'Learning to Drive' discussion on BBC Radio 4

martine · Joined: 17 Oct 2005 Posts: 1376 Location: Bristol, UK

Peeps might be interested to listen to...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00d3ssk

...hour long 'You and Yours' magazine program which was broadcast yesterday.
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Martin - Bristol IAM Group Senior Observer and Secretary.

Custom24 · Joined: 15 Feb 2008 Posts: 118

Was interesting.

Yes please - m/way and night driving compulsory before full license.

Limit on performance of car for new drivers ala CBT for bikes? Never thought of that before. But I don't know if this thing about new drivers who've learned in a Micra getting into a Porsche and ending up on their roof in a field is all that commonplace. As one of the "experts" said later, the most common crash is new driver in small car.

Taking your test again every 10 years. I would love to see that. Might make people (especially men) competetive about "improving their score"

Interesting to hear that the DSA lady at the start thought older new drivers were just as much at risk as younger ones. I can't see how that's true at all, but would be interested to see stats/evidence about it. I personally am glad I learned to drive when I was past the don't care about dying stage.

Not sure about the last guy, who suggested scaring people into better driving by making them see horrible accidents, etc. People still won't know any better about how to drive - you need to show them what to do. I guess it might make them concentrate more even if they don't have any increase in knowledge.

I skipped through some of it - was there any mention of IAM/ROSPA/HPC?

http://www.dsa.gov.uk/Category.asp?cat=545 Is the page they mentioned where the public have until Oct6 to contribute their views. One thing I have noticed is that the DSA don't even mention, let alone endorse any of the AD charities as a way forward after passing your test, at least not that I've seen.

Is that something worth us lobbying for?

ROG · Joined: 08 Oct 2006 Posts: 1091 Location: LEICESTER

michael769 · Joined: 17 Sep 2007 Posts: 212 Location: Livingston

ROG · Joined: 08 Oct 2006 Posts: 1091 Location: LEICESTER

As a sort of follow on from this.....
BBC3 tonight at 8pm - 'Driving Mum & Dad' - where parents try to teach their offspring to drive without using an ADI
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ROG
Civilian Advanced Driver
Senior Observer
Leicester Group of Advanced Motorists
UNEMPLOYED LGV instructor

ScoobyChris · Joined: 01 May 2006 Posts: 1174 Location: Andover, Hants

michael769 · Joined: 17 Sep 2007 Posts: 212 Location: Livingston

ScoobyChris · Joined: 01 May 2006 Posts: 1174 Location: Andover, Hants

Thanks for explaining that Very Happy

Chris

Mr Cholmondeley-Warner · Joined: 22 Jan 2007 Posts: 607 Location: Swindon, Wilts

I guess for every at-fault accident reported to one insurance company, there's the corresponding no-fault accident reported to another (except in the case of inanimate objects of course), so they pretty much cancel each other out.

I could be way off, of course.
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Nick
North Wilts RoADAR

michael769 · Joined: 17 Sep 2007 Posts: 212 Location: Livingston

Mr Cholmondeley-Warner · Joined: 22 Jan 2007 Posts: 607 Location: Swindon, Wilts

Right oh (I did mention inanimate objects as a skewing factor Razz

, although I