35bhp

Says the man with 148…

What are you on about, AJW? Whether a car is 230 or 170bhp it still only needs 35bhp to do 70bhp and neither will anywhere near the red line.

sorry, I misunderstood – I thought you were advocating buying a hugely under-powered car as anything above is not necessary for a motorway cruise.
As it seems Mrs OP is crashing through inattention rather than powersliding off a roundabout, I agree with you that the percentage of available power used to cruise on the motorway is irrelevant.

I fear that the OP and his wife are trapped in a ditch after another session of spirited driving

Impressive work, STW, keep it up.

Maybe OPs wife should get an MX5. They’re cheap, they’re refreshing (roof down) they’re involving to drive and you’d feel vulnerable in it so you’d keep your eyes peeled

Can you sleep easily in a Zafira?!

Dunno, never spent enough time in one as a passenger. I did start to drop off in a long w/b Transit once, but that was after a very long day, and it scared me shitless!
As a passenger, I used to regularly drop off in the back of the team car, stretched across the two back seats of a 7-seat Kia, then its replacement, a Grand Picasso. Never could sat upright though. I can barely get into the two rearmost seats of a Zaffie, they’re basically for a couple of small kids.
Anyway, the issue appears to be less to do with the car’s performance, than it is the performance of the individual driving it.
As the OP needs a family car, a diesel Zaffie looks like the best, most cost-effective option, as there are loads about, and, in my opinion, having driven many hundreds of miles in loads of them, they’re really comfy.
Having got that out of the way, the most important issue needs to be addressed, and that’s the shonky driving of the individual who keeps trashing cars, and getting her put onto a driving refresher course would seem to be the best way to go about it – having a professional assess her driving, highlight her faults and flaws, and get them sorted out, for her safety, and that of other road users!
God knows I’m no ‘Driving God’™ © ®, I leave that to the Surfmatts of this world, but the nature of my work over the last three years has required me to be a safe and competent driver, I’m driving other people’s cars, often worth a lot of money, and need to behave accordingly, and in this case, it’s entirely down to the behaviour of the driver where the problem lies, nothing to do with whatever she’s driving, that’s very much a red herring.

As well as refresher lessons etc, next car she gets, fit a taxi type dashcam that records a front view and the inside of the car then you can review what happens in any accidents or near misses and what she’s doing at the time – if she’s doing stuff like messing around on a phone or drifting off due to tiredness you’ll be able to see. If it is things like using a phone then hopefully the fact the cam will be recording her will put her off doing this, or any other distracting habits

I think she needs a Googlecar active 360′ roof mounted camera so she can prove to the insurance co ( and husband/ all of STW ) that she is an actual car magnet and gets harpooned by random vehicles as she drives sedately down the road at below the speed limit.

OP,

Sorry, but she needs to get some driver training. Fark – had too many injuries caused by sh1t drivers.

I don’t cycle on roads any more… after 30 years of road. MTB is far safer smashing down hills…

MG Midget? When it works she’ll be pretty attentive with the weather coming in everywhere and that everything is within 2 inches and threatening.

Cheap, Safe and Electric.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Retro-Dodgem-Bumper-Car-Fairground-Arcade-Ride/323762273348?hash=item4b61bc3c44:g:kPMAAOSwg-tcVUfc

yesss , Low emission EV . Zero car tax, No congestion charge , whats not to like?
Real bumpers that wont crack when ‘ touch parking’ . No pesky A pillars to create blind spots .
Superb find.

This one has room in the back for the grandparents

PS OP – you are lucky..

My ‘dodgy builder’ neighbour (he’s not a real qualified builder) has a wife that smashes up any car they have – usually Zaffiras… they look ‘smashing’ for a week, then are ‘smashed’…

They have finally bought a Toyota Verso that works, and seams to ‘magically’ avoid obstacles at present..

