21 replies to this topic

[hunterg30]

proposed new driving laws for new drivers, time restrictions,no younger passengers,
can't use motorways for first year with a second test after 2 years ,lower
alcohol limit

Edited by hunterg30, 23 May 2011 - 04:27 PM.

[maggies_minder]

link dont work??

[hunterg30]

can't get link to work,
shows up on confused. com

[Jaswalker24]

http://www.confused....ament-353126319



just leave that here

[Carlos W]

Alcohol levels should be lowered for everyone, and there are lots of bad
Drivers on the road that aren't young, there's too much emphasis on speed, and not enough on poor driving!

And as i'm 29 and I've been a road user for 13 years (had a moped at 16) i'm not just a young person feeling hard done by!

[Youngowner93]

What an utter load of crap, they cant say that every young driver is unsafe behind the wheel. I havent passed my test yet but i wouldnt dream of breaking any laws it really isnt worth the risk you arnet going to get somewhere much faster by doing 35 in a 30. And 'A second driving test at the end of the two-year period to help ensure safe driving on all types of roads.' sounds like more money for the goverment to me they already rip us off for the theory and practical, greedy gits.

In my mind it's your driving instructor that should be teaching you the safe use if all roads, thats what they are there for, thats what they are paid to do. In my year of driving lessons i have been on every road imaginable and every weather condition including snow. The goverment cant tell me that im going to be an unsafe driver when i pass my test

[Carlos W]

Someone once told me you start learning to drive once you pass your test, it is all very different when you have to remember your route as well as your driving etc etc

[Juju]

This is just a set of suggestions put to Parliament by Brake.

Don't panic. It ain't gonna happen. Not yet, anyway....

[lapider]

this is unfortunatley very one sided older drivers blaming younger drivers for road accidents.

however i fell it will make little difference the reason young drivers speed i find is down to excitement i passed my test in september and am still excited about driving especially my mini.

on a serious note driving is a right of passage that young people take like turning 18 and starting to drink so the first time you go driving on your own itl be exciting. then as they become older they get better through experiance start driving slightly more sensible cars and dont make as many mistakes, i think we should just stick with the situation were in at the moment. driving your first car fast is something everyone has done including everyone who is involved with this argument on both sides the young drivers of today have passed much harder tests than have ever been around so they will be better drivers than you when you passed your test. yes i understand that there are casulties and deaths involved but i think that that lies in the hands of the driver knowing when its ok to put your foot down and when its not.

rant over

[TfcIan]

This is a load of rubbish. So to start with, you need to have a provisional for one year? I'm sorry, but if you've had enough lessons and are able to pass the test, you're a good enough driver. Most people can't afford a year with an instructor so will drive with their parents supervision, which I know for me was a lot different to driving with my instructor.

Restrictions on the time of day? Ok, so I guess that means they won't be allowed to drive in the dark? So are they trying to say that even after passing their test, a young driver is not experienced enough to drive at night? They'll have had enough experience on the road in the day through lessons, and surely it's best to allow young drivers on the road at night after they've just passed their test, or even while they are still learning, when they haven't got into bad driving habits? I actually prefer driving at night, apart from idiots who have their headlights wrongly adjusted, I have no problems; less traffic, pedestrians etc.

Lower alcohol limit - Surely the same amount of alcohol in the body will affect a young person in a similar way to an adult. That's different for everybody, I know, but you can't say a young person just under the limit now is going to crash whereas an older drive won't. I'm sure most alcohol related accidents are caused by people over it, not under it.

Restriction on driving young passengers - I'm not sure if this means children or anybody younger than the driver. Personally, I would not want to carry young children as a passenger in my car. It's a Mini, it's not exactly safe in a crash and I don't think I could live with myself if something did happen. Saying that, though, if I was carrying a child in my car, I would be driving a lot more carefully than usual. Again, if I've passed my test, surely I'm good enough not to crash, regardless of my passengers.

