Dungannon so we can get our groceries.”
Mrs Montgomery said she believes “young drivers drive too fast”.
“I really think people should slow down. There is a happy medium.”
