i've been learning to drive... so what you say? Well...i say back...i've also been noticing how many drivers ignore basic rules of driving especially my own mother. do you think that after a certain amount of time people should have retests? if so how would it work financially and what would the conditions be etc?
if you retested everybody after a set amount of time, there'd be so many less drivers than there are now.
I wouldn't go through it all again, my legs were like jelly the fist time i took my test, wouldn't want to have to do it all again. You don't really have to drive the way they teach you to be safe... I agree though, there are a lot of thoughtless drivers around
I'm also learning to drive (at my age!) it's incredible seeing what other drivers do. I was behind one woman who kept slowing to 20mph and veering into the kerb - yes she actually hit the kerb. I was waved out infront of a lorry by another driver (who thankfully I ignored!) You see all sorts of shit and that's what worries me about driving; not my ability but other peoples' stupidity. I don't know what the answer is. A driving test that lasts 40 minutes seems ridiculous for starters given how busy most roads are most of that time could be stuck in traffic! I also wonder if 17 is just too young. It's an age where people can feel they need to prove themselves and also where you feel infallible. Saying that, every age group can be a nightmare. Cars have become an extension of our homes almost. Drivers have become very selfish and feel that they have the right to do whatever they please generally without considering the consequences. I don't know what re-testing would really do in all honesty. I suggest we burn all cars and blow up car plants. That'll work.
you gonna get yourself a big van of some kind? if so, go go go for the driving license. if not, i disapprove mightily!
I'd like it if everyone kept to the speed limits. The majority seem to drive 10mph over the speed limit in towns and motorways, then 10mph under the speed limit whenever they are near my home.
has anyone seen the road safety add with the dead kid against the tree with blood coming out of its ear? then it all goes backwards and the kid gets pulled back across the bonnet and goes back to walking along the road. all it sez is at 30mph 80% of people who get hit survive and at 40pmh 80% of people who get hit die. i dont know where they get their figures from but i can imagine thats about acurate. it has definately made me attempt to stick to the speed limit alot more. i can't say i'm always successful on that mission, but i do drive alot slower now! then again, driving in britain is like driving in a road safety video all the time compared to most other countries. i've driven all over europe, australia, new zealand and a few countries in south east asia and i would definately say we have the safest roads in the whole of the world! i've not driven in the USA so i cant generalise about them, but i dont think we realise how safe our roads actually are over here. peace and love stardust xxx
The problem now is that they're introducing so many stupid speed limits that nobody respects them anymore. Round here, they've halved the speed limits on some roads and dropped to a 50 limit on straight, country 'A' roads where there's not so much as a house in sight. Just to make things worse, the coppers don't seem to respect the speed limit either. Whenever I'm behind a copper on the way to work, they're invariaby 10mph over the limit. I try to just use a bit of common sense. Urban areas and low-visibility areas I drive to the limit or slower. Open, high-visibility roads are a different matter. Motorways it all depends on the volume of traffic and the weather conditions. Personally though, I think poor, careless driving is far more dangerous than slightly exceeding the speed limit.
yeh, i just got on my Ls and yes ive noticed the same thing, and seeing people be so ignorant to the rules makes me and annoyed so i end up braking the rules to get back at them all..... i guess thats how the cycle started and continues god my mum speeds alot
I agreed to learn to drive when I got my last job put I took two lessons and then quit. My instructor was a nasty old man who thought shouting at me was the best way to make me learn, when actually all it did was piss me off and make me feel insecure! He also said it's harder to teach people at my age and that I'd need a lesson for every year I'd lived.Come on!!! That's more than £800!!! I prefer walking actually. You're free to notice more, and you don't get pedestrian rage. You can also read books on buses. Gary Snyder the Zen poet said you could start a revolution in America if everyone refused to buy a car in one year.
LOL, I'm on my 3rd instructor. My first started teaching when he retired from his normal job and his nerves just weren't up to it. Within 30 minutes of my first lesson he kept trying to grab the wheel and he was getting really annoyed. Ditched him after 2 lessons. My 2nd instructor was recommended and at first he was brilliant. He filled me with confidence and I had total trust in him. Then after a 5 or 6 lessons I started to realise that he wasn't teaching me properly and he was convinced I only needed about 3 more lessons to take my test, he hadn't even taught me how to stop properly! Anyway, I started to feel stressed with him and one day, after booking a 2hour lesson and taking time off work, he just didn't show up, he never bothered to phone back either, it was very weird! My current instructor is ok. He's 6 years younger than me and is very chilled. He's fresh out of intructor school (!) so everything's being taught properly but he's a bit of a perfectionist and he tends to stick to the same areas, but he'll get me through. As for the time and age thing, I've heard that too. I agree to an extent but I think confidence plays a huge part and of course, so does the instructor. I would say if you really wanna drive then try out different instructors until you find the right one. If you're not bothered then, hey, save yourself some money!
