Printable View
And all you would succeed in doing is increasing the costs of making cars ADR compliant. The outright speed is not the issue as when you cut through the b-s outright speed is the major factor in about 10% of collisions. That leaves 90% of other causes to look at.Quote:
Originally Posted by cewilson
Simply?
The part of the brain that is responsible for decision making/judgement calls is not fully developed in young "Adults" and doesn't finish developing until the early to mid 20's.
Add to this that changing nature of kids these days and their failure to accept consequence and you have an issue.
Sure im painting with broad strokes and there are exceptions to the rule but P platers are behind the 8 ball from the beginning.
And with changes in the roads, cars and attitudes over the last 40 or so years the deck is well stacked against new drivers so we cant just blame the kids for this.
Mums and Dads who dont parent properly in some areas are an issue, teaching L platers in the family wagon is an issue and not allowing enough time for the Professional instructors to do their jobs is also an issue.
Im not going into the parenting thing because its a minefield of opinion and emotion and even im not dumb enough to open that can of worms but the Mum and Dad Sunday morning drive thing is worth a mention.
Most of us parents have been driving for 20 or so years by the time we have to strap ourselves in the passenger seat with Lil Johnny at the wheel and very few of us have ever been re-tested and most of us are not familiar with changes in road law which sometimes becomes painfully apparent when the kids get their learners book.
As a result id wager that a huge percentage of us would fail a learners test miserably if we were to sit one without studying and the VicRoads online practice exams are a good way to check this for Victorians and im sure the RTA has similar for other states.
So blissfully ignorant we venture out when the roads are dead quiet and pass our bad habits and sometimes ignorance of the law on to our kids which Driving instructors then have to iron out.
So heres the other issue, I know we are expensive and in rural areas a pain in the bum to get to (A lot dont do home pickups in rural areas so you have to bring your kids to them) but we are often a vital part of the checks and balances when it comes to your Kids surviving their first 12 months on P plates.
Early on in the 120 hours book your kid in with an instructor, even if its to get the ball rolling and save you some grey hair and clutch material, often the first lesson is free and 2 lessons will do the trick and this also saves you a bit of grief.
Remember that we have pedals on our side :-)
Then again about half way through its helpful to knock off some of the cockiness kids develop to throw them into the hands of an instructor who is trained to handle the sometimes inflated ego of the hormone and pride inflated maniacs some kids turn into AND some instructors will let you ride along in the left rear seat if you ask and promise to be totally silent unless engaged in chat by the instructor (Which is a great way to get the kids used to when the tester sits in the back) and you can pick up a few tricks while you ride along.
Finally, Do not allow your kids to book in for the test on their Birthday.... Either book it yourself when you feel they are ready or let the instructor tell you when your Child is ready and/or book the test for you.
To book in as soon as they are legally able to sit the test adds pressure at an age where they already have more than enough on their plates and if you control this aspect of their life it also gives the kids someone to blame when their mates apply social pressure re this cruel cruel denial of their "right" to operate a car by themselves.
Industry figures show that it usually takes between 9 and 12 lessons to gain an automatic license and a bit more for a Manual ticket and I have to say that when I re-certified 5 ish years ago the hardest part for me was relearning to drive like a good L plater to demonstrate that I had learned what was taught and could apply this knowledge.
Hope this all helps,
Tony
Bugger, forgot to add this lil doozy.......
P plate drivers should be retested after their first year of P's before they graduate to the next level.
And then before they graduate off their P's.
Yup, im a mongrel lol
And the tests should be road law AND practical exam in the car registered to the license holder..............
Some of the worst drivers I have observed are Driving Instructors.. :o
Especially considering most teach the kids "how to pass" and often not concerned with the finer points...
Went through this with 2 Teenage lads... Multiple driving schools and much frustration...
Next time you're out people - watch the Driving Instructor cars.... Particularly when they are driving solo (no student)...
:p
Manual and Auto tickets :D
They went the way of the Dodo in SA about 30 years ago...
This country needs to get rid of states, become unified under one road law and rules for all...
In SA P platers can tow as well... I believe thats different in other states...
Ironically - Our P platers do a hazard perception test to graduate to P2s...
And all they get from it is they dont need to display P plates..
Still limited to 100km/h - frustrating being behind and wondering why they are going slower than posted limit!
Still no Booze at all...
And costs a bundle for them, and they cant get off Ps until they do time on P2s... With no benefits..
Ridiculous!
I have been watching this thead for a bit and i see some good arguements . But i have been wondering then , How does Australia compare to other automobile orientated countries ? My progression from learner to full [ no l or p plates required ] was only possible with lessons from an accredited driving school . Then even with this , the first few years my insurance was higher than the purchase price of the car and any infringement resulted in an increase the next renewal. Non disclosure of infringements lead to voiding of the policy and all was kept on a central database. This kept myself and a lot of my mates in check. Maybe this doesnt apply anymore ?
What part do 'social attitudes' play in driver behaviour?
We now have a society where 'rights' are seen as superior to 'responsibilities', where robust parenting is discouraged, Good Manners are becoming history, - watch a handful of American TV shows tht our kids and younger (under 45) adults view... - where various political agendas are effectively destabilising family values and structures... schools that pander to mediocrity and a legal system that.... you get the picture. ?
As icing on the above cake, add 'decline of Religous influence' on the flock...and this applies to Christian-based faiths as well as Darwinism...- which suffers the increasing indignity of the "weak" being protected from their folly, at the expense of the "fittest" - Talk about Karma coming around to bite you on the backside !!! :D:D:D
Public behaviour and interactions with our fellows are reflections of what is inside us....
Why are we surprised that the standard of 'driving' is so abysmal when it is plain so many motorists are full of themselves -and rubbish - that there is NO room for anybody else.
The root cause is 'attitude', not 'aptitude' and legislation will not correct that.
Prove me wrong.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tombie
I agree, them and the very very old who neglect/forget or who simply arnt able to turn their heads when driving, I noticed this more on my motobikes but have copped it in the car as well, also what ever happened to keep left unless overtaking????? I swear no one does this any more and I get filthy looks or abused for "informing" them that's its actually a law not a surgestion lol
What part does - Growing out of believing in make believe entities - have to do with Driving?Quote:
Originally Posted by superquag
When I believed in Santa my Sleigh driving ability was pretty poor.
Religion and manners are not directly related I'm sorry to say and cannot even be correlated to driving . Quite a lot of the most arrogant, rude, judgmental, self absorbed, morality snobs are God botherers and it has nothing to do with Driving ability, skill or the doing of stupid acts in a motor vehicle.
Impatience on the other hand...
Tombie, I know that is not related to speed and driving but do you remember this case :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Tombie
There a some nut cases out there! :D
'Pastafarian' wins right to wear sieve on his head in driving licence photo (well, he does belong to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster)