Drivers should have a minimum of a year of lessons!!

[Entai]

Clicky

In the news today, the ABI (Association of British Insurers) are suggesting that learner drivers should take lessons for a minimum of a year before taking a test. Various road safety groups are backing the idea as well.


Personally speaking, about time too. It is too easy to pass the test without knowing how to drive. IMO all that learners learn, is how to pass the test not how to drive.

[Rant] Bring this in, then make provisional, (P), plates and advanced level training compulsory, and maybe add a year of experience as well, so that you cannot take your "P" plates off untill the advanced test and another year is passed. Then maybe we wil see a real world improvement in young peoples driving skills, and perhaps all our insurance premiums may fall a bit, if they are not having to pay out so much to accidents involving young drivers. [/Rant]

Just my opinion on the subject, what are yours?

 

[Entai]

Isnt it true that the UK already has one of the hardest tests anywhere in the world?

Apparently so, but if making it even harder to pass means that even one less person a day dies, because of young drivers, surely that is a good thing??

 

[Entai]

I'd rather someone take 3 months and as well as an hour a week with an instructor, drive their parents car daily, than take 12 months but only drive once per week.

It's experience behind the wheel that's important, and just because you've spent a year having lessons doesn't mean you have it.

I first drove on the roads on the day of my 17th birthday woth my parents. It was a cold wet miserable dark november evening and I went out for an hour. I had my first lesson later that week. I had a month off around christmas/new year (although still kept driving during this time with my parents), and passed in March the next year.

Touch wood I've been driving now for over 5 years and would like to think that out of all of my friends, despite taking the least time to learn and pass, that I am probably one of if not the safest and most aware driver.

But surely even if it is only a minimum of 52 hours experience before taking a test, (1 hour a week 52 weeks) that is far better than maybe 2 or three months (8-12 hours experience) before taking a test??



I was very lucky, my father was a Police class on instructor so I was brought up around a reasonable driver.

I first started to drive properly myself when I could reach the pedals, at about 9. I had before that been sitting on my dad's knee doing gear changes and steering since about 4 or 5 years old.

All of this was on private land before anyone starts.

I had probably, on average, 2 or three hours of driving pretty much every week from age 9 till my 17th birthday.

On the morning of my birthday I had 2 hours on the road around the test routes, (my dad's mate was an instructor and knew what routes were used).
I then took my test at 9:30 on the morning of my 17th and passed first time.

I have since taken and passed my own Police Class one ticket, and the IAM advanced test, and the ROSPA Gold motorcycle ticket.

However I am still learning to drive, and still do not consider myself, a good driver.

 

[Entai]

Just make the test harder, job done.

As it stands, the test is far, far too easy which leads to some atrocious drivers being given a licence when they really shouldn't be on the roads.

As has been said before we already have one of the hardest tests in the world, but the main problem we have is that the lessons partaken before the test, only serve to teach you how to pass the test, NOT how to drive.

What we really need, and it has has been said, is to include motorway driving and night driving in the lessons and test.

Also as I said in the OP, make the "P" plate compulsory for a year or maybe even more after passing the basic test, and maybe you can make it that newly qualified drivers with a "P" plate can only drive with an already qualified driver of say ten years or more experience, also you have to take an advanced test and pass before you can remove the "P" plate.

The only problem with that of course is that no-one would agree to do it, and how would it be policed??

But it would serve the purpose, of only leting people who have a basic rudimentary knowledge of driving skills, loose to drive on their own.

At the moment you learn to pass the test, you end up with virtually no skills, and can then leap into any car with however many passengers and off you go.

In my mind that is a totally flawed system.

 

[Entai]

Regardless of how hard our test is in comparison to other countries, it's still not hard enough as every single day I see people who really shouldn't have a licence (maybe they don't, who knows?)

But as I said, the test does NOT prove you can drive, so in one sense, what is the point of the existing test at all??

We do not need a harder test, that will not serve any purpose.

