Driving test changes in 2010

exup

I dont see any reason why a 1.4 litre car is no good for people with families. There are many different models of car out there from 3 door minis to 5 door estates -
I agree that the limit on passengers on new drivers is misguided and I owuld expect a public outcry if they tried to bring it in, but I can't really see a valid argument against a CC limit. Motorcyclists have had to put up with a CC limit for years for learning and more recently for newly qualified riders (unless you passed a direct access or accelerated access course).
Saying a bigger car is safer than a small car may be so - but it is also part of risk compensation - and if we all drove round in the same size cars we would all be at the risk of those who drove round in tanks. Where does it stop - my bigger car is safer than your smaller car and so on - and peoples driving standards still drop .
If you really, really need a powerful car then more than likely you buy into the Clarkson way of thinking "POWER"

dieselhead

I have to say that I think that most of the ideas seem quite good, I know many disagree but I am in favour of a limit on engine size for new drivers, it is a very different ball game driving a 1.1 and a 2L they handle differently.

The independent driving is a good one too as personally I think navigating and driving especially in a new town is a very stressful experience, and can cause you to loose concentration and your awareness of what is happening around you.

While I agree that everyone should have some professional lessons, I hope they don't stop family and friends being able to give you driving practice, for me learning to drive it was invaluable being able to do extra practice with my dad.

I can, I'm afraid see the sense in limiting passengers, it is so easy to become distracted when you have a carfull. For those of you who have children and are saying that you arn't a young boy racer, children in a car can be just as distracting. I do think that after a years experience, you would be better equiped to cope with distractions in the car.

Its funny how things change though as a few years ago before I took my test I was just as indignant about the changes that were brought in a few years ago, but driving does seem to be something that is helped by experience, and that cannot be gained overnight.

kitschkitty

If any changes are implemented.....


But surely many of these ideas can be circumnavigated/not work, for example someone passes their test, does (practically) no driving for a year then buys whatever they like and drives around whoever they want - doesn't make them a better driver (or necessarily a worse one I suppose).

I also think the more practice (in all sorts of situations and conditions to be able to confidently drive well) that people do the better and while I think everyone should have a minimum amount of tuition from a qualified teacher to ensure they are learning all they need to know and are not just being taught bad habits etc. I don't see what is wrong with getting extra (and even most of) your tuition from family/friends.

And I also agree that imposing speed restrictions on motorways is a bad idea, though in urban areas, I can see how it might be more acceptable (but then I live in a city with a lot of speed restricted zones anyway).

I also think some people make assumptions about how/when young people will start learning and therefore how quickly they will gain the skill they need to drive safely. I don't think it's as clear cut or as simple as that there are good & bad drivers in all age groups.

But age is undeniably a factor when you look at statistics such as on http://www.theaa.com/insurance/young-drivers-car-insurance.html or http://www.brake.org.uk/facts/young-drivers-the-hard-facts
but you also have to consider the exact reasons for this and base the solutions on those reasons.


But I can't find any google links to accurate factual information regarding any definite changes???????
(Just some "consultation" and a few online site for driving agencies jumping on a few key ideas)?????

nightflight

A few thoughts i've had on this matter:

Still no compulsory skid handling, adverse weather conditions, motorway driving?
Given the number of idiots i've seen hitting kerbs or other cars because they've taken corners too quick in the snowy conditions, or spun out completely, or driving at a ridiculously slow speed (yes your car may idle along at 3mph, mine idles faster, so you doing so in front of me, means that i'm having to coast on the clutch at times) and that our winters seem to be getting colder I think that such areas should be a part of compulsory driver training, and I think anyone who's driven on a motorway will agree that many people need more tuition in motorway driving.

Never understood this "i hope i don't have to do "x" manouvere" etc, if you can't safely and reliably perform all the manouveres then really you aren't at a standard where you should be let out on the roads unsupervised.
People seem to think that it is a god given right to be allowed to drive, and that the ability to get a car from point a to point b is all that is required.

Perhaps they should add a section to driving lessons where you have to drive the car and text or programme a satnav at the same time (in a safe environment obviously) to really hammer home how much concentration this removes from your driving.

I also think that the police should clamp down on people who drive around with fog lights on unnecessarily, and exhibit other signs of bad road etiquette as i'd be pretty sure that the foglights aren't the only things wrong with their driving.

delain

mpchooligan wrote: »

What dumb stereotyping...

How old are you? Do you actually mingle with people under 25 often?

We don't all drink and drive and take loads of drugs behind the wheel :rolleyes: Most younger drivers have had this "don't drink and drive" stuff drummed into their head 2 million times.

When I was 18 a car load of 19 year old that i personally knew did loads of speed, drank vodka, then wrapped their car around a tree on the way home. They all died. This was in 2003.

Yes I do see people under 25, maybe I do see particularly irresponsible examples.

I know none of my current friends would drink and drive, and they are between ages 22/25.

I'm not saying they all do it, just that some of them do.

I know older people that regularly drink and drive and they're a liability. Not much you can do about them though as one in particular drives whether he's banned or not. Why don't you tell him he has to drive a micra?

I'm not sure why most of you think i should spend a small fortune learning to drive and then spend another year catching 4 buses a day before using a car that's far too small to be practical

Why don't they just have to teach driving with passengers before the test and you have to have an instructor sign a book to say you've done it

pitkin2020

like i have already said if they were to make the driving test more structured and intense it would weed out those arent ready to those that are, personally i dont think 1 hour or even the extra 10 mins they are considering is enough, it should be a min of two hours either in one sitting of with a break of 20 mins in between

kriss_boy

Why is our governement so backward.

Of all the fatalities in my area in recent years that involve dangerous driving its been young males at the wheel.

The police are powerless, they just sit and watch them cruise about the streets waiting for their backs to be turned so they can race along at 70mph in a 30 zone.

I think they need to be shocked into driving safer. Hell even offer them £25 quid to go to some driving seminar and let them meet those who have had their lives destroyed by car accidents.

Each fatality is estimated to cost the economy 1.5M.

Kilty_2

Engine no bigger than a 1.4 - ridiculous - a larger car with a small engine can be more dangerous than with a large one. I had an accident in a 1.0 Corsa just after passing my test yet have never even come close in my current car which is a 1.5 :rotfl:

Also - it'll be hilarious when people get around that by driving a 1.4 turbo which is as powerful if not more so than a 2.0.

(plus, not many diesels are 1.4L or less and you get some damn slow ones that are bigger - such as the old 1.5 Isuzu diesel in a Corsa

hewhoisnotintheknow

i find it scary that some people posting on here are allowed to drive cars, jesus!

Kilty_2

exup wrote: »

I dont see any reason why a 1.4 litre car is no good for people with families. There are many different models of car out there from 3 door minis to 5 door estates

Would you really want to drive a 5 door estate fully laden with passengers, luggage, etc with a 1.4 engine developing a maximum of ~80bhp and next to no torque?

Most are too heavy for that powertrain without the extra load :eek:

You can't possibly convince me that it'd be safer than say 140bhp coming from a 2.0 petrol or a turbo diesel.