Safety messages 'pointless': report
Research finds drivers in touch with reality
Real-world rules not their rules
The report: "The good, the bad and the talented - young drivers perspectives" by consultants SHM (see link below) found:
"A small number of participants included being law-abiding in their definitions of good driving, but this was disputed by other participants. The majority perspective was that the laws and rules of driving were things to be followed not for their own sake, but only:
- if they were judged to be genuinely relevant to the safety of driving as a physical activity
- if they coincided with what were believed to be the norms of driving as a social activity
- in order to avoid penalties."
However, it is striking that when participants talked about the laws and rules of driving, they tended to focus on the ones they found objectionable. Laws and rules are only noticed when they are seen to be ‘stupid’ or ‘pointless’. One of the reasons why the formal laws and rules of driving were perceived by some to be distant from the realities of driving was that laws or rules thought to be sensible and relevant (like stopping at a red light) were seen as common sense or part of the ‘unwritten rules’ of driving.
Participants were sceptical about whether the process of learning for and passing the test contributed to good driving, for a number of reasons.
- The kind of driving required in the test is believed to be very different from ‘real driving’.
- The learning experience leading up to the test is not believed to cover enough real situations with motorway driving being a particular concern.
Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign said: "The message from young drivers to the Department for Transport could not be clearer. They are saying:
- they do not want to be treated like idiots or incompetents
- the rules do not define 'real driving'"
"The Department for Transport (DfT) is failing to engage with young drivers, and as such is comprehensively failing to assist them on the path to becoming safe and experienced. DfT initiatives such as speed cameras are resulting in contempt for official road safety messages.
"Department for Transport must re-align its policies in order to gain the trust of our drivers in general and young drivers in particular. Everyone knows that road safety is about so much more than rules compliance -- our drivers need believable messages about the skills, the attitudes and the responsibilities that underpin road safety in the real world."
Links
Nice try, Paul. You talk perfect sense. However...
- DfT will not realign its policies. It will continue to enforce the existing ones increasingly harshly
- Not "everyone knows" that road safety is about driving ability and not numbers -- many people have been brainwashed already.
Will a revolution ever come? Perhaps, but not for a while yet. While Brunstrom can continue to spout Arrive Alive as a success story there will be enough people to support cameras and ever-lower speed limits. It's so convenient because it fits with the latest "sacrifice everything to be green" mood as well, so it's getting reinforcement from a much wider context.
The amount of "I give myself 9/10 as a talented driver even though I crashed into a statue while pi55ed" is terrifying!
That report screams "make them take a personality based ability test".
A simple 4-way assessment criteria would do it;
1)Confident/capable
2)Unconfident/capable
3)Unconfident/uncapable
4)Confident/incapable
It doesn't take a genius to figure out what to do with each type of person!
Most sensible thing I've heard yet. Say it straight nobody in the world sticks to all speed limits even the most cautious of elderly nuns does not always travel as slowly as proscribed by the law or studied during your test!
Sensible idea would be to start spending government money on organising training days for young and learner drivers at more affordable prices (like £25 per day rather than £250 per day) accessible at to all at local tracks and airfields. Then get the examiners to grade the ability of the drivers at skid control etc with a minimum grade required as part of the test before you are given a licence when you will inevitably encounter a skid, probably not at a good moment and definitely without any instruction!
If everyone was more aware of the physical limits of their car in braking, swerving, cornering etc it would have prevented all of the accidents I have seen in my time on the road! This would also stop dangerous people buying 4x4's and driving them as fast as saloon cars which weigh half as much and have a centre of gravity 2feet lower! Never mind that they 'usually' have half the ability to stop!
However as they don't tow the current speed is bad/motorist is satan biase of St Tony the brainwashed and his merry band of venomous trolls this low cost, pragmatic solution, which wouldn't cost billions to introduce is largely ignored!
The test is not designed to teach you, it's there to examine how well you've absorbed and can demonstrate what the driving instructor has taught you.
They are the ones who should be making sure they've taught you everything required, fully, (and more for your own benefit) and that you're up to a high enough standard/competency before suggesting you're ready for examination.
It would be expected that the instructor points out other's wrong-doings and instils this into the student.
I disagree with the constant backsniping of "no motorway driving prior to passing" since anyone competent enough to drive a route involving everything the test does, should also be capable of driving in pretty much a straight line, and have sufficient experience by then of how to use one's mirrors and indicators.
Any good instructor will demonstrate the on-off procedures on a motorway a number of times for the student to appreciate what they'll be expected to do when they've passed and take to one solo.
Then again, as someone from NI, with a 12 month R plates period (restricted to 45 mph max.) this aspect of driving is maybe not as bad as the mainland letting passed L drivers drive at 70mph straight away.
Interesting some complete T055ers couldn't read the signs, in fact they obviously couldn't see the fog.
If they could see the fog I feel sure they would have turned some lights on, on their
Silver Audi estate
Renault Scenic
etc
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