There seem to be lots of bad driver or nervous drivers (which is as bad) or drivers that seem to have forgotten the Highway Code about these days.

How about everyone having to retake an advanced test every 5 years or so? If you don't pass, you go back to a provisional license.

It would clear lots of unsafe drivers off the roads, and improve the standards of those who are on it.

there would be noone on the road if you made them take another test!

nothing can prepare anyone for the real road!

its like teaching a kid to ride a bike then him having to perform on a monocle (one wheeled bike if i spelt it wrong)

That would be unicycle then,a monocle is something you use to see!!

ha ha ha! A monocle! that would be a feat - entertaing to watch though i suppose!

its like teaching a kid to ride a bike then him having to perform on a monocle (one wheeled bike if i spelt it wrong)

Fletch you are priceless - utterly fab :thumbsup: :D

Thing is, some people pass the test first time and are dreadful! I passed first time and am considered a good driver by friends and family, although my friend who also passed first time is woeful. he had a prang within a day of passing; a magistrate's car it was too!

HMMMMPPHH

so what. im a bit thick? huh? sorry!!! :( :( :( :( :(

It's not just the drivers that are bad,the instructors are a little pants now.
I am a bus driver,and on Tuesday, I was pulling away from a stop,and a few seconds after pulling out,a learner came AROUND me!I don't know if you are all familier with the finer points of the highway code,but,it is in there that all drivers should let public transport pull out from stops.
So my point is,what are the instructors teaching these muppets for there £18 per hour?

uncleheed - from my experience of bus drivers "pulling out", what they actually do is slam on the right indicator and start pulling out to force the car into giving way, whether or not they are already part way past the bus. Maybe bus drivers should realise that once a car is alongside the bus, the indicators aren't visible other than the small side ones, and that there should be a slight delay before putting them on and pulling out.

t020,what YOU have to realise is that a bus is 38' long,and if a car is in the blind spot,the driver has not a chance of seeing it.But how about when you have seen the indication from a bus for a few seconds and thought "bugger it i'm not getting stuck behind a bus"and just put the old right foot down and gone round the bus,causing the driver to slam on the brake and making his passengers have an uncomfortable journey?

Never done that so wouldn't know. This might sound a bit crazy, but why don't bus drivers try CHECKING their blind spots before pulling out? A quick glance over the shoulder or a well placed extra mirror would go a long way.

Originally posted by uncleheed
It's not just the drivers that are bad,the instructors are a little pants now.
I am a bus driver,and on Tuesday, I was pulling away from a stop,and a few seconds after pulling out,a learner came AROUND me!I don't know if you are all familier with the finer points of the highway code,but,it is in there that all drivers should let public transport pull out from stops.
So my point is,what are the instructors teaching these muppets for there £18 per hour?
But let's be correct here. There may be a preference to letting busses pull outwhere safe and reasonable to do so, but unfortunately most bus drivers don't have the brains to realise that they have to follow the rest of the Highway Code as well because they spend most of the day sitting on them making them numb.

Bus drivers talents on the roads come a very close second to black cab drivers.

They should be the first to be tested - in fact test them every year, and remove their license if they fail!!!

Originally posted by Tony
There seem to be lots of bad driver or nervous drivers (which is as bad) or drivers that seem to have forgotten the Highway Code about these days.

How about everyone having to retake an advanced test every 5 years or so? If you don't pass, you go back to a provisional license.

It would clear lots of unsafe drivers off the roads, and improve the standards of those who are on it.

Tony, I used to think along the same lines regarding retests.
However, being as it now already takes about a million years to get a driving test slot, somehow it might not be such a good idea.

Although on reflection, me being the worlds best driver/rider:wink::nod::wink:by the time I reach forty there will be nobody else left on the roads, so maybe retests aint such a bad idea:clap::D

I know in certain parts of the US, you have to take your test every 5 or 10 years. Although you can drive when your 16 over there!!!

apparently in Ireland, years ago, they had such a backlog of applicants for the friving test, that they automatically issued full licenses to anyone who had held a provisonal for over 5 years.

Considfering the backlog now, re-tests just wouldn't work. Of course the alternative would be to charge a ridiculous amount for the retest to employ the necessary extra examiners.

Originally posted by dinp
Thing is, some people pass the test first time and are dreadful! I passed first time and am considered a good driver by friends and family, although my friend who also passed first time is woeful. he had a prang within a day of passing; a magistrate's car it was too!

Everyone who has just passed is a dreadful driver. Because they have yet to gain any decent experience on their own.