His missus is a nightmare – drives the kids two roads down to drop them off… less than 1/4 mile…

@mikewsmith – those things are unsafe in the wrong hands. 2 tonnes of batteries and box section steel make them a very slow but robust battering ram

Guy I knew ‘back in the day’ was working as a Unigate milkman and got a bit overconfident driving the floats – managed to tip one over with a full load trying to drift it round a corner (no, me neither – I think it was icy). They gave him a three wheeler one as punishment as they were even slower and really horrible to drive.

it’s a privilege not a right and can be revoked by the state at any time.

Possibly it was at some point in the past, but now it seems pretty much a right hence the people driving around with 20+ points who just plead necessity and get to keep their license after each offence.

We have developed into a car dependant society where people live miles from work and miles from schools and lack of decent public transport options makes cars pretty much essential outside of London.

Just look at the backlash over the fuel tax riser which has been put on hold for years now as it’s deemed politically unacceptable to penalise drivers.

Possibly it was at some point in the past, but now it seems pretty much a right

this

imagine how much better life would be if the driving test was made significantly harder, retests, psychological elements, etc, plus enforcement/bans were actually deployed. There’d be half the number of cars on the road so no congestion, virtually no accidents, excellent public transport, infrastructure would be totally redesigned around people rather than vehicles, people might actually want to walk/cycle rather than drive.

the people driving around with 20+ points who just plead necessity and get to keep their license after each offence

These people boil my piss. I quite like having a licence hence why I drive in a way that means it has no points on it. If you NEED it then drive more sensibly you dicksplash. A bit of hardship might make people realise what wazzocks they really are.

I think there are broadly two types of drivers:

1) Those who engage with driving, and whilst driving make it their priority. These people take an interest in cars, probably like driving, maintain their vehicles well, understand how they work, concentrate, and put effort into driving well, having good hazard perception and forethought. They probably also understand road law, the basic physics of driving and are generally aware.

2) Those for whom driving is a necessary activity. These people just need to get somewhere, are most worried about other people’s perception of them/their car rather than how it actually functions, and are usually engaged in some other activity whilst on the road. That might be texting, talking on the phone, doing their make up, fiddling with the radio, chatting with passengers, whatever. These people are scary to travel with, but usually very sociable types, gesturing with their hands, cracking jokes, looking around, generally not being on the ball – fine in a pub.

I’d seriously recommend you get your wife some additional driver training. I did my trailer test a couple of years ago, just over 10 years since I passed my driving test and I have to say the training provided, and discussion with the examiner were really informative, and eye opening, it was a good refresher as much as anything, but laws and techniques change.

On a tangent, was talking to someone who works in the insurance industry the other day – they were telling me that people who had attended driving awareness courses (to avoid points/fine) were at one stage actually getting premium reductions if they declared the course, despite it being implicit that they had caused an offence to end up there.

I think you missed Type 3
The ones who think they are Type 1 but have no regard for other road users, they might be concentrating on driving but doing it in dangerous ways – see habitual; speeders, tailgaters, red light gamblers etc.

 the people driving around with 20+ points who just plead necessity and get to keep their license after each offence.

This isn’t true, if you’ve got 20+ points it’s because most would have been accumulated in more or less one hit. If you get 12 points or more and claim extreme hardship you get a 12mnth ban not the 6mnths for subsequent offences. It was made quite clear to me by my solicitor and the court that extreme hardship couldn’t be claimed again untill all the points I had were spent.

This isn’t true, if you’ve got 20+ points it’s because most would have been accumulated in more or less one hit.

From Guy Martins Wikipedia:

By late 2011 he had accrued 21 penalty points on his standard UK driving licence, having been caught speeding several times in his Transit van. He avoided a driving ban when on 18 points, being given another three in lieu of a ban, after the judge showed leniency due to the effect it would have on his livelihood, had he lost it.[

I think there are broadly two types of drivers:

Was your sample size 2, with one in each category?

Those for whom driving is a necessary activity. These people just need to get somewhere, are most worried about other people’s perception of them/their car rather than how it actually functions, and are usually engaged in some other activity whilst on the road.

For example, I’ll think you’ll find there are plenty of people that fit the above description, and couldn’t care less about other people’s perception.

It did cross my mind on Type 3, I agree.

