Safe Speed Forums

But all the accident stats and insurance figures show that middle-aged drivers in the 40-60 age range have least accidents, so while some of the above may apply, it doesn't filter through into the results of their driving.

As others have said, there's no substitute for experience. Once you're past 40 and have got lots of miles under your belt you realise when it really isn't worth taking risks for a marginal advantage.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

True they aren't entirely relevant but I think there is still a case to be made against the overconfidence brought on by incompetence of 'knowing it all'. With younger drivers overall it always comes down to lack of experience whether they lost control or whatever but at least their alertness and newness to the whole situation is still there, which can sometimes counteract the lack of experience. So really younger drivers lack of experience gets then into trouble and older drivers wealth of experience gets them out of trouble, conversely the younger driver avoids trouble with alertness and still having the instructors flea in his ear but the older driver comes into trouble through overconfidence.


Andrew

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It's a scam........or possibly a scamola


Homer Simpson

I would question whether it is possible to generalise about the characteristics of any sub-group of drivers on the basis of age. Experience is not a characteristic, it's a fact. In most cases, it counts for something, but there will be exceptions. Some people, unfortunately, repeat their mistakes.

I believe that with age comes hazard perception more so than better car control. As we spend more time on the road and witness more and more stupidity we start to see signs BEFORE we see the stupidity.

How often have you thought to yourself, that guy is going to change lanes, just before the indicator comes on, or the car suddenly moves into your lane? How about catching a movement off to the side on a residential street and automatically slowing down just as a ball appears on the road ahead, followed closely by a young child? The number of times I have avoided an accident because I took preventative action BEFORE the actions of the other driver/pedestrian is just too big a number to count.

Yes, young drivers are more likely to be focused on their driving, but until they know what to look for it doesn't help them avoid the stupidity of others.

With age and experience comes the recognition of hazards and it is very hard to teach that sort of knowledge.

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Ross

Yes I'm a hoon, but only on the track!!!!

Excellent post Ian.

One thing you've mentioned that isn't well enough known or widely enough stated is the overlap between education and information. We learn through all sorts of subtle "information influences" as well as when we think we're being educated.

The advertising based thing you mentioned falls into this category - it's "educational information" - and as such I believe it's probably even more important than traditional education.

For example: if someone had told me I shouldn't have to do an emergency stop every week I would have recognised my limitations and learned faster. There are a few critical key items of information that just aren't available to new drivers. I'm working on it and hope to make a concrete proposal soon. In the meantime see this thread:

http://www.safespeed.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=991

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Perhaps a challenge could be issued to every advertising agency in the land:

"Prove you are the best. Come up with a campaign that gets young drivers to realise their mortality and behave accordingly"

Where I work there is an entire population of young men and women with money to buy cars (usually small Renaults or Peugots) and an inflated sense of driving competence. Put those two together and what do you get...overtaking on single file lanes, cars in walls and ditches, running of red lights in fact you name it I've almost certainly seen one of our young folk doing it!

That might well be a really good idea. I wonder how it could possibly be moved forward? Should we try to get insurance companies to put up a prize? Any other ideas?

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

But it is quite a challenge - because it would be all too easy to come up with something that was interpreted as "safe driving is for wusses".

_________________
"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Mentioned this before - remember an advert from my early childhood about the dangers of playing near railway lines. It showed a lad playing and getting too close to the track. A train hurtled past and you were left in no doubt as to what happened to him. The voice over at the end was so sarcastic that you were left in no doubt that the child died as a result of his own stupidity. Even at age 6 - it got the message across that you would be regarded as stupid for ever more if you died that way. A lot of clever adverts could be made in such a way as to ensure recognition of plain stupidity as drivers, bikers, cyclists and pedestrians.

Cleverly made adverts could show the near misses as well - and must reflect the sheer fear at facing possible death - with person spelling out his mistake which nearly cost him his life - and vowing never to do it again! These could range from bad overtake scene, misjudging speed at a right hand turn, SMIDSY, sudden lane change, tailgating, lane hogging, misuse of fog lights, non-clearing of windows, poor maintenance of tyres, wiper blades etc, etc.....

Perhaps given the fascination with football - we should point out that footballing skills, even with natural talent, have to be subject to constant training to perfect and keep those skills fluent at all times. (Admittedly not helped by certain footballers - but we can get over this by showing that these are as naff on the pitch as beheind the wheel! )



Well... two members of this family are teachers - my own sister and another of Wildy's cousins These two women include Road Safety as part of their PSE programme. Apparently - they reinforce the Green Cross Code constantly, include a compulsory Cycling Proficiency for all Year 7s, and have introduced hazard perception DVDs for the 14-18 age group to prepare them for driving in later life. They tell us this also reinforces the children's hazard perception as pedestrians as well. These women, however, are dedicated petrolheads and advanced drivers themselves

Have already posted how we taught my eldest to drive: he does have the advantage of being in a family of petrolheaded nerds He also knows how badly his mother was injured by that freak accident when he was a toddler. He gained a lot of experience on long drives, inclduing twilight and night drives along A roads from North of Keswick to Blackpool, and I introduced him to motorways about a fortnight after he passed his driving test. He has completed his Pass Plus and is now building up his general experience before IAM etc.

Publicity campaigns have certainly succeeded in eliminating any stigma of it being seen as "unmanly" to refuse to drink alcohol when driving - although the men concerned will often then needlessly drink pints of Coke or orange squash so they are matching the drinkers on volume.

Indeed "I'll just have a half" (whether or not driving) is perceived as less manly than ordering a pint of orange squash.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed