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If testing every 5/10 years is made compulsory, we might even find that insurance costs go down as people re-learn how to drive properly.
15 years to the day after passing my driving test I passed my motorbike test. During my 1st week on two wheels for a [i]long[/i] while, I found it very scary to realise how much I had forgotten/never knew/ thought I knew.
Never mind old people; the number of drivers I've seen texting recently is shocking. It should deserve a year's ban , at least.
And compulsory auction of their car, whoever it belongs to! 😛
[quote=suburbanreuben ]If testing every 5/10 years is made compulsory, we might even find that insurance costs go down as people re-learn how to drive properly. The problem is, most accidents, deaths and injuries are amongst/caused by the youngest drivers. If you re-tested every 10 years you would achieve very little amongst the most problem group.
Of course, while insurance costs might decrease, you'd also have to employ an army of testers, paid for by the drivers.
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Hi GW - * waves *
Perhaps its better to target high risk groups say, 17-22 age group or those with say 9 points on their licence. To some extent the longer you drive within reason or if you do high mileage the better driver you become as you are more experienced.
If you hate old drivers don't drive in Devon. Throw in a bunch of lost caravans and angry blokes driving people carriers and it's bloody scary (I say this as someone who spent 15 years driving in London).
The simplest way to improve driving standards across the board would be to mount a twelve inch steel spike in the centre of every car's steering wheel and remove the seatbelts.
Of course, while insurance costs might decrease, you'd also have to employ an army of testers, paid for by the drivers
And in the current economic climate, this would be bad because... People with meaningful and genuinely useful to society jobs can only be a good thing, surely? And the costs of driving are increasing so dramatically anyway that a hundred quid extra every five years pales into insignificance. Excellent idea, I'd vote for it. Make it a bloody tough test, put some pride back into the skilful task of piloting a tonne of guided lethal weapon.
The worst drivers I see are 40 something blokes, particularly those in familymobiles or 10 year old bottom of the range BMW 3 Series with ridiculous aftermarket alloy wheels.
I would like to see those convicted for a second offence of drink driving given an automatic life ban. Unrelated, just throwing it out there.
The worst drivers I see are 40 something blokes
Though strangely the insurance companies seem to think otherwise. Any young folk on here who can beat the <£200 insurance renewal on my familymobile?
[quote=aracer ]> The worst drivers I see are 40 something blokes
Though strangely the insurance companies seem to think otherwise.And what would they know about it 🙄 Don't come in to this thread and start throwing factual data around!
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Hi GW - * waves *
No but I have one of those 13 year old bottom of the range bmw's! No big alloys though, I'm safe.
Though I do quite often drive with a hat on... (habbit came from my landy where if I didn't I was frozen!)
I hve just come home via some local road works which force single lane traffic outside but across the road from the local shop. An old boy has parked outside the doorjust inside the traffic lit section. In the "shadow" of the lights if you like. Facing into the restricted area. Cars can barely squeeze by and the whopping big tractor with trailer can't. He had a 200 yard queue behind him but was now blocked. The parked car can't move as the tractor is up against him, he can reverse as he is jammed against the lights , the traffic waiting to come through can't, the 3 rd controlled entry is now trying to move and is already obstructing the other junctions.
All because so dozy old so and so wanted to park outside the shop. For his missus who looked fit and able to me to avoid walking 20 yards.
It's the lack of fast thinking and awareness that so worries me.
Not allowing anyone to drive until they reach the age of 30 would have a much bigger impact [ ] on accident stats
Yeah and it'd have a huge effect on the quality of public transport too. I'm in.
The other thing I'll do when I'm in power is to put up big signs on motorway sliproads saying SPEED UP! THAT'S WHY WE HAVE SLIP ROADS! Maybe an electronic one like the ones they have in 30 limits but set to trigger if you are trundling out into 70mph traffic at 40.
Mattsccm - there's a spot in the town centre of Ludlow where you can fit a car part on the pavement and part on the road, at a tight bend near the old market hall. If you park there cars can squeeze by but anything larger can't. So they get stuck, and this causes traffic to back up around the rest of the one way system which, if left long enough will gridlock the entire town 🙂