16 replies to this topic

[JET]

Hi people,

I have been given a group project on coming up with a topic to debate and then debate it against another group and we have come up with a few ideas, one being making roads safer by having much less tolerance on driving offenses and having the whole way we license and test drivers reviewed.

I would like to know what views people have on this and how the roads/drivers could be improved and if you see any floors in the idea. Any examples or other thoughts are welcome wether they be slightly off topic.


Examples:

Zero tolerance on drink driving over the limit say bye bye license.

Drivers should be re-tested every 10 years

Drivers should be taught how to avoid getting into dangerous situations but also how to deal with them once they have developed (Advance driving)

(feel free to add or take apart the list)


Thanks

[jammiedodger26]

Definitely agree with at least 2 of those.

Had to do a persuasive/influential speech at uni a couple of months back...I did mine on speeding/speed limits/cameras etc, but my mate did his on how bad our driving test is.

Have a look at the Finnish driving test, takes a couple of years to do and teaches thhem how to drive in all manner of situations! Obviously it's a bit more extreme than we would need in this country...snow, ice...oh hang on a second, maybe not!! haha!!

There's loads of points to be raised within that!

Good luck with it!

[Git]

How about.... should all learner drivers spend time on a skid pan...?

And drink drivers DO loose their licence...
And retest are a good idea... especially for anyone over 60.

[daemonchild]

Let's be really contentious:

- Retest for all, every five years.

And then:

- Speed cameras or safety cameras -> do they work?
- Minimum speed limits (motorways)
- Driving without insurance, MOT or tax: car is crushed, no appeal.

Just stirring debate as asked!

[Ouster]

And drink drivers DO loose their licence...

Unless you're a "celebrity"....

[jammiedodger26]

I really can't see the day when there will be retests for people....how long would thhat take to process!??!?!?!

The whole driving test is under such pressure as it is! When i was learning, 5 years ago, you had to wait for ages to get a test! Can't imagine it's got much better!

[dave21478]

Raise driving limit to 18 at least.

The driving test should be a day-long affair, possibly even two days, consistig of multiple sessions in different environments including motorway or dual carriageways, overtaking, night driving, time on a skid pan and defensive driving techniques. Fail it more than three times, and you never get a licence.

Compulsory re-test every year. Not the full test but a 30 minute acompanied drive to check observation skills, habits, car control and attitude.

Scrap all speed cameras, but raise the number of traffic officers on the road by at least a factor of 10. - Not drones out to meet government targets, but real-world cops with common sense and the discretion to use it when they judge fit.

Raise motorway speed limit to 80mph. Allow the police to judge the circumstances of speeders they catch - 100mph on a dry summers evening in a good car on an empty motorway = stern talking to, maybe a penalty point or two, 40mph past a school at 4pm = 6 points.

have a two-stage drink driving limit. Slightly squiffy = fine and ban up to a year, properly *drunk* = minimum 5 year ban.

Drivers caught on the road while banned get the car crushed an minimum 3 months in jail. No questions, no appeals.

[998 mini 25]

I would say that the re testing for all people would be un feasible. Way too much hassle. What i would suggest is re-testing for all people over 70. And learner drivers should kinda keep the same testing. Just have the pass plus stuff as compulsary lessons. Ie motorways, driving at night.
I would agree with the scrapping of speed cameras. And employment of just more moderately trained speed enforcers. Who take judgement on what was safe at what times.
I would also want better illuminated zebra crossings. The big yellow flashy thing isn't bright enough to see if anyone is there.
Un insured drivers must pay a years worth of insurance for what car they would be driving and their age. Which would mean the good drivers wouldn't have to say ridiculous policies just to cover the un insured people.
Drink driving also higher penalties.
People using mobile phone whilst driving who are actually clearly driving poorly because of it should recieve heftier fines.
And people who cause death by dangerous driving should be given equivalent to murder.

[JET]

Some good points being made here thanks.

Do you think that maybe there should be an intellectual test as-well?

as an example I remember nearly having my mini sandwiched as some idiot pulled up along side me in a turn left only lane and went right almost forcing me to mount the roundabout, surly if you can't recognize a massive white arrow pointing left with big bold letters saying turn left in the middle of the road then surly you shouldn't be allowed to touch the paint work of the car let alone the steering wheel?

Thats not the only example I can think of where people can't read signs. (I'm getting a bit silly but heh it's fun to be silly)

Edited by JET, 10 February 2009 - 11:10 PM.

[998 mini 25]

I got really annoyed by the fact that as im fairly young i get branded as a liability for insurance. So i thought the insurance quotes should also be based on IQ.
Only prob is clever people can still drive like idiots.
I wonder how possible it would be have a sensor on the front of your car. Like a parking sensor which would constantly record how close you are to the car infront. Could sought out the problem of tailgating and general road bullying by bmw's. Oops that just slipped out.

