Just spoke to my neighbour (ex traffic cop and now a driving instructor) . He has been part of the trial for this …which he does not like a lot of by the sound of it.
The car licence test is to be dumbed down and made easier by the looks of things .
And it will include a 20 minute drive following Sat nav instructions !
Along with instead of doing a turn in the road (three point turn) or reversing around a corner you will be asked to complete one of two new manoeuvres or parallel parking.
Driving forwards into a parking bay and then reversing out
Pull up on the right hand side of the road, reversing a short distance and then rejoin traffic…driving aids such as parking sensors are allowed to be used too.
It won’t be long before the truck test goes the same way I bet.
FFS why not just contact Keloggs and make the licence a free give away with the purchase of your Cornflakes !
I knew they were to be adding in the sat nav section but I thought this was to replace the independent drive that you had to do? Thought that was the only proposed change. Sounds a bit ■■■■ otherwise!
Also under discussion is :
No new young drivers allowed to drive between 11pm-7am …the biggest accident time for this age group by far.
No carrying passenger under 30 yrs old during the hours of darkness…this stops them egging their mates on to do stupid things
Motorway driving as part of learning
Allowing 16 yr olds a provisional licence…
Maxing it compulsory to have X amount of hours driving time with a registered instructor. (100-120 is being talked about). …this would make being a driving instructor great as you would be booked up months in advance and more instructors would be needed !!!
3 wheeler:
No new young drivers allowed to drive between 11pm-7am …the biggest accident time for this age group
A friends lad worked late in a hotel, he passed his test and bought a car to make it easier to get to and from work. Of course he had to have a black box fitted for insurance, but nearly all of them had restrictions on night driving! Made getting the car for work pointless. Sensible lad too.
3 wheeler:
And it will include a 20 minute drive following Sat nav instructions !
That’s a few failures then right there! If they follow it blindly, and they will under ‘test stress’ , then it’s a nice earner for driving schools and government !
In your reckoning, we were all idiots then when learning to drive, but once you got YOUR licence, you seem to think its ok to call everyone else an idiot…i must agree there are some drivers on the roads today, when years ago there wasnt so many cars or lorries and some of us never took a test to drive one.
The driving test itself hasnt changed much and i do agree that there needs to be changes made, there should be another test for motorway instruction AFTER someone passes their test, and the same goes for parking. And penalties need to be more stiffer, with licences taken away and a re test for consistent offenders. Foreign drivers who flout the regulations should be banned from driving in this country too.
3 wheeler:
…
And it will include a 20 minute drive following Sat nav instructions !
Driving forwards into a parking bay and then reversing out
Pull up on the right hand side of the road, reversing a short distance and then rejoin traffic…driving aids such as parking sensors are allowed to be used too…
Evening everyone
As a qualified driving instructor, I feel suitably qualified to pass comment on this.
Follow Prat Nav instructions, it is the standard of driving by following instructions you are being tested on. I venture this may be more difficult than most think for a new driver.
Drive forwards, this caused me immense fun on more than one occasion with pupils. They can do it backwards, but in forwards, real struggle. It is due to a different viewing angle and spatial awareness.
Park on the right, sounds an absolute bar steward to me on a busy road. But then, what about one way streets? Teaches observation and confidence.
The whole thing is a trial and hopefully will not go ahead. How can the test get any easier? It is far too simple as it is and that is why the standard of car drivers is in most cases is abysmal.
Since the introduction of license aquisition the theory test etc things have gone further downhill than before. Drivers are not taught to drive any longer. They are to taught to pass a basic test and very basic at that.
Why teach drivers to drive into a space and reverse out? Maybe so we have more idiots reversing out onto main roads. Pathetic.
2) Drive forwards, this caused me immense fun on more than one occasion with pupils. They can do it backwards, but in forwards, real struggle. It is due to a different viewing angle and spatial awareness.
I find this very strange. I have taught thousands of people to drive and in all honesty do not think I have ever had one that could go backwards better than forwards.
