It constantly amazes me how bad at driving most of us Brits are. Particularly with regard to Motorway lane discipline, driving through roadworks and contra-flows, driving in heavy rain with Foglights on, to name but a few. I could go on, the list would be endless.

I reckon it would be a good idea, to get every driver who holds a Full UK driving licence to sit some sort of theory test EVERY five years. If they fail dismally, they should then be made to re-take their driving test in full. If nothing else, it will reinforce the highway code, possibly re-educate some drivers and remove the downright dangerous from UK roads.

Lets face it, there are some drivers on the road (I reckon) who passed their driving test in the army by driving a tank six foot forwards and six foot in reverse, in the middle of the desert.

Driving conditions are constantly changing - traffic volumes are higher, new roadsigns are introduced, new safer methods of traffic management are introduced etc, etc but you only have to pass your test once in your lifetime and are then free to drive as you like, picking up bad habits along the way.

I think every UK driver should be subject to periodic assessment. So what do you think ?

I think I agree with this - when my daughters have taken their theory tests I have played on the computer simulations and always passed, but there were a few things I got wrong as they did not exist when I took my test.

The simple rule to help get rid of bad drivers which i would like to see implemented is that anyone going into a BMW showroom and saying they want an X5 should have their licence instantly confiscated.

Lane discipline is hopeless in this country and if sorted would eliminate most of the congestion problems we have.

[Edited on 3/8/05 by andyps]

i'm totally with you on this one. sinse i passed my HGV test last year i've spent a hell of a lot of time driving around and the stupidity of some "drivers" never fails to amaze me.

definately agree
hopefully we all could benefit from a refresher course
it seems silly that we pass our test (s) when we are 17 (ish) and NEVER get checked again till we're grey and doddery

It's a top idea mate, perhaps with the addition of the police being able to stop drivers and make them take the test at any time when they spot bad driving, although, judging by the driving I see, some people would be taking a test every other week!

Is ther some way of suggesting this to "the powers that be"? Possibly backed up by a petition of some kind.

"It's a major contribution to road safety" as someone once said.

Cheers

Chris

Fantastic idea.

Been saying it for years that they should bring this in.

There'd be no real justification for arguing against it either that I can see- only that you were against it cos you thought you would fail. Well, if you're going to fail you shouldn't really be on the road anyway should you!

Cheers,
James

In theory it's a good idea, but who's going to pay for it?

I wouldn't suggest it to the governmet in case they snap it up as another way of taxing the motorist.

Also the roads would be forever clogged with people doing emergency stops, 3 point turns and parallel parking.

I do agree that the general standard of motoring is pretty poor - I do around 40k miles a year and have the pleasure of watching drivers ranging from dangerous, idiotic, asleep, rude, too fast, too slow......the list goes on.

to expand on Andy_ps comment on BMW X5 drivers, this should include Mercedes M class, particularly those driven by middle aged women.

Nick

sounds good to me, last night in work, i was doing 30 in a 30mph limit, in bristol centre, and i slowed to about 27 when i saw a police car, and some arse in an alpha 156 3.0 comes caning up behind me, and passes me, till he sees the police car, and nearly hits me in my van pulling back in - the police lights went on, and there was a bit of a chase - was quite unnerving at the time, but id love to see what excuse he came up with for overtaking me.

Tom

i fully agree

these last few days, theres been a lunatic driving a very fetching 7 type car around my local area, making an excess of noise and having totally too much fun

As for who pays for it, well a computer assessment cant cost much more than £5 for a half hour test. Just call it another expense of motoring. Then if you fail, you deserve to get stung anyway. It would be a great way to ensure that all drivers are kept up to date with current issues

exactly how many locost owners are going to obey the rules of the road when their car is completed?

Or are you going to be driving fast a car that is highly overpowered and prone to tail slides. A fair number of people have totalled their cars on here due to possible driver errors - didnt hellfire go that way?

atb

steve

i had 3 attempts on my life today,all by young drivers,2 females and a football player type who overtook me whilst i was turning right
imho its these drivers that need shooting not so much the older ones

quote:

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Originally posted by chris mason
it fu(ks me off the amount of people who insist on driving down the centre lane of the motorway, but if you asked them i'm pretty sure that they would say that it was only to be used for overtaking especially if it meant failing a test.

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Oh and I think it's a bad idea.

An a**ehole is an *rs*hole no matter how many times they qualify.

David

I passed when I was 17. I consider myself a good driver. I have some friends who have passed within the last year or two and I honestly don't know how they passed They seem to need to drive dangerously to prove some kind of point. How about extending the driving test for much longer, including motorway driving?

quote:

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Originally posted by Hellfire
It constantly amazes me how bad at driving most of us Brits are.

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quote:

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Originally posted by steve_gus
exactly how many locost owners are going to obey the rules of the road when their car is completed?

