New Drivers.

[chav1]

i passed my test just after xmas and teh other month my car was crashed into by a guy who had also passed his test around teh same time as me

he was driving on the wrong side of teh road and had his head under the dashboard changing his cd or somthing

he was also over 35 so its not just young folk that drive bad

luckily i saw him coming but with no where to go all i could do was brake wait for him to hit me

all these laws are pretty irrelivant you are either sensible or you arnt and like i have said before there are very few traffic laws enforced infact i would say 99% of points handed out are from speed cameras and not actual police work

[jambutty]

Well yes AccyJay. If a driver is banned, whether it be for accumulating 12 points or an instant ban, they should be required to retake the test. If someone does not heed the warning as they go about accumulating points then that’s just too bad.

Knowing that 12 points doesn’t only mean a ban but a retake of the test would surely concentrate the mind to be more careful on the road. No more dashing through the lights as they change to red. No more exceeding the speed limit.

Would anyone relish having to take the test again? I wouldn’t! So I make sure that I won’t be asked to take the test again by obeying the rules of the road.

The fact that you got done for speeding on the open road/motorway doesn’t come into the equation. The traffic laws were broken. There are no mitigating circumstances as far as speed limits are concerned although getting a wife in labour to the hospital or similar emergency has been a mitigating circumstance. But those types of occasions are rare.

I accept that there will be newly passed drivers who think that they know it all and put their foot down Neil and I also accept that a newly passed driver could be nervous but I think that is the exception rather than the rule.

As a small aside – if someone takes lessons at one hour per week for 26 weeks then they are wasting their money. They should compress the lessons to one a day for 26 days. It is all too easy to forget what was learned in last week’s lesson but not so easy in yesterday’s lesson.

When I took driving lessons back in the last millennium (1968) I had one heck of a job to persuade BSM to give me 12 lessons on a daily basis. They wanted me to take one a week. Probably knowing that with such a schedule I would need more than 12 lessons and therefore more money for them. Actually that was the second time that I passed my test. The first time was in 1957 but I let my license expire and did not renew it during the following 3 years because I was abroad playing at sailors.

[WillowTheWhisp]

I think extra lessons for motorway driving once they've passed the test is a good idea. Maybe a motorway test? And how about night driving? It's a lot different to daytime.

[Billcat]

Originally Posted by jambutty

The opinion that new car drivers should be limited to driving a car with limited horsepower for two years after they pass their test seems to be gathering support.

Not sure that the proposed "cure" really addresses the problem. While we can certainly seeks ways to reward those who display common sense and sensible behavior, it is unlikely that restictive legislation will produce the desired result. Even low horsepower cars can tempt an irresponsible new driver to acts of idiocy.

For example, one of my daughter's high school classmates decided to see what his new, low-horsepower car would do on a straight stretch of county road one damp November evening in 1988. When he spotted the police car coming the other way (they had clocked him at 75 MPH), he panicked, evidently lost control, and left the road opposite our house. Net result was that he killed one of our apple trees and removed himself from the gene pool. Very sad, but pretty stupid driving by a young man who was a top student! Lucky indeed that, apart from a superannuated fruit tree, he was the only victim.

Also, if it is a family car, rather than a car used by only one individual, is it reasonable to ask the household to add a low-powered car or to replace one that exceeds the limit, just because one family member is a new driver?

One thing that has helped, at least with the younger newly-licensed drivers in my state. For the first six months after getting their license, they are not allowed to drive between midnight and 5 AM. Also, they are only allowed to carry one passenger, which helps to eliminate a young driver showing off for an audience in the back seat. Also, I think that New Jersey has a more rational driving age, 17, which is the highest of any state in the USA. Some states allow a young driver to be licensed at age 14.

[AccyJay]

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

I think extra lessons for motorway driving once they've passed the test is a good idea. Maybe a motorway test? And how about night driving? It's a lot different to daytime.

Look at my previous post about Pass Plus

One thing that i think should be compulsory on the driving test, is, the "Pass Plus" scheme. For those people who aren't aware of what this is ..... Pass Plus is a scheme aimed at younger drivers, who, after passing thier test can opt to take an extra few lessons with a driving instructor, these lessons include night driving & motorway driving. After completing the Pass Plus the driver is eligible for a reduction on the car insurance with most companies.

[WillowTheWhisp]

Yes AccyJay and I'm saying that I agree, I think it's a good idea. I just pit it into different words to make it more interesting to read.

[AccyJay]

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

Yes AccyJay and I'm saying that I agree, I think it's a good idea. I just pit it into different words to make it more interesting to read.

Sorry, i read it as a couple of questions.

[shillelagh]

In northern ireland when you pass your test you have to put a R plate on your car for a year. This restricts you to driving on 'normal roads' you arent allowed to drive on motorways. I think its a good idea. I know when I passed my test even though i had been flying up and down the bypass to bury and over to burnley i wasnt sure about driving on motorways. If i was going on a motorway i used to try and get someone to come with me to give me more confidence. My driving instructor used to take me out at different times of day/night she said you have to get used to driving at different times of day/night. In fact i did most of the pass plus before i passed my test the only one i didnt do was motorway driving. I think what it comes down to also is have you got a good driving instructor. One who will take you out at different times so you get used to driving at teatime, night, morning etc. I know my niece has just passed her test and first thing she did was book pass plus the second was to buy a car! Might be because she will be driving into manchester every day for college and so she was a bit wary of that.

[AccyJay]

I think that motorway driving has got to be made part of the normal lessons & test. My sister has been driving for about 8 years now, but, she's still hopeless on the motorway. She tries to avoid them as much as possible. It might also educate people to stop them constantly driving in the middle lane, even though the inside lane is empty.

[WillowTheWhisp]

Originally Posted by AccyJay

I think that motorway driving has got to be made part of the normal lessons & test.

I can see what you're getting at but it's just not feasable to have learners on the motorway. A second series of lessons and test before going on the motorway after passing an initial test to drive on ordinary roads is the ideal solution.

[Neil]

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

I can see what you're getting at but it's just not feasable to have learners on the motorway.

Why not? They are with an instructor. Driving on a motorway is the same as driving on a dual carraigeway with slip roads with the same speed limit, like the one from Rising Bridge towards the M66. In fact when it becomes the M66 the only difference besides the sign becoming blue is the hard shoulder. You could argue that its safer to drive on the M66 in case you break down and need to pull over.

A lot of the M65 only has 2 lanes as pathetic as it is.

[WillowTheWhisp]

Can you just imagine the frustration that it could lead to? Don't tell me people shouldn't get frustrated and that everybody had to learn. I know that but it doesn't stop people getting humphy when they get 'stuck' behind a learner.

[Neil]

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

I know that but it doesn't stop people getting humphy when they get 'stuck' behind a learner.

I don't think a driving instructor would take someone on a motorway until they were ready just like any other road/activity they teach. I also think only qualified intructors should be able to teach a provisional driver, none of this getting a mate to sit in with you bull like I did before I passed my test. Instructors only please.

[AccyJay]

In Germany & some other european country's it's part of the test. So why not over here?

[Neil]

Maybe people a long way from motorways would find it difficult to take the test.