Safe Speed Forums

Nope, don't agree. Hugely impractical for many, and at best of only marginal benefit, given that motorways are already by far the safest roads.

What I would like to see is something like the Pass Plus course made mandatory and to include motorways or similar high speed roads if they exist in the locality.

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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

Why is it impractical, just because there may not be a motorway in your vicinity doesn't mean your never going to drive on one..



Whats the difference???

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Dave

I already posted, I think in this thread, that a compromise can be reached, much like what we already have with manual/automatic licences - one can choose the limit of entitlement and can 'upgrade' later if desired.

Good idea, but open to abuse.. My feeling is to eliminate the risk and make everybody do it regardless..

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Dave

So you live in Stornoway, you have to fly to Glasgow and probably stay overnight to get your motorway tuition. Very expensive, hugely unpopular, hugely impractical.

Maybe drivers in central London should have to get tuition on single-track unfenced roads in case they ever need to drive on them.


Er, firstly that it is something that happens after the L-test, and secondly that you are only tested on roads that exist in your locality.

This in itself would sweep up over 90% of the driving population - why make the remainder suffer for a relatively marginal benefit. I suspect very few of your problems on the motorway are caused by people who learned to drive in Truro or Inverness.

I fully support the principle of improved training but we need to be realistic rather than dogmatic about it.

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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

Probably not - but it's always going to be that way. As we said before there will always be prats.

So despite the fact that it isn't right or fair, it's life.

But good policy can reduce the numbers.

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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

Yes, the key point about policy is which direction it's pushing things in.

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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

Plus there's a lot of 'training' that isn't training at all. Information, beliefs, attitudes, culture, experience. These are the factors that gave us the safest roads, not a harder driving test.

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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

Absolutely, and present policy is shifting driver quality in the wrong direction.

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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

Rixxy & Shaky, sorry, I should have said when I passed my test, have been driving 5 1/2 years now

Since passing I've averaged 60K, (this year's been quiet) driving from site to site, did my IAM about 3 years ago and did the Police Class 1 training (but failed ).

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk

One day people will stop making excuses for the bad apples out there and something will get done about them. All I see here are certain members trying to promote their ability to drive defensively to the extreme. Would you be willing to put yourself into a barrier at 70mph to avoid mr prat?

We all, or most of us, read the road and try wherever possible to neutralise bad driving before it has an effect but doing this does not make mr prat see the error of his ways or indeed learn from the experience. No I'm not saying put a trailer over him in order to scare him to death but he must be made aware of his bad driving in some way or form, preferably by a police officer or better trained Traffic muppet.

I think cameras on slip roads would work as they could be played back and where an instance of bad driving, that was considered to be very dangerous, has occured a copy of the video along with a £500 thud through the letter box would certainly help kick the brain into gear. That or an opportunity to go on a day course in driving skills.

I know cetain people will say I'm wrong yet again but what makes them right? As I've said before, I live on these roads and have to tolerate the "I cann't wait" mob on a daily basis. If you think I'm wrong then come up with a workable solution other than sodding defensive driving.

If all drivers drove according to the highway code then we would not need so called "defensive driving" so please don't give it as an option as that would be like sticking up for the tit who beat up your mum simply because someone locked him in a wheelie bin as a baby so it's not his fault. If your mum had read the situation and kept out of his way then it wouldn't have happened. BO**OCKS!

Why stop there? The single-track roads in Cornwall have Cornish Banks that are almost unique to Cornwall and require observation techniques peculiar to that part of the country (which is sadly lacking in the plague of emetts that descend on the county each summer). IMO, this requires considerably more skill than motorways. If this idea that you have to have tuition on every type of road that you might encounter is implemented, everyone will be obliged to train on Cornish roads before they can have their license. The again, no doubt Highlands roads have their unique features that the novice driver should learn before obtaining a license.



(Edited to correct tpyo!)

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Will

I campaign full time for improved road safety, mainly through improved driver quality fostered by appropriate policy. Heavy penalties are appropriate for those with dangerous attitudes, but many of the problems are caused by a skills shortfall, and these are better addressed with remedial training. If the training doesn't work, then let's get 'em banned in the public interest.