Or are you going to be driving fast a car that is highly overpowered and prone to tail slides. A fair number of people have totalled their cars on here due to possible driver errors - didnt hellfire go that way?

atb

steve

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The trouble imho is that the current driving test is woefully inadequate when applied to modern driving. According to the current test, about the worst thing a motorist can do is touch the curb whilst doing a three point turn. I mean really, why the hell can you fail your test for that?! Why is it even examined? And who the hell reverses round corners anyway?

The main focus learning to drive should be safety. Why on earth are people not taught motorway/dual carriageway driving, lane discipline, avoidance of lethal habits like tailgating, proper observation, proper reaction to bad conditions, basic vehicle condition maintenance, etc etc? It's shocking how cluless one can be about vehicles and how to drive them safely, but because they can do a three point turn without touching a curb they are unleashed onto the roads!! What is the government thinking?!

Cars are getting faster and heavier, and requiring less and less concentration to drive. At the same time people nowadays think their driving license is a basic human right. The situation is seriously dangerous. People need proper training in the first place (to at least the standard of the advanced driving course) and continual re-assesment. This would seriously reduce the staggering number of completely preventable deaths on our roads. Of course it wouldn't quite generate the same revenue as speed cameras!

A girl i knew has just been killed in a car accident (she was a passenger), hence the rant. Something needs to change fast!

Liam

[Edited on 3/8/05 by Liam]

Im all for it as long as there isnt a strict fail - get banned policy. I would welcome a system whereby you could pass (eg 100 - 75%) - fail marginally (75 - 55%) and have 4 weeks to pass - fail miserably 54% and below) and get licence taken off until you pass.

Iam not a good driver. I do however attempt to follow best practice. I enjoy a safe braking distance between me and car in front on motorways. 2 things that get me just past luke warm are;
1. people who have to fill my safe distance and put me in a potentially risky position.
2. people who undertake when iam keeping up with the flow, especially if they fill my safe distance.



Mr Gus - good point well made. I would suspect most locosters would exploit there vehicles on the queens highway to the point where they dont strictly speaking follow the code. No different to other raod users really. I would hope that after putting in huge build commitment and investment that most locosters would carry out a reasonable risk assessment of road conditions before doing so and above all - done get caught and dont put others in a compromising (read - dangerous etc)situation.

Srirling Moss always says that if cars had a sharp spike sticking out of the centre of the steering wheel instead of an airbag, people would drive more carefully.

Make people feel protected from harm and they will take risks. If the test was at fault then everyone would drive just as badly as each other. They don't.
The fault lies with the attitude of some road users.
You may as well say making people retake their test every five years will stop drink drivers. It won't.

I can think of a number of rules that "Driver error" would break, for instance, failure to take account of road/traffic conditions, and driving without due care and attention.

David

a test is a test ,people will prepare for the test and once passed they will carry on with there normal every day bad habbit driving .i think its a bad idea but do think the driving test should be a more strict and updated test

People who drive in the rain with their fog lights on and people who hog the centre lane of a motorway when the inside lane is empty, obviously think they are driving correctly and within the highway code. I don't think it's a bad habit that they've picked up after passing their tests. I reckon they'd be gobsmacked after they found out they had been driving incorrectly for the last thirty years and soon change their ways.

why would you not use fogs in driving rain? Spray can reduce visiblity as much as fog can.

my 17 year old son has his test in september. He has been told that touching the kerb isnt a fail - ist mounting it that fails you.

reversing around a corner is a test of precision and observation during the manouvre. Its not a real life event in normal driving.

I had spent some time trying to teach Matt how to parallel park int a space about 2 cars long. In the test, they just ask you to reverse into a space behind a car that you pull up alongside - ie a pretty big space. Its cos they dont want you to hit someones car during the test.

atb

steve

quote:

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Originally posted by OX
a test is a test ,people will prepare for the test and once passed they will carry on with there normal every day bad habbit driving .i think its a bad idea but do think the driving test should be a more strict and updated test

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quote:

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Originally posted by john_p_b
i'm totally with you on this one. sinse i passed my HGV test last year i've spent a hell of a lot of time driving around and the stupidity of some "drivers" never fails to amaze me.

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Originally posted by JoelP
why would you not use fogs in driving rain? Spray can reduce visiblity as much as fog can.

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quote:

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Originally posted by JoelP
why would you not use fogs in driving rain? Spray can reduce visiblity as much as fog can.

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not at all, IMHO. A pair of 5w tail lights is nowhere near enough to see someone properly on a motorway in bad rain. A 21w fog light makes all the difference. Maybe we are on about different levels of rain?

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Originally posted by MikeRJ

High intensity rear fog lights in rain causes uncomfortable and distracting glare.

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On the whole, rear fog lights are an annoyance. You might use them a couple days a year, but get blinded by others using them far more often than that.

Jollygreen -your example showed someone willfully showing road rage - I dont think making someone pass a test every few years would change that.

atb
steve

quote:

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Originally posted by JoelP
not at all, IMHO. A pair of 5w tail lights is nowhere near enough to see someone properly on a motorway in bad rain. A 21w fog light makes all the difference. Maybe we are on about different levels of rain?

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