But 5 years down the line, if they've actually been driving (not everyone does) then they should have improved an awful lot. The problem is also picking up bad habbits. Some people however just seem to have no common sense or no respect for other drivers. A retest would hopefully weed these people out.

Not everything in the highway code is actually enforced by law. The thing about allowing buses to pull out is not mentioned in any laws, it's voluntary. As such bus drivers shouldn't assume that cars will do it.
A traffic cop also told me that undertaking is not actually illegal!

And finally, things that really tick me off.
1) Stopping at roundabouts that are blatantly clear.
2) Randomly stopping on trunk roads to allow cars to join from side roads.
3) Joining the motorway at anything less than the current speed of traffic on said motorway (hopefully 70).
4) Undertaking or overtaking queues in order to cut in.

Originally posted by qazitory
I know in certain parts of the US, you have to take your test every 5 or 10 years. Although you can drive when your 16 over there!!!

I took my driving test in New York, it was five minutes long and consisted of a drive around the block and reversing between two cones!

I think you should only be able to buy a car if you can prove that you can drive that particular model. I am sick of women who can't handle huge 4WD cars or park them giving us lady drivers a bad name.

Anybody know why taxis aren't fitted with indicators? It wouldn't half be easier driving behind them if they were.

Private hire cabs also come with a compulsive speed of at least 50% over the limit, and a maximum gap between the car in front of half a metre, all as standard.

Originally posted by beckb
I took my driving test in New York, it was five minutes long and consisted of a drive around the block and reversing between two cones!

I think you should only be able to buy a car if you can prove that you can drive that particular model. I am sick of women who can't handle huge 4WD cars or park them giving us lady drivers a bad name.
Hehe, in Florida you don't even have to go out of the test centre car park.

Originally posted by Smiler
Anybody know why taxis aren't fitted with indicators? It wouldn't half be easier driving behind them if they were. They do!

If the large objects on the back seat are leaning to the left they are turning right, and vice-versa. :D

Originally posted by sarah_d
That would be unicycle then,a monocle is something you use to see!!

Ever tried riding a unicycle while wearing a monicle? Not as easy as it looks.

Originally posted by uncleheed
It's not just the drivers that are bad,the instructors are a little pants now.
I am a bus driver,and on Tuesday, I was pulling away from a stop,and a few seconds after pulling out,a learner came AROUND me!I don't know if you are all familier with the finer points of the highway code,but,it is in there that all drivers should let public transport pull out from stops.
So my point is,what are the instructors teaching these muppets for there £18 per hour?

I partly agree with this. My instructor critisised me for waiting to let a bus pull out and holding up other traffic. On the other hand though I have witnessed some very bad driving from bus drivers. Some of them regulary do things which would cause a car driver to fail a test, such as letting a bus roll backwards on a hill when setting off, cutting corners etc etc.

I also notice that bus, and coach, drivers always loudly blame other road users for things but I have never heard one take the blame themselves.

Originally posted by Cyclone
Everyone who has just passed is a dreadful driver.

Not true. I was confident and able when I passed; true enough I didnt have years of experience behind me, but I was safe, courteous, flowed well with traffic, indicated and could park!

Some people who pass are woeful, but doon't tar everyone with the same brush.

you must be some sort of super person then. In the time you took to learn enough to pass your test you were as good as driver as someone who has spent 1000's of hours behind the wheel.

You must be some sort of professional driver by now with potential like that. Formula one, rally, mercedes test driver?

Originally posted by Cyclone
you must be some sort of super person then. In the time you took to learn enough to pass your test you were as good as driver as someone who has spent 1000's of hours behind the wheel.

You must be some sort of professional driver by now with potential like that. Formula one, rally, mercedes test driver?


I've been driving for over 5 years - passed first time at 17 and had a car, used regularly, ever since. I've never had one single scrape. If anything, I'm more likely to crash now because I'm way more relaxed and a little complacent, whereas in the early years I was a lot more tentative and careful. I've also started developing bad habits that come about through laziness/monotony. I don't think its fair to say that young, inexperienced drivers are always a danger because it isn't true. I also think that retests should be carried out every 10 years to kick out the bad habits and complacency that tend to develop over the years.

Originally posted by Cyclone
you must be some sort of super person then. In the time you took to learn enough to pass your test you were as good as driver as someone who has spent 1000's of hours behind the wheel.

You must be some sort of professional driver by now with potential like that. Formula one, rally, mercedes test driver?

