You are all missing the obvious answer - people over the age of 75 should all be shot. One bullet between the eyes. Unless they promise to travel by bus or train. Old people are a nuisance
Only just seen this so forgive me if people have already said some of the things that I am about to say.
The driving test has had to be revamped and brought up to date on two counts.
1
Driving conditions of years ago were not so intense as they are today, and with less traffic, and less of the fast roads and motorways, there was consequently less risk of accidents.
2
With society becoming more selfish and always in such a hurry, combined with the slashing of Police Traffic budgets, the roads are not being policed, and bad habits are not being corrected. The manoeuvre that BBF mentioned is SO common on roundabouts these days, that the Police generally will not prosecute in such accidents, leaving it to insurance to sort out, and it is certainly not the sole preserve of the older driver, this particular bad habit spans the generation gaps!
Combining the two reasons, the tightening of the driving test has little to do with road safety, but an attempt to make up for the inadequate Policing of the roads post test.
For every "bad" pensioner out there, there are countless very safe pensioners drawing on years of experience. That is certainly backed up by the FACT that the largest proportion of accident statistics are young males between the ages of 19-26!
Passing a driving test does NOT mean that a person is competent to drive, merely that they are trusted to drive unsupervised whilst they REALLY start to learn from experience.
As others have pointed out, an experienced and good driver defensively trained may have avoided this accident by anticipation!
I certainly have nothing to fear from regular re-testing and in fact, I do have to re-qualify regularly in blue light driving, but I can think of very good reason why regular driving tests will not happen, the cost is one reason, who will be willing to pay with the fact that people are already moaning about the costs of motoring?
The logistics too would be impossible and would escalate the costs beyond all practability.
My advice, get on an advanced course and learn how to drive correctly!
As opposed to the opposite way around, which made me pack it in for a spell after 28+ years on a bike. Too tired of pocket rockets with born again bikers shooting past me at warp speed.
No going to say aything about older drivers. I live nr Bournemouth, and that means my opinion is badly tinged by the mayhem I see each Sunday afternoon when the Greys Go For the Sunday Drive (shudder)
My advice is to move to Alaska or Finland - less vehicles on the roads. 60% of drivers are morons. I tend to drive long distances at night when these idiots are sleeping. Driving in England - always cars in front, always cars up your arse! Nightmare! And so many people have to have a 'fancy' car, just showing how much money they have, really, they can afford a car for 20,000 Pounds but not a Highway Code for 2 Pounds!
Yes, you DO need a 4-wheel-drive all-terrain HUMMER to do your shopping at the local Tesco's.
When you consider buying your aluminium wheels to impress your neighbours, do you really worry about the starving millions on this planet? Methinks not!
I drive in excess of 40,000 miles each year in the job I do, and I have 3 golden rules:
1. NEVER, trust anyone who wears a hat (of any type) in a car, especially flat caps, trilby's and baseball caps.
2. ALWAYS assume that the other drivers around you are complete idiots and are out to kill you.
3. ALWAYS check for a motorbike and cyclist first for any manouver involving use of junctions and/or mirrors.
The first two rules have been hard learnt over the years with too many close calls to remeber, and the third rule from my early years riding bicycles and motorbikes, getting knocked off by incompetant drivers and suffering broken legs, ribs fingers etc because of thier stupidity and ineptitude.
The point I was trying to make earlier was that there are bad drivers young and old but the causes are different.
Most drivers are pretty reasonable, but not brilliant.
A motor bike does bring home road coditions and the seriousness of what we do when we drive.
It felt so wierd when I started driving a car, like I was playing a computer game, it did not feel real. I felt detached from the road enviroment. I got used to it.
I have never forgotten my father saying to me, in the 1970s, never to trust any motorist who wears a hat - this seems to be true. Are idiots somehow attracted to hats? Mad people seem to like hats. Is there a psychological explanation? Has anyone done their PhD in this subject? (if not, why not?!)