Banning motorway driving - Probably the one point I'm most strongly against. Whether you've been on the road for a week or a year, what can prepare you for the new experience of the motorway? I was lucky enough to have my dad with me when I first went onto the motorway, so it was supervised and he could give me tips on what to look out for (e.g. pulling out from the left hand lane on a three lane motorway, make sure nothing is pulling into the middle lane from the right hand lane).

2nd driving test - How about a driving test for people who have passed now? They're probably more of a danger by not driving according to the highway code.


That article is incredibly biased. "In the last ten years alone, there have been 8,109 young lives lost in road accidents." Does it mention how many lives have been lost in road accidents who are not young people?

I'm all for making the roads safer, I'm sure everyone is, but there are better ways to help young people gain experience rather than restricting them in the first couple of years. How about having to have at least one driving lesson on a motorway with a qualified instructor before being allowed to drive on them? Or a lesson in the dark? Most of those accidents are probably caused by young people being idiots and breaking the law anyway, so new laws are hardly going to solve the problem.

[mini_mad69]

Bit unfair not being able to use the motorway. Statistically they are the safest type of road anyway.

That would make one of my regular journeys from 1 hour 30 mins to 3 hours 40 mins.

[maggies_minder]

statistically new drivers dont use a motorway until they have been on the road a year anyway...

Edited by maggies_minder, 24 May 2011 - 04:06 PM.

[Scallywag630]

A lot of this already happens in the US. In Florida, you have to have a provisional for a year and you can't drive at certain times of night for a period. However, you can get a provisional at 15. As for alcohol...the limit should be ZERO. Motoway training should be built-in to lessons and the test.

Edited by Scallywag630, 24 May 2011 - 04:16 PM.

[Carlos W]

Th Again, if I've passed my test, surely I'm good enough not to crash, regardless of my passengers.

If this was true then everyone who'd ever passed their test would never crash, what a load of rubbish

[jimmyH]

You must consider however the fact that you can pass a test with very little experience, in the long run that is what makes the difference in making a decision that could end up in an accident.

I have always thought it daft that you can pass a test and drive straight into a situation that you have not experienced before, motorways, dark, in some cases wet roads and ice ect. I believe Pass plus, although rather meaningless at the moment should be seriously considered as part of training or the test. Ensuring that a young/first time driver has experienced most situations he/she may face in their first year of driving.

They are moving towards the system used in Australia, where learning to drive takes around a year and is a much more thorough and sensible process. Completing sections of a log book with an instructor, working on parallel parking ect. This leaves the final test to look at the more safety orientated aspects of driving, turning right at a busy junction, emergency stopping ect. Not testing if you can park a car or reverse around a corner.

And driving with other young people in the car, that is really a double edged sword. Firstly it is not necessarily the very young, but people below 20. The commonly (not always) immature bracket, especially with guys. I dont think a inexperienced driver should be able to drive a car during the peak accident hours with a car full of people potentially drunk/ egging them on to go faster, play their music louder and distract a driver, at night. In 8 cases out of 10 the driver will respond and drive beyond his or her ability until they reach a point where it results in an accident, blind corner, blind rise or a bad corner.
Although no where near as practical, it also reduces the amount of possible deaths in a car that is more likely to be in an accident, again especially at those peak hours.

I strongly believe that the test system does need to be ramped up (who saw the article where the young driver entered a motorway going the wrong direction) you should not be able to drive in situations that you have had no previous experience (within reason) and the fact that you can tick a few boxes for the instructor in the test does not always mean your good and safe for the roads, it does not give a broad enough picture of the individuals abilities. You could just have had a good day...
When one becomes tired, drives in the dark or in a situation they have not experienced it is more than likely the picture will be very different.

And i know alot of people are lucky enough to have a parent to take them out for their first motorway/night drives, but that is not the majority of cases.

I have only been driving 2 years, I saw some of my friends pass who really should not have after being in the car with them....