New Drivers.

[jambutty]

The opinion that new car drivers should be limited to driving a car with limited horsepower for two years after they pass their test seems to be gathering support.

Well it won’t stop those who do not even bother to try and gain a license to drive but it might be of some use for the law abiding.

In the two wheeled world a learner is limited to a bike or scooter of 125cc. But even then a new rider has to pass a CBT before even being allowed on the roads at all.

Costing about £75 a new rider is taught basic Highway Code and how to ride the machine in a private environment and then a tour, under supervision, around the streets to hopefully show that the rider is competent enough to be let loose on the roads.

When the new rider passes the Driving (Riding) Test s/he is further limited by engine capacity for a period of time. I think that it is 250cc for two years. By then it is assumed that the rider is competent to handle a bike of any engine capacity.

Could something similar be an advantage to new ‘car drivers’?

 

[chav1]

total bollox , how is a young lad who get of his arse after training to be a plumber or whatever supposed to get his tools around a 1000cc car

is upport the 6 points in 2 years and you retake your test but to be honest it shuold be anyone who gets 6 points in a 2 year period shoud have to retake their test

bad driving is not just limited to new drivers

besides liek butty says theres plenty of people out there with no licence what so ever

 

[Less]

bad driving is not just limited to new drivers

besides liek butty says theres plenty of people out there with no licence what so ever

Very true Chav and if for some reason I for example built up those points no matter how good I might think I am there has to be some doubt about competence (in driving), though it might be an unfair system if fines and points from speeding tickets where included after all that is so blatently just a cash building exercise.

The honest drivers are easier to keep track of with a licence and full set of documents for their vehicle so it costs less to target them than the rogue drivers. I think the time of the police outside Asda the other day would have been better spent checking peoples documents rather than doing an eye-sight test, I bet more people are injured by the illegal drivers with no insurance or M.O.T. than someone with weak eye-sight, (no, this doesn't mean I think it's alright for a blind man to drive a car ).

 

[AccyJay]

In theory limiting new driver to cars with a small sized engine is a good idea. However, what about a new driver in thier 40's/50's? In my opinion they would be penalised by this. What then? Should this only apply to new drivers under a certain age? If so where do you stop? Should they be then told what type & colour of car to buy? I think it all comes down to common sense. One thing that i think should be compulsory on the driving test, is, the "Pass Plus" scheme. For those people who aren't aware of what this is ..... Pass Plus is a scheme aimed at younger drivers, who, after passing thier test can opt to take an extra few lessons with a driving instructor, these lessons include night driving & motorway driving. After completing the Pass Plus the driver is eligible for a reduction on the car insurance with most companies.

 

[carrerahill]

I think its a difficult one, the problem is you will get some new drivers who are genuinly good, and others who are just utter idiots. Its getting a balance between controlling the idiots while not completly ruining the driving experience for those who will take to the roads seriously.

While rambling, although slightly off topic, what is it with these boy racers with the noisey exhausts, if I go for an MOT and my car was that noisey I would fail and need to replace the parts. However they MAKE there cars that noisey!

 

[AccyJay]

what is it with these boy racers with the noisey exhausts, if I go for an MOT and my car was that noisey I would fail and need to replace the parts. However they MAKE there cars that noisey!

The exhausts are made to sound that loud, a lot of the drivers think that by fitting one of these, it will dramatically improve the performance of the vehicle.

 

[Less]

The exhausts are made to sound that loud, a lot of the drivers think that by fitting one of these, it will dramatically improve the performance of the vehicle.

Fitting one of those decreases their performance because it de-tunes the exhaust to the engine, I think entwisi did a good explanation about this in another thread. If I can find it I'll put a link in here.


Found it, (that didn't take long), click here

 

[Neil]

I bet not many of the "noisy exhaust club" have informed their insurance of the modification. If they have not then their insurance is void. At the last Area Council meeting I went too our local beat bobby mentioned this. He said if cars are racing around dangerously and have such modifications to inform him of the registration number. He would then pay them a visit and check they are properly insured. If not he would "do them" for no insurance. He explained that catching them driving dangerously is often difficult to prove but checking the insurance is easy and just as effective in dealing with them.