[Lukie-J]

Raise driving limit to 18 at least.

The driving test should be a day-long affair, possibly even two days, consistig of multiple sessions in different environments including motorway or dual carriageways, overtaking, night driving, time on a skid pan and defensive driving techniques. Fail it more than three times, and you never get a licence.

Compulsory re-test every year. Not the full test but a 30 minute acompanied drive to check observation skills, habits, car control and attitude.

Driving tests are around 40 mins (or were a couple of years ago when i started) so i can't see that it would be plausible to extend it to a whole day thing, the number of people who take tests every day, it would take years to get an appointment!!

I agree with the driving age being raised though, looking back, i don't think me, or anyone i knew was experienced enough for certain situations. I will probably look back in a few years time and say the same thing again!!
Maybe, you can start learning when you're 17 but can't pass a test until you're 18, not allowed in a car without an "experienced" driver until you've passed.

The re-test is an interesting one. I think re-tests would definately be a good idea but cant see how it would work, what age to start re-testing people?

I think ANY alcohol in your system and you should face some consequences. I don't mind admitting that i have driven home 'the morning after' when i probably shouldn't have (I'm sure I'm not the only one) and i think having the allowance of .35% (i believe this is correct) is enough that people would risk it.
If there was a punishment for having even the slightest amount of alcohol then I definately wouldn't.
(i would never drive if i didn't feel capable of driving safely)
I think this could contribut to reducing binge drinking too, if you know you can't get away with driving to work after a heavy night out you would be discouraged from drinking so much.
And more harsh consequences for people who are more over the limit.
I dont think it's fair if someone has had a couple of glasses of wine at a dinner party have the same punishment as someone who is clattered!

[JET]

I wonder how possible it would be have a sensor on the front of your car. Like a parking sensor which would constantly record how close you are to the car infront. Could sought out the problem of tailgating and general road bullying by bmw's. Oops that just slipped out.

Funny you should say that but picture this true story, amazingly at the side of the road on a sunny dry day where there was no other cars parked near my mates car a lady pulls up in a Bmw X5 stops two spaces ahead of my mates car and reverses right into it. She gets out with the excuse sorry my parking sensors aren't working to which my mate replied MIRRORS!?

^^^^^ are these the kind of people we have on the roads?

Oh and as a young driver myself I agree that insurance should be a reasonable price to give you a chance to prove your not a crazy driver and then if you have a accident thats when you should pay for your mistake.
I know some stupid fool from school who passed his test and crashed twice because he's a wreck-less and heres me paying a stpidly high premium for these .
at least that way the people who drive dangerously get punished and that way the rest of the young sensible drivers don't get labeled.

[Saxo-Fiesta-Mini]

should the issues not be unensure drivers, banned drivers and people with neither tax, mot, insurance or even lincense this is what annoy me i think younge drives do go through a spate of driving fast i know i did but i think extra lessons and an increased age will just cause more unrest and lead to more chavs nicking cars

i have many concerns with cars the most being people who service their car once a year and dont check the oil level imbetween i know i service there cars

[hystrix cristata]

Whats with all this car crushing,take it away and resell it to pay for all the extra work involved.
There should be retests,I know I'd fail if I took a test today.
If you get done for any driving offence,speeding for instance you should have to take a retest.

[dave21478]

Driving tests are around 40 mins (or were a couple of years ago when i started) so i can't see that it would be plausible to extend it to a whole day thing, the number of people who take tests every day, it would take years to get an appointment!!

40 minutes bumbling round town in a corsa with maybe 5 minutes on an open road at 50mph - this is not even nearly enough testing to decide whether someone is fit to drive.

As it is, someone can pass their test as above in a BSM corsa with easy-park power steering, then get into a high performance car and legally drive it down a rain-soaked busy motorway in the dark, having never experienced those conditions before, or get into an old sIII landrover and try to park it in a supermarket, How can that possibly be allowable?

The simple solution to the waiting lists is to employ more examiners to cover the longer initial tests and the re-testing.

If there is going to be re-testng it really has to be done yearly. Every 5 or 10 years makes a mockery of it. A hell of a lot can change regarding someones perception, reactions and abilities in 5 years. The re-test shouldnt be nit-picky like a current test about feeding the wheel and stuff like that, but an acompanied drive to check hazard awareness, roadcraft and driver attitude.

People currently assume they have a God-given right to drive a car. All they have to do is wiggle through a simple test and they are then free to do as they please. Failed the test? sit it again...fail it again? sit it again and again and again till you scrape the pass. IMO anyone who cant pass a test in less than three attempts shouldnt be on the road. "but i get nervous under pressure" they say, "I dont like being tested" they say - Driving is about being under pressure and having your abilities tested daily. If you cant cope with it, you need to buy a bus pass.
A car is a lethal object, and being allowed to drive one on a public road should be a privelidge granted to those who are capable enough to do so.