But when I'm driving, I'm not campaigning or educating. I'm doing everything I can to keep myself, my passengers and those around me safe.

There's absolutely nothing you can do to improve others' driving standards by the way you drive.


Can you really imagine a time when drivers are all perfect? It's like saying 'cure all diseases', or 'food should be free' or something. It might be nice, but it ain't going to happen.

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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

Most of you are missing my point completely....

I have agreed countless times that Mr Prat exists and that we need to deal with him in a multitude of different ways..

All i am suggesting here is that the numbers of Mr Prat can be reduced, by creating better training, clearer rules and guidlines, backed up by greater enforcement.

It would appear that most of you are content with making allowances and putting up with these morons, whilst I have very little choice, I have to put up and contend with them, but at the same time I am actively trying to build plans and offer suggestions to lesson the problem.

When your trundling down the road with 44ton on your back evasive action is NOT just a case of dabbing either pedal and slowing down and/or switching lane, It takes massive planning, and a lot of time.
Ask ANY lorry driver how much of a problem these people present, and gauge there response.

We spend all day everyday driving for other people, constantly aware that Mr Dickead could emerge from anywhere, It gets tiring and frustrating when you do it all year round....

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Dave

That's rather a bizarre suggestion to make on the website forums of a road safety campaign. Most of us are here because we want better road safety policy.

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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

Then whats your suggestions and proposals for this..

I've told you some of my own idea's, but they seem to be met with an air of negativity, don't get me wrong i'm not saying my plans are best and you should all fall in line and agree, but alternative offerings seem thin on the ground..
I'm all for alternative plans and suggestions, and agree with Peter E, they do need to be practical and not dogmatic.
But most of the replies seem to offer the same advice, these people are there so just accept it and deal with it..
Which is exactly what i am doing, everyday.

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Dave

There's a published manifesto: http://www.safespeed.org.uk/manifesto.html

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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

Hi again mate,

I think the problem of Mr/Miss Dickhead lies in the fact that most of them pass their test in a small car and then go on to drive only cars without taking to the wheel of a truck, a motorcycle or anything else for the matter. Look what happens when Tarquin the solicitor (usual drive -BMW 5 series) hires a Luton Van for the weekend and takes 93 attempts to reverse it into a parking space (Broad stereotype noted and acknowledged )
Furthermore, I've never driven an HGV myself but, as a engineer who is mechanicaly minded I am aware of the concepts of mass, braking force, maneouvrability etc etc. I suggest that a great many Mr Dickheads or Cheryls the hairdresser (the sort of people who call out engineers to replace blown fuses or broken drive belts in their hoover ) are not and therefore have the first clue about the capabilities of your wagon and the problems their driving can cause.
So, perhaps a starting point would be a campaign to make drivers of small vehicles aware of the problems that they pose to HGV drivers, problems that could be overcome with a little thought and forward planning on their part.

What about using a suitable DC instead. There are plenty of these that are almost motorways without a hard shoulder. That would capture more of the population wouldn't it?

Very good manifesto, not in agreement with all of it, but definatly most of it.

May i suggest for your HGV40 program that you look at following the same lines that we have already proposed to Government - Dual signs..

To be truthful, judging by your manifesto, we're not all that far apart in our ideals.
You have outlined a great deal of things that i have already been saying, such as for example, Restore the levels and effectiveness of traffic police.
Something i have been saying for a long time, and again something we have already made proposals to Government with.
Our own Lobby team failed to see the point of the Highway Officers, a lot of the duties that they should be doing they are unable to do without the presence of a Police Officer, so in my opinion they are under utilised, leaving us with a service of which we're paying for, that is of VERY little use.

We could go on arguing the toss from here to eternity, but after reading your manifesto there seems very little point, i would conclude that we mostly want the same things, but have different methods of achieving them.
I will admit that the emphasis of our own campaign is orientated around the truck, as there are great many other problems that are only relevent to our industry.
For those that no nothing of the transport industry you will find it difficult to understand why a lot of lorry drivers feel hard done by and UN-respected, but i guess this is a different topic altogether..

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Dave