Not at all. What you probably should have said is that everybody who passes their test (the first time) is an inexperienced driver. Some people are better at co-ordination and spatial awareness than others; I know drivers who have tens of 1000s of hours more experience than me, and their driving is dreadful. Poor gear changing, not checking mirrors or blind spots, poor lane discipline, dreadful parking, not flowing with traffic, cutting people up, not indicating and so on.

t020 makes a good point about complacency and bad habits creeping in, when you pass you have been taught the rules of the road and, until this complacency creeps in, you stick to how driving SHOULD be done.

I disagree about re-tests as backlogs would be enormous, I think a statutory few lessons with a qualified instructor (similar to pass plus) would prove more effective and is more achieveable.

Some sort of assessment might be a good idea every five years and the insurance premiums for that driver worked out on their ability to drive safely.

That should price some of these morons off the roads.

Originally posted by Tony
They do!

If the large objects on the back seat are leaning to the left they are turning right, and vice-versa. :D
hehe good one tony. Worse taxi I ever been in was just the other month from Magna Mission, it was about 5AM sunday morning and OMG, I was sweating in that 15min taxi ride more than I did dancing that whole night.

If you think taxi drivers over here are bad, what about the ones abroad? Spain (and its associated islands) particularly!

Originally posted by dinp
I disagree about re-tests as backlogs would be enormous, I think a statutory few lessons with a qualified instructor (similar to pass plus) would prove more effective and is more achieveable.
Not at all. With a £100 fee every five years it would pay for itself and more examiners.

The system as it is should be paying for more examiners, a guy I work with has been given a 12-week wait for his test. The slots are full across the country as far as I know (another guy I know is waiting 9 weeks) so its not as if they aren't getting the learners.

If they manage to solve the current crisis, i'd be less opposed to a test, but personally I think a few refresher lessons with a signed certificate of some sort every few years would improve standards.

Wouldn't that be a test? :)

12 weeks is a long time. ISTR that I had my test after 11 lessons, so it must have been much less time then.

In a way it would, but in driving lessons, you are given feedback as you make mistakes, with a test you aren't told until afterwards.

Ask almost anyone if they want to take their test again, they'd say no. Nerves can get the better of even the best drivers, so driving lessons would be a more relaxed approach. The nerves you get reacting to a sudden situation when driving are different from knowing you are being scrutinised.

are you a member of Rospa or the IAM dinp?

I agree that some experienced drivers drive badly. In most cases I expect they drive better than they did just after they'd passed the test.
I also realise that there will be a variety of skill levels amongst people who have just passed.
You can't somehow be arguing that generally peoples driving gets worse with practise, it would have to be the strangest skill in the world as everything else improves with practice.

The specific changes that I feel make the difference between a new and an experienced driver are normally a vastly increased ability to read the road and the other traffic, and the driving skills becoming ingrained, to the level you don't have to consciously think about how to drive.

One more point. T020, you say you think you are more likely to crash now than when you passed. I'll hazard a guess that the insurance industry disagrees with you and that your premiums have been going down every year (other factors non-withstanding). There's a reason they charge young inexperienced drivers $$$ for insurance.

Originally posted by slimsid2000
Some of them regulary do things which would cause a car driver to fail a test, such as letting a bus roll backwards on a hill when setting off, cutting corners etc etc.

You cannot but help to cut corners on some junctions.The bus happens to be 38 foot long!
Have you ever noticed that most of the time the bus driver will look down the road he/she is turning into,and if any traffic is there will let it go before turning.

Originally posted by Cyclone
are you a member of Rospa or the IAM dinp?

You can't somehow be arguing that generally peoples driving gets worse with practise, it would have to be the strangest skill in the world as everything else improves with practice.

No i'm not, I don't even own a car at the minute (damn student life!) but I could be.

I'm not arguing that people's driving gets worse with practice, but certain aspects of it can deteriorate. Its like starting a new job, you do everything to the book until your get settled and then standards begin to slip - driving is similar. People indicate less or not at all, don't grip the steering wheel as they should and so on.

I agree with you that hazard perception improves, unless of course, the eyesight is on its way out :D

Insurance for me, aged 20, is sky high. No crashes, no claims, but I couldn't afford the insurance on my own, so went on my parents (my mum now has 2 years NCB thanks to me!).

I spent a few years in Wales where there was this old man who was 92. He could hardly walk and needed really strong glasses to read his paper. You would have thought he was related to Michael Schumacher the way he slid his car around the windy roads. He has never had an accident in his life.

Back in Sheffield I know two teenage relatives who in their first six months of driving have wrote off their cars.

I personally wouldn't like to do another driving test but after being cut up several times by middle aged folk in their BMW's Merc's etc I would welcome them to be more mature and responsible in their old age, without having to resort to another driving test.