For what it’s worth I had an at fault accident about 18 months ago, writing off both vehicles (fortunately no injuries), and then got 6 points for using my phone a couple of months later, both events were totally out of character (no, really, I never used my phone before, and had actually already pulled over anyway when the unmarked car pulled up behind me). This was all just prior to my relationship of over a decade ending; my stress levels, lack of concentration, decision making ability and general mental state weren’t great during that period of time and all contributed to both incidents as far as I’m concerned, my mind was just elsewhere. For me it really highlights that we ought not to be driving a lot of the time as our ability can be impaired for so many reasons, and the consequences can be so dire. All good on the driving front since, touch wood.

Those for whom driving is a necessary activity. These people just need to get somewhere, are most worried about other people’s perception of them/their car rather than how it actually functions

3. People who spout crap like the above.

OP does your wife have any undiagnosed medical conditions that make her tired. Maybe a trip to the doctor could help. She may also have spacetual awareness problems.

By late 2011 he had accrued 21 penalty points on his standard UK driving licence, having been caught speeding several times in his Transit van. He avoided a driving ban when on 18 points, 

The way it works (as explained to me) is once you commit an offence that gets you to 12 or more the matter has to be dealt with by the courts. In my case I committed the offence that would give me 12 points at the beginning of December. I didn’t go to court until August of the following year and until then I could continue to drive. Any offences committed untill I went to court were held in abayance until then. So 12,15,18 ect could all be accumulating. But once dealt with and your allowed to drive with 18 or whatever points you couldn’t go back to court and plead extreme hardship the second time, not until the points were spent.
If this does happen it’s not how things were explained to me.

it’s not how things were explained to me

this.

It’s explained here, including the not twice and points being spent.

https://www.mintonmorrill.co.uk/site/blog/criminal-law/driving-disqualifications-exceptional-hardship

Nico

core
Those for whom driving is a necessary activity. These people just need to get somewhere, are most worried about other people’s perception of them/their car rather than how it actually functions

3. People who spout crap like the above.

*People who have had a different experience to you. I have had the misfortune to sit with several of these types of drivers. You haven’t, fine, that doesn’t make it crap.

Readers, we bought a used Zafira this afternoon.

With the kids in the middle row, hopefully my offspring relatively safe.

Stay safe and beware a brunette beauty flooring it on the 217.

Alex

So you bottled having a proper chat about how she has crashed 5 cars?

The only way to stay safe is if your Mrs is off the road.

Only two cars to my knowledge – 4 if you include the other guys’.

No, we talked about it. That and her 9 points.

This ‘take her diving licence off her / I wouldn’t get in that car / medical condition / privilege not a right’ chat is unrealistic and misses the point:

1. Where we live and how her work and our lifestyle is set up she just has to drive.

2. It’s basically carelessness born of being a narcissist about her own ability and getting woken up 5 times a night by the kids.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m cross. But it is what it is.

Any way, thanks for the thoughts Gents!

It’s basically carelessness born of being a narcissist about her own ability and getting woken up 5 times a night by the kids.

Well let’s hope the next accident she has isn’t a fatality and the above doesn’t end up being read out at an inquest or a trial…

Only 2 cars ah **** it thats fine

Maybe 3 strikes and your out?

& hopefully the kids start sleeping through soon or maybe you could get up a bit more.

1. Where we live and how her work and our lifestyle is set up she just has to drive.

2. It’s basically carelessness born of being a narcissist about her own ability and getting woken up 5 times a night by the kids.

Yep classic I’m more important than other people, nobody has to drive, nobody has to drive tired – you are both making conscious choices to do that, in a way it’s a bit like the landlord who serves the drunk drivers, you know what is going to happen but you turn the blind eye.

Yeah, I got sympathy for the OP but this is not something to shrug off.

A217 Brighton Road?
That’s fine. I’m never going to go near that.
I shall wait to read about her in the Daily Mail. Good luck.

1. Where we live and how her work and our lifestyle is set up she just has to drive.

Thats an excuse for criminal behaviour?

You really need to get real here. something has to change before she kills someone. Incredible levels of entitlement here and a shining example of why car driving should be much more tightly regulated