 

[AccyJay]

Fitting one of those decreases their performance because it de-tunes the exhaust to the engine, I think entwisi did a good explanation about this in another thread. If I can find it I'll put a link in here.

No need. I know how they work thanks. Thats why i said that they think that they'll improve the performance. I know that they actually do the opposite unless used inconjunction with a highly tuned engine.

 

[Neil]

Having an inch long hole just in front of my cat does not seem to have affected performance on mine too much.

I am expecting it to be a little better when I cut the cat out and replace it with a straight piece of pipe though.

Can I chuck the old cat into my grey bin or should I put it with the tin cans?

 

[Less]

No need. I know how they work thanks. Thats why i said that they think that they'll improve the performance. I know that they actually do the opposite unless used inconjunction with a highly tuned engine.

Not a prob' it might help someone else, (walks away muttering to himself, "you try to help folk and they just throw it back at you!, no point trying with some folk, whitter, moan groan, grumble, etc, etc,...........")

 

[AccyJay]

Not a prob' it might help someone else, (walks away muttering to himself, "you try to help folk and they just throw it back at you!, no point trying with some folk, whitter, moan groan, grumble, etc, etc,...........")

lol. I'm going to read it anyway. Thanks

 

[jambutty]

total bollox , how is a young lad who get of his arse after training to be a plumber or whatever supposed to get his tools around a 1000cc car

No problem at all chav1. But the limit should not be based on capacity but brake horsepower.

My previous Vauxhall Corsa 1.1 was capable of 90 mph. Of course its acceleration was measured on a calendar rather than a stopwatch but then you can’t have everything.

is upport the 6 points in 2 years and you retake your test but to be honest it shuold be anyone who gets 6 points in a 2 year period shoud have to retake their test

That’s an interesting suggestion chav1 but I doubt if you will get many drivers to agree with you. Two mistakes and a test is a bit harsh. I might be persuaded to accept a three strikes and you’re out policy though. However I would agree that when a driver is banned from driving THEY SHOULD HAVE TO RETAKE THE TEST.

I agree that bad driving is not limited to new drivers. In fact I would go so far as to suggest that in the first few months after passing the test a new driver is probably the safest on the road until they learn bad habits from other idiots.

 

[AccyJay]

. I might be persuaded to accept a three strikes and you’re out policy though. However I would agree that when a driver is banned from driving THEY SHOULD HAVE TO RETAKE THE TEST..

With the points staying on your licence for 4/5 years (not sure exactly). Under your suggestion you would have to take a re-test if you were banned for an accumulation of points. Thats only 1 offence every 9 - 12 months. I was banned for 6 month for this reason. I picked up 14 points (all for speeding) over 4 years. 1 of my offences would have been spent a couple of months later. I got all my points either on an open road or on the motorway. I never exceeded the speed limit in built up area's & especially not near schools.

 

[Neil]

My previous Vauxhall Corsa 1.1 was capable of 90 mph.

There is a big difference between capable and being able to do 90 mph. A 1.1 Corsa might manage 90 but it is far from capable while doing it

In fact I would go so far as to suggest that in the first few months after passing the test a new driver is probably the safest on the road until they learn bad habits from other idiots.

I doubt it. They are usually very nervous and sometimes even scared to be on the road. Many have very little experience after only a few hours of lessons. Maybe 1 hour a week for six months. Many of them think they can stick their foot down after passing because there is no instructor with them to tell them to slow down.