What we do need is a complete system of lessons and tests, so that when you pass the test, you can actually show the basic rudimentary skills of, observation, anticipation and forward planning. You should also have good experience of motorway and night driving.

All this takes time to learn and untill the system does not allow you to take a test untill you have that experience, be it one year or four, then the system cannot work.

 

[Entai]

I don't have much thoughts on this either way, but I do feel that for the first 2 years under 25's should not be allowed to drive anything greater than a 1.2 or 75bhp

That's a good idea I'd definately agree with that.

Maybe add the clincher that you can only upgrade your car once you have passed a recognised advanced level test.

 

[Entai]

There are lot of ideas being banded around here to improve driving skills for new drivers, but the fact is it doesn't matter how good you are at driving, it only takes a split second lack of concentration for ANY driver to cause an accident.

No matter what type of test or learning methods are dreamt up, you will never stop people hooning around and behaving irresponsibly on the roads, this type of behaviour is not exclusive to new drivers. .

Very fair point, but what is being said is that if the current test was made harder by including stuff like motorway driving, night driving and other aspects of advanced level courses such as training in situational awareness and anticipation of others actions then, the newly qualified drivers would have much better levels of concentration, and observation etc, so would be less likely to be hooning about, in an uncontrolled manner.

I still have moments of hooning about now (I'm nearly forty), but only in situations I can control, and never above my own or my cars limits, in the given situation.
I hope my levels of situational awareness, concentration, anticipation, and observation will allow me to continue having fun, while driving in a safe controlled manner with utmost respect for all other road users at all times, for many years to come.

I have got this far, and hope to get further in my life, never having had a crash or accident of any kind, how many young drivers passing their tests now, will be able to say that in twenty years time???

I believe I was trained well, and wish that level of training was available to all new motorists, by default, not just available to those who decide by their own volition to take advanced level tarining.

 

[Entai]

There are lot of ideas being banded around here to improve driving skills for new drivers, but the fact is it doesn't matter how good you are at driving, it only takes a split second lack of concentration for ANY driver to cause an accident.

No matter what type of test or learning methods are dreamt up, you will never stop people hooning around and behaving irresponsibly on the roads, this type of behaviour is not exclusive to new drivers. .

Very fair point, but what is being said is that if the current test was made harder by including stuff like motorway driving, night driving and other aspects of advanced level courses such as training in situational awareness and anticipation of others actions then, the newly qualified drivers would have much better levels of concentration, and observation etc, so would be less likely to be hooning about, in an uncontrolled manner.

I still have moments of hooning about now (I'm nearly forty), but only in situations I can control, and never above my own or my cars limits, in the given situation.
I hope my levels of situational awareness, concentration, anticipation, and observation will allow me to continue having fun, while driving in a safe controlled manner with utmost respect for all other road users at all times, for many years to come.

I have got this far, and hope to get further in my life, never having had a crash or accident of any kind, how many young drivers passing their tests now, will be able to say that in twenty years time???

I believe I was trained well, and wish that level of training was available to all new motorists, by default, not just available to those who decide by their own volition to take advanced level training.


Also the heavier penalties idea is very good as well.

 

[Entai]

Actually, I beleive part of the problem is where the seatbelt sits on a body that is not fully developed. If the person was fully grown and 4'9 it would not be as damaging as someone who is 4'9 and young and still growing.

However, that's a discussion for a another thread.

Exactly right, however very OT here, so, as you say a discussion for another thread, if it starts I can let you know all about it at that is part of the job I do day in day out.

 

[Entai]

The test is a lot tougher than it was. .

Er sorry no it is not, now you can have up to, what is it, 12-14 (iirc) minors and still get a pass.

In the "olden days" one fail was a total fail, end of test, goodbye, try again another time.

You kept going like that untill you could get everything right all the time, not just a case of "oh well you nearly did get it right you only messed up on 10 occasions but it was nearly OK so I have to let you pass"