why are new/young drivers stereotyped as incompetent ?

[maverickdrives]

The initial message was deleted from this topic on 29 December 2020 at 20:27

[kambites]

Probably because statistically they are massively more likely to cause and/or be involved in serious accidents than older, more experienced drivers.

Unfortunately there's not a huge amount you can do as an individual to change that perception in the statistical models. Advanced driver training can sometimes help significantly. Keeping membership of an organisation like the IAM or RoSPA may not actually make you a better driver (although it probably will) but it does show that you have an interest in being a good driver.

Edited by kambites on Friday 25th April 18:43

[Condi]

Its just experience, which cannot be learnt from a book.

[Baryonyx]

kambites said:

Probably because statistically they are massively more likely to cause and/or be involved in serious accidents than older, more experienced drivers.

This. There are many useless older drivers, but at least they have years if experience at being useless and getting away with it.

Unlike new drivers, who tend to be useless with no experience of how to get away with being useless.

[kambites]

I think you need to be careful of which question you're asking:

1) How do I become a better driver?
2) What can I do to prove I'm a good driver?

They are largely unrelated questions, but both equally worthwhile in their own ways.

[slipstream 1985]

when i was 17 i considered myself a brillaint driver. I binned my forst car within 2 months. experience not just when things go wrong but learning to drive with a "what if" attitude.

[aspirated]

Speaking as a 17 y/o, because they have much less experience, are more inclined to speed, and do absolutely stupid things without thinking about the consequences

[kambites]

When I was 17, I realised I was a terrible driver. Looking back now, I was far worse than I thought I was (but still better than most people my age).

[robsa]

By their very definition, young and new drivers have very little experience. The roads are an increasingly busy place and experience is often an important factor in road safety. I have been driving over 20 years and when I look back to being a new/young driver I recognise I was far less competent than I am now.

[2222]

Have you driven on s motorway recently?
Most drivers aren't doing 80 or 90 mph.

[Leins]

Learn from your mistakes. It's rare that you'll be unfortunate the first time you do something stupid, but push your luck and you'll probably get bitten (AKA "experience", as already mentioned)

As an example, years ago I nearly had a collision when in a rush and trying to change lanes on a motorway too quickly. There was a jeep overtaking me on the outside, and in my haste (and full of scorn for thinking he had "boxed me in") I didn't spot the trailer he was towing until it was nearly too late. I never made that mistake again

Edited by Leins on Friday 25th April 18:59

[kambites]

maverickdrives said:

everyone is saying its all about experience but can you tell me an example where you have actually learnt something different from your experience ?

It's not so much things that you consciously learn (although there is of course an element of that); it's more generating the right subconscious assessments of risk and the correct motor reflexes so you can respond to things before your conscious thought as a chance to react.

Debatably the most important part of being a good driver, is spotting the mistakes other people are going to make before they make them; there's no way you can learn to do that.

[slipstream 1985]

maverickdrives said:

everyone is saying its all about experience but can you tell me an example where you have actually learnt something different from your experience ?

dont lift off in the wet when cornering hard.
it doesnt matter what you do even if your in the right other people in the wrong can affect you.
never ever show off
scrimping on tyres is a bad idea.
jsut general road craft and being able to read a situation.

driving along and being able to think, what if that dog runs off its extended leesh, that mum whos holding her kids hand doesnt notice her other ki has wondered away, will that guy aknowlege i have right of way but doesnt stop anyway etc.

[Jasandjules]

maverickdrives said:

everyone is saying its all about experience but can you tell me an example where you have actually learnt something different from your experience ?

• Please note other stereotypes are available**

The experience is more

1. Everyone else is a dick**ed on the roads
2. They won't follow the highway code and if you do you will end up in trouble

Thus over time you learn that say

1. That old lady in the Micra will pull out without looking
2. That Range Rover is going to go right over the roundabout and will crash into you if you don't stop
3. That Audi is going to pull out into the outside lane despite the fact you are there
4. That Rover Driver is going to straighten up the roundabout even though you are there, so brake hard to avoid.

[Baryonyx]

2222 said:

Have you driven on s motorway recently?
Most drivers aren't doing 80 or 90 mph.

It depends on the motorway.

[LukeDM]

Practise makes perfect, I have a lot more practising to do!

[43034]

As everyone else has said, lack of experience.

I've been driving for just over 2.5yrs and still learn things when I am out driving.

The other day when I was out, I made a silly mistake which could have turned in to a serious accident (thankfully it didn't). Chances are, a more experienced driver wouldn't have made that mistake in the first place.

Everyday is a school day, as they say.

[Impasse]

maverickdrives said:

yes I drove yesterday, driving at 70 mph I was only overtaking coaches and trucks and mostly trying to stay in lane 1, most people were zooming past me so I assume they're going at around 80 mph. I actually counted 52 cars going faster in about 30 miles and that is with less traffic and not rush hour.

But why do you feel that is an issue? There's a huge difference between doing 80mph on a busy motorway and 31mph along a busy high street.

[rohrl]

maverickdrives said:

everyone is saying its all about experience but can you tell me an example where you have actually learnt something different from your experience ?

I've been driving for twenty years and I've done a lot more miles in poor weather conditions than when I was 18, experienced many more road surfaces, handled two motorway blowouts, driven different types of vehicle, witnessed accidents...the list goes on.

Now merely my years of experience don't necessarily make me a better driver than you (not that it is at all clear what constitutes a good driver) but in an unusual and potentially dangerous situation on the road there must be a good chance that I can draw on my experience to choose the best course of action.

You need to think about what you mean by a better driver. F1 driver Kevin Magnusson is only about twelve years old yet his ability to handle a car is greater than all of us put together but I would prefer to be driven on the road by my mother than young Kevin because I feel that her 45 years experience and cautious nature would make her the better driver under the circumstances.

[AlexRS2782]

maverickdrives said:

can you tell me an example where you have actually learnt something different from your experience ?

For me, many years ago, when I was 17 I got caught speeding in my 1.3 Escort whilst racing a mate in his Nova SR thinking I was a new driver and invincible.

The kind Policeman gave me (and my friend) a £50 fine each and 3 points on our licences (mine was only 3 month old at the time). As a result of that monumental cock up I started driving more sensibly, whilst spending the next 2 years paying for my mistake with higher insurance. Unlike the lad I was racing who didn't learn and proceeded to write off the Nova 3 months later, get another 3 points on his license a few months after that, and then wrote off his sisters Corsa shortly after that.

Now 34 and I happily never got any more points, or had any accidents in that time, so I'd like to think my brush with the law with regards to driving like a moron taught me a lesson