 

[chav1]

i passed my test just after xmas and teh other month my car was crashed into by a guy who had also passed his test around teh same time as me

he was driving on the wrong side of teh road and had his head under the dashboard changing his cd or somthing

he was also over 35 so its not just young folk that drive bad

luckily i saw him coming but with no where to go all i could do was brake wait for him to hit me

all these laws are pretty irrelivant you are either sensible or you arnt and like i have said before there are very few traffic laws enforced infact i would say 99% of points handed out are from speed cameras and not actual police work

 

[jambutty]

Well yes AccyJay. If a driver is banned, whether it be for accumulating 12 points or an instant ban, they should be required to retake the test. If someone does not heed the warning as they go about accumulating points then that’s just too bad.

Knowing that 12 points doesn’t only mean a ban but a retake of the test would surely concentrate the mind to be more careful on the road. No more dashing through the lights as they change to red. No more exceeding the speed limit.

Would anyone relish having to take the test again? I wouldn’t! So I make sure that I won’t be asked to take the test again by obeying the rules of the road.

The fact that you got done for speeding on the open road/motorway doesn’t come into the equation. The traffic laws were broken. There are no mitigating circumstances as far as speed limits are concerned although getting a wife in labour to the hospital or similar emergency has been a mitigating circumstance. But those types of occasions are rare.

I accept that there will be newly passed drivers who think that they know it all and put their foot down Neil and I also accept that a newly passed driver could be nervous but I think that is the exception rather than the rule.

As a small aside – if someone takes lessons at one hour per week for 26 weeks then they are wasting their money. They should compress the lessons to one a day for 26 days. It is all too easy to forget what was learned in last week’s lesson but not so easy in yesterday’s lesson.

When I took driving lessons back in the last millennium (1968) I had one heck of a job to persuade BSM to give me 12 lessons on a daily basis. They wanted me to take one a week. Probably knowing that with such a schedule I would need more than 12 lessons and therefore more money for them. Actually that was the second time that I passed my test. The first time was in 1957 but I let my license expire and did not renew it during the following 3 years because I was abroad playing at sailors.

 

[WillowTheWhisp]

I think extra lessons for motorway driving once they've passed the test is a good idea. Maybe a motorway test? And how about night driving? It's a lot different to daytime.

 

[Billcat]

The opinion that new car drivers should be limited to driving a car with limited horsepower for two years after they pass their test seems to be gathering support.

Not sure that the proposed "cure" really addresses the problem. While we can certainly seeks ways to reward those who display common sense and sensible behavior, it is unlikely that restictive legislation will produce the desired result. Even low horsepower cars can tempt an irresponsible new driver to acts of idiocy.

For example, one of my daughter's high school classmates decided to see what his new, low-horsepower car would do on a straight stretch of county road one damp November evening in 1988. When he spotted the police car coming the other way (they had clocked him at 75 MPH), he panicked, evidently lost control, and left the road opposite our house. Net result was that he killed one of our apple trees and removed himself from the gene pool. Very sad, but pretty stupid driving by a young man who was a top student! Lucky indeed that, apart from a superannuated fruit tree, he was the only victim.

Also, if it is a family car, rather than a car used by only one individual, is it reasonable to ask the household to add a low-powered car or to replace one that exceeds the limit, just because one family member is a new driver?

One thing that has helped, at least with the younger newly-licensed drivers in my state. For the first six months after getting their license, they are not allowed to drive between midnight and 5 AM. Also, they are only allowed to carry one passenger, which helps to eliminate a young driver showing off for an audience in the back seat. Also, I think that New Jersey has a more rational driving age, 17, which is the highest of any state in the USA. Some states allow a young driver to be licensed at age 14.

 

[AccyJay]

I think extra lessons for motorway driving once they've passed the test is a good idea. Maybe a motorway test? And how about night driving? It's a lot different to daytime.

Look at my previous post about Pass Plus

One thing that i think should be compulsory on the driving test, is, the "Pass Plus" scheme. For those people who aren't aware of what this is ..... Pass Plus is a scheme aimed at younger drivers, who, after passing thier test can opt to take an extra few lessons with a driving instructor, these lessons include night driving & motorway driving. After completing the Pass Plus the driver is eligible for a reduction on the car insurance with most companies.