3) Park on the right, sounds an absolute bar steward to me on a busy road. But then, what about one way streets? Teaches observation and confidence.
Yes great idea.Facing the wrong direction when moving off in a busy street if not one way. Wonderful for accidents.
Personally i think the car test should be made harder and should not be available to 16 year olds.
I think that you should have to retake your test every 10 years when you come to renew your licence, that would weed out the worst of the worst and hopefully make the roads safer for the rest if us, if you dont pass then you are off the road till you do, they did that to motorcyclists 20 years ago so why not now■■?
On local radio today there was a suggestion that parents ought not teach kids to drive, they should be taught by professional instructors, and if accompanying their kids to give them practice parents should not make any comments, hints or suggestions as “this was a professional instructor’s job”.
Now its obvious that some parents are unfit to be let loose on the roads themselves, but I’m sure members of this forum have a wealth of knowledge and experience which would be very valuable in helping children drive safely.
It would certainly be good if it was ensured that newly passed drivers were given some accompanied experience and guidance on motorways, we might then have fewer middle-lane hoggers, tailgaters and incompetent slip road joiners.
You look at someone who has just passed their test, most are far too scared to do anything more than a quick dash to Tesco. Its the seaoned idiots that are doing the crazy overtakes, the tailgating and the general stupidity we see today.
I’m afraid its to late anyway .
Last two drivers we had appear in our yard looking for work - lots of experience , been there done that . Taken out for a driving assesment (Fh 12 and a 45 foot curtainsider ) -on entering the truck-
"We have a problem here "
“What do you mean ?”
"I’ve never driven a truck with a gearstick only ever had an auto box "
One walked there and then ,the other muddled through and a week later was sent to lift a trailer and bring it home . 100 miles up the road on the bounce ( unit only ) got hooked in to the trailer . Made it 50 miles back down the road before he pulled the center out of the clutch (he was grossing 25 ton ) .He told the mechanic he didn’t know there was a high and low box or a splitter - he’d been using 3 gears (8,10and 12 )£2k plus in recovery charges and repairs . Lesson learned -now anyone who shows the slightest hesitation with a gearstick is shown the gate .
beefy4605:
the other muddled through and a week later was sent to lift a trailer and bring it home . 100 miles up the road on the bounce ( unit only ) got hooked in to the trailer . Made it 50 miles back down the road before he pulled the center out of the clutch (he was grossing 25 ton ) .He told the mechanic he didn’t know there was a high and low box or a splitter - he’d been using 3 gears (8,10and 12 )£2k plus in recovery charges and repairs . Lesson learned -now anyone who shows the slightest hesitation with a gearstick is shown the gate .
100+ hours with an instructor is a nice little earner. Over here (Qld) they have to have 100 hours accompanied by a licenced driver, be it a friend or parent. They rely on your honesty to fill in a log book of hours driven before your test. I still say that most of the dangerous b******s on the roads know what they should be doing, but also know there ain’t enough coppers out there to catch 'em doing the wrong thing.
3 wheeler:
No new young drivers allowed to drive between 11pm-7am …the biggest accident time for this age group
A friends lad worked late in a hotel, he passed his test and bought a car to make it easier to get to and from work. Of course he had to have a black box fitted for insurance, but nearly all of them had restrictions on night driving! Made getting the car for work pointless. Sensible lad too.
A work mates son, got a car (106 pug I think) an mot failure, the lad is an apprentice HGV fitter, spent 2 months getting it legal, my mate took it for MOT, and the passed without a hitch. The son got his license shortly therafter, bloke came round to fit black box, but refused to fit it because it had after market wheels and some other minor mods. Black box guy said that it needed them all took off, and made passing comment about how that showed what sort of driver the lad would be, but as my mate reckoned, his boy had spent 2 months sorting the car out in his spare time so why would he intentionly drive like a [zb], I tend to agree with him
