And you thought speed limits were enforced in the UK?
Discussion
Mr Whippy said:
The worrying thing is, when it gets that bad, is there any way to safely bring it back, without a transitional phase of perhaps more accidents as people re-adapt or re-learn the skills needed to drive with "safe speed" rather than "ignorant speed"
Scary stuff!
Dave
Stop nicking people for speeding, and give the BiB much more incentive (i.e. bring the CPS to heel) to pull for driving without due care and attention.
And then start nicking the idiot drivers. 3 points and 60 quid for speeding gets you sympathy down the pub. 3 points and 60 quid for driving like a tosser gets you laughed at.
pjskel said:
Mandatory re-tests every 10 years should do it, every 5 years for inexperienced drivers.
Also, driving examination passes should be graded rather that just pass/fail. The idea being that if you're close to a fail, you have to take another test a year down the line. If you're close to 100% perfect, you don't take another test for 5 years.
I agree somewhat, having held similar beliefs for quite a while now - especially the older members of society.
The problem with the idea is that passing the driving test is a "right of passage into adulthood". There's only a chance of it being successful if there's either (or both) a tax break to redo the test or reduction/static insurance costs.
Even 5 years can be considered too long - and then there's the issue of daily drivers who fail. What do they do? Can't carry the stuff on bus or trains.
Equally there's the not insignificant administration of it all.
Lovely idea in theory, but as it is now, poor driving (leading to accidents) standards are "punished" by penalty and threat of losing licence/job/income/etc.
It ain't perfect, in fact it's archaic and out of step with large section of the populous, but it's what we have and we either like it or lump it.
>> Edited by pjskel on Tuesday 11th April 23:08
I think that there's too much stick and not enough carrot. In the present system, the very best you can hope for is that you won't have to pay out anything in terms of fines or increase premiums.
I've promulgated the idea of "experience points" for drivers before, but I can't find my original post, so here it is again:
Cars are divided by some metric into categories. For example, a 1L Punto is a category 1 car, and anyone can drive that. A 2L Mondeo is a category 2 car, and you need 5 XP. A 3.2L BMW M3 is a category 3 car, and you need 20 XP to drive that. A 360 Modena is a category 4 car, and you need 30 XP for that.
You get XP by doing good things, like not crashing or being nicked. So for every uneventful year of driving, you get (say) 1 XP. You can add to your XP by doing advanced driving courses - say for 10 XP at a time. New drivers could gain, say, 3 or 4 XP by doing Pass Plus.
If you're at-fault in an insurance claim, or get points on your licence, you lose some XP. This may mean you are no longer entitled to drive your current car, and have to downgrade. If you're really unlucky, you might have to swap the TVR for a Saxo, but them's the breaks. Stop crashing!
Insurance companies could do an enormous amount to help, too, by giving discounts related directly to XP. So if you've been driving for 30 years and have done some advanced driving courses, you might have 50XP and therefore be regarded as a much better risk on the basis of your actual driving record, rather than on the demographic you belong to.
This way, there's actually a positive reward for good driving - it will save you money, and people who drive badly will pay more.
CommanderJameson said:
Proposed a rather good idea!
Sounds like a very good idea. Next question:- how to implement for those already 30,40,50y.o., and those with extensive driving histories (of all kinds).
And, just being awkward (because I do like that idea): What about those who rapidly drop to zero XP, find insurance too expensive, and 'drop out' of the system as now?
autismuk said:
Interesting idea, except you'd have to lose the points, as so many people are getting them these days, and everyone would end up driving Fiestas....
If you connect what I proposed in my first post (start nicking people for crap and dangerous driving, regardless of their speed) with my second, it's like a little vision of driving heaven.
havoc said:
Proposed a rather good idea!
Sounds like a very good idea. Next question:- how to implement for those already 30,40,50y.o., and those with extensive driving histories (of all kinds).
And, just being awkward (because I do like that idea): What about those who rapidly drop to zero XP, find insurance too expensive, and 'drop out' of the system as now?
If I were king, then I'd do this: abandon the ID cards cluster
, and spend the money on assessing current drivers. Instead of lining up to give blood and retinal scans, you will have an assessment of your driving ability. It's not a test, and you won't lose your licence, and you will have ample time to prepare for it. As you are an experienced driver, you will automatically gain XP concomitant with your incident-free years and, as a brucey bonus, IAM/RoSPA/HPC/etc qualifications will instantly attract substantial XP. If you drop to zero XP, can't afford a car, and drop out of the system, as now, then I would expect you'd be dealt with in exactly the same way. Although, in my country, people who go from car to no car because of XP loss (of course, they could just buy a Daewoo Matiz - 800cc of POWAH) would have periodic unannounced checks (of the drive-by variety) to ensure that they're not getting behind the wheel. It's not a coincidence that people who are willing to drive without insurance are also over-represented in the criminal community.
Shelby GT500 said:
I start learning to drive next month, if this crap comes to this country what chance do I have?
Not IF my son, but: When......
Like I said long ago......(and everyone thought I was a nutter)
these things are decided at a world level and people like BRAKE etc are simply being : USED as a tool to enforce a policy...... Thing is: Who's driving it? (and it won't matter which party you vote into power) It will still happen.....MMmmmh!
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