Anyway, keep pumping that petrol and polluting this planet - if you don't, some Chinese person will! It's a competition to use up the world's oil! No air for our grandchildren to breathe? Fuck 'em!
(I got the last bit from Bill Bryson's book where he is shocked at the number of trees it takes to go into one edition of The Sunday New York Times)
Unfortunately, I have to wear a "hat".....................
When I am riding the bike!
So don't you trust Policemen if wearing their hats whilst driving?
(although to be fair, they don't seem to these days, now in my day, if an Inspector saw you driving and not wearing your cap, you would have been disciplined!)
That was why Police caps were originally issued - because you didn't have room for your helmet in the car!
Anyway, in a more sensible frame of mine, this evening I'll post my latest sleeping bag experience... woke up in a tent this morning in our back garden
Interesting to note that with a similar junction and the same mix of traffic in this country there would have been traffic lights and everything delayed for far longer than in the video. When are they going to start that experiment where they remove all the traffic lights, white lines etc. with the intention of reducing the number of accidents ? Is it Holland where they tried it and it worked ?
I said driving ONLY at the standard 30 years ago Frum. 30 years ago is out of date not "inferior" as you seem to think I said.
My point is that todays tests are relevant to todays road conditions. Cost aside Tony (like I said earlier) I have yet to hear a good argument against mandatory retesting. like Tony points out he would have nothing to fear from it if he can obviously drive to the correct standards. Frum I suspect you would also have nothing to fear from it as you point out you have adapted with the changes over the years. What it would do is get rid of idiots like that woman the other day as she would be forced to either learn the neccesarry skills or give up the license.
I understand about defensive driving etc Parky, like julie says its standard in todays tests. I have actually considered going on a course like those by ROSPA so I can learn more. The cost however puts me off (especially when there is so much shiny outdoor gear to buy). Seriously, I may still go on one if cash allows in the future.
"As others have pointed out, an experienced and good driver defensively trained may have avoided this accident by anticipation!"
A collision was avoided by nothing else than my spotting that as we moved off, her road position "was'nt quite right" and then quick reactions. I'm not sure how I would go about describing her road position exactly, as she was in the correct lane and pointing the correct way. something just was'nt right, so I was ready for it when she came into my lane.
Other than just sitting and letting her go I cannot see what else I could have done "defensively" to avoid the situation? maybe somone could explain? (thats not a cheeky remark btw, I really would like your experience/thoughts) Bear in mind I couldnt tell her intentions until after I was over the line and committed.
One other thing I would like to see added to the learning process is getting the message really hammered home to new (especially younger driver's like myself) about not being cocky and slowing down a bit etc. I say this because I feel it was'nt really impressed upon me much when I was learning, and I look at my younger cousin (21) who has had a years ban and written off two cars! It causes a few arguments within the family when I refuse to get in the car with him.
Thats impressive DMM, my boss from South Africa tells me when the lights stop working it makes no difference as everybody just goes one at a time.
Mind you, he also tells me about the taxi driver down the road from his parent house who has been driving his taxi with no steering wheel for the last five years. Apparently he just has a pair of mole grips clamped on to the steering collumn!!!!
You cannot cast aside my financial "argument" against regular mandatory testing, that IS the argument against it.
The driving test centres cannot cope with the levels of learner drivers requiring tests, let alone the mandatory re-testing of the estimated 30 million UK drivers needing to be re-examined.
Who will pay for the massive expansion needed to facilitate this? The cost would be astronomical and once again, why should the majority of good drivers pay for mandatory re-testing when only the minority of bad drivers would actually require it?
Now there might be some "mileage" (pun intended) in mandatory re-testing of drivers who amass so many points on their licence, or who are convicted of serious road traffic offences, or who are responsible for more than their fair share of accidents, but the point is that it would NOT be age related as you seem to imply,.
It would also serve as a deterrent and punishment for transgressions of the law!
I think I could guarantee that another statistic would emerge if such measures were introduced, the majority of drivers who would fall foul of such "corrective" measures would be from the younger age groups!
You need the padding believe me.
