Driving Tests - Renewal??
Discussion
Think about this one for a moment......
With all the dangerous driving and quite shocking news that people do on the roads this day and age, would you agree with me that a driving test should take place every 25 years?
At the age of 23, My driving license tells me I don't have to take another test until the year 2052. So 46 years of "safe driving" is in order. Day to day driving, I have seen irresponsible, reckless, careless driving and I am sure I am not alone. I do not mean to sound a complete w
r but surely this would work, taking in the following: 1) Cost
2) Time
3) Something other that I cannot recall at this very moment in time
Many people seem to not indicate, or stop at crossings. . Living in the North West at the moment, I always see irresponsible driving and always think. What if??
So, correct me if I am wrong in thinking this, but by law, would it be safe issue a retake of the uk driving test every 25 years be a sound idea?
Gavin
Einion Yrth said:
I would doubt that any retest scheme would get
anything like 25% failure rate - I suspect that the vast majority
of the apparently clueless gits we see around us are perfectly
capable of driving to test standard, they just can't be arsed.
True, but at least it would give the clueless a clue that they
can't just drive like an fool forever once they have got their
driving permit.
They will need to drive sensibly once in a while.
Raise the level of training, raise the test standard and re-test/train every 7 years.
Cyclists should have to take a test too - times have changed since I learnt to cycle with the CTC and the cycling profeciency test at school, the recent sad accident is perhaps indicative of the need for cycling training - age doesn't always make a wise man.
You can't use a lathe in a factory without training and regular training/testing and you can pretty much only hurt yourself on that - in/on a car/bicycle/motorcycle you can kill at least 2 or 3 other people if you're stoopid enough.
This point gets raised every few months but nobody (politicians) has the courage to do anything about it, despite the fact it will save lives from day 1.
Cyclists should have to take a test too - times have changed since I learnt to cycle with the CTC and the cycling profeciency test at school, the recent sad accident is perhaps indicative of the need for cycling training - age doesn't always make a wise man.
You can't use a lathe in a factory without training and regular training/testing and you can pretty much only hurt yourself on that - in/on a car/bicycle/motorcycle you can kill at least 2 or 3 other people if you're stoopid enough.
This point gets raised every few months but nobody (politicians) has the courage to do anything about it, despite the fact it will save lives from day 1.
I think it is a good idea, although it should be every 5 - 7 years. I think the eye test should also be formalised and re-tested. In Switzerland, you have to go to an optician, and they check for other problems (eg tunnel vision) as well as short-sightedness. They mark your driving licence with the fact that your wore glasses during the eye-test, so you have to wear glasses/contact lenses whilst driving.
The problem in the UK is policing it - they can't police people driving without a licence effectively at the moment - they would have even more problems. And insurance companies would refuse to cover people without a licence (as they do now) so you would just end up with more people unisnsured on the roads.
What I think you need is to enforce people carrying their license whilst driving (as you have to do with most other licensed actvities), and then make it a requirement to show your license at the roadside in case of an accident or if police stop the vehicle.
Until I had to insure the Tiv, my driving license had only ever been seen by car hire companies in 14 years of driving.
The problem in the UK is policing it - they can't police people driving without a licence effectively at the moment - they would have even more problems. And insurance companies would refuse to cover people without a licence (as they do now) so you would just end up with more people unisnsured on the roads.
What I think you need is to enforce people carrying their license whilst driving (as you have to do with most other licensed actvities), and then make it a requirement to show your license at the roadside in case of an accident or if police stop the vehicle.
Until I had to insure the Tiv, my driving license had only ever been seen by car hire companies in 14 years of driving.
Einion Yrth said:
I would doubt that any retest scheme would get anything like 25% failure rate - I suspect that the vast majority of the apparently clueless gits we see around us are perfectly capable of driving to test standard, they just can't be arsed.
Quite right brother. We already have the safest roads in the world bar Sweden and still we are told we are crap drivers.
Yes we see mad driving from time to time but how many crashes have we all had or even seen.
I have been in one crash where both cars were written off and the other driver was prosecuted. That was around 1970: nothing since. What am I doing wrong?
Anyone seen the standard of driving in Portugal?
Einion Yrth said:
I would doubt that any retest scheme would get anything like 25% failure rate - I suspect that the vast majority of the apparently clueless gits we see around us are perfectly capable of driving to test standard, they just can't be arsed.
Ah, bone-idleness, apathy and an unwillingness to raise our personal standards.
The British Disease.
Pah, it's attitudes, not skills or lack of.
Anyone who passed first time who was useless from day 1 would pass again given time. There will always be muppets on the road.
Then you have the drivers who ignore what they probably know is the safe appropriate way to drive, and *choose* to be a bad driver...
A test would do little in my opinion. More police to spot bad behaviour, bad habits, and a general ignorance to the highway code would do well enough in my opinion.
Then just have a better initial test phase for drivers, ie, build it up in stages. Get the normal one as is, then add up the levels at a skid pan, on the motorway, night time, winter etc, and you have to at least go on these add on modules and pass them to at least a decent quality.
Then, the really crap older drivers will at least have to re-sit (after being banned or points totted up etc) the new test...
But no, it'd cost money as there would be less crap drivers around for the government to punish and fine for stealth taxes!
Dave
Anyone who passed first time who was useless from day 1 would pass again given time. There will always be muppets on the road.
Then you have the drivers who ignore what they probably know is the safe appropriate way to drive, and *choose* to be a bad driver...
A test would do little in my opinion. More police to spot bad behaviour, bad habits, and a general ignorance to the highway code would do well enough in my opinion.
Then just have a better initial test phase for drivers, ie, build it up in stages. Get the normal one as is, then add up the levels at a skid pan, on the motorway, night time, winter etc, and you have to at least go on these add on modules and pass them to at least a decent quality.
Then, the really crap older drivers will at least have to re-sit (after being banned or points totted up etc) the new test...
But no, it'd cost money as there would be less crap drivers around for the government to punish and fine for stealth taxes!
Dave
busa_rush said:
Cyclists should have to take a test too - times have changed since I learnt to cycle with the CTC and the cycling profeciency test at school, the recent sad accident is perhaps indicative of the need for cycling training - age doesn't always make a wise man.
Odd logic. That sad accident involved some excellent cyclists and had nothing to do with a lack of cycling training.
cheeky said:
Cyclists should have to take a test too - times have changed since I learnt to cycle with the CTC and the cycling profeciency test at school, the recent sad accident is perhaps indicative of the need for cycling training - age doesn't always make a wise man.
Odd logic. That sad accident involved some excellent cyclists and had nothing to do with a lack of cycling training.
We don't know yet but cycling in a large group on icy roads isn't too clever for a start.
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