Should the driving test include an IQ test?
Discussion
I snapped this photo (below) at the weekend at a service station off the M5. This was shortly after driving in a completely empty lane one, next to a completely empty lane two, next to a jam packed nose to tail lane three and four.
The actual car park was about half full at most, so there were plenty of spaces. And there was another coach section similarly full of parked cars. The car park was right alongside this area, marked "CAR PARK" and had lots of parked cars in it, so not hard to spot.
Oh, and the coach spaces were no nearer the services, so we can't even put it down to gross laziness.
All of which surely begs the question, if people are so completely imbecilic that they can't work out that the great big long parking spaces three or four times the length of their cars and clearly marked COACHES ONLY are not car parking spaces, should they really be left in charge of a ton of metal travelling at 31.2861 meters/second?
The actual car park was about half full at most, so there were plenty of spaces. And there was another coach section similarly full of parked cars. The car park was right alongside this area, marked "CAR PARK" and had lots of parked cars in it, so not hard to spot.
Oh, and the coach spaces were no nearer the services, so we can't even put it down to gross laziness.
All of which surely begs the question, if people are so completely imbecilic that they can't work out that the great big long parking spaces three or four times the length of their cars and clearly marked COACHES ONLY are not car parking spaces, should they really be left in charge of a ton of metal travelling at 31.2861 meters/second?
Ari said:
All of which surely begs the question, if people are so completely imbecilic that they can't work out that the great big long parking spaces three or four times the length of their cars and clearly marked COACHES ONLY are not car parking spaces, should they really be left in charge of a ton of metal travelling at 31.2861 meters/second?
Welcome to driving in the UK in the 21st Century.If on-the-spot random IQ tests for motorists were introduced tomorrow, by Friday 75% of the driving population would be licence-less.
In my humble opinion.....it's that people just don't give a dam anymore!
Moreover, on that theme.....there should be a 'spatial awareness' test. The amount of people who have no idea how wide their car is...is quite frankly disturbing. Some drivers seem to think they are driving the QE2. IMHO obviously.
Moreover, on that theme.....there should be a 'spatial awareness' test. The amount of people who have no idea how wide their car is...is quite frankly disturbing. Some drivers seem to think they are driving the QE2. IMHO obviously.
Quite honestly it's f
king disgusting.
Is there anywhere in this country where people actually know how to drive?
Who in their right mind, would attempt to park there?! Why would you even bother?
And yes it seems most people these days seem to think their car is the size of the Starship Enterprise.
king disgusting.Is there anywhere in this country where people actually know how to drive?
Who in their right mind, would attempt to park there?! Why would you even bother?
And yes it seems most people these days seem to think their car is the size of the Starship Enterprise.
I think it's a great idea and I'm 17 and would need to take it, although I am one of the smart ones so I doubt it would present much of a problem. However the thought of some of the knuckle-dragging mouth-breathers I know driving puts the fear of god in me, some people really are born to use the bus.
I a similar vein, a lass (probably from Nigeria - I could tell by the flag in her window) in Swindon managed to get several hundred yards the wrong way down a dual-carriage way type stretch before deciding to then turn into further oncoming traffic. The look on her face seemed to suggest that at no point was this at all wrong and that all other road users were morons for being on the very piece of tarmac she was planning on driving.
Tonberry said:
And yes it seems most people these days seem to think their car is the size of the Starship Enterprise.
Perhaps this explains why they park them in coach spaces?I know exactly what you mean though, no-one these days seems to be able to judge the width of their car in relation to the width of the gap they want to get through.
I deliver kitchens for a living. In a lorry. Not a massive lorry, it's just a 15 tonner. Delivering a kitchen can take anything from 15/20 minutes to an hour, so obviously I will not block a road for that length of time.
So, I'll do my best to park in a position where cars/vans/other lorries can still get past without a problem. And most do. Except the few retards who simply cannot cope with it, despite dozens of other cars having passed through without a care in the world. They'll either drive past at 0.1mph (but at 100,000 revs) or just stop and refuse to move until I do.
Twice now I've had to get into other driver's cars and drive them through the "tiny" gap.
Clearly the problem is the cryptic road markings.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&a...
I often have to dodge cars that have stopped a bit further up at the second set of painted words, who'll then dart across, when they see you using the correct lane.
Then they miss the left turn here. And have to loop through the Caravan area.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&a...
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&a...
I often have to dodge cars that have stopped a bit further up at the second set of painted words, who'll then dart across, when they see you using the correct lane.
Then they miss the left turn here. And have to loop through the Caravan area.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&a...
I did see a suggestion a few years back that all test candidates should be given a description of a multi vehicle accident. They should then have to write down in understandable English (or Welsh presumably) what EACH of the drivers involved should have done differently. Not whose fault it was, not who was breaking which law, just how it could have been avoided.
Another suggestion would be to drastically reduce the time allowed for the theory test. Everyone I know who did it finished with masses of time to spare, so reducing the time limit might eliminate those who can't read without moving their lips.
Another suggestion would be to drastically reduce the time allowed for the theory test. Everyone I know who did it finished with masses of time to spare, so reducing the time limit might eliminate those who can't read without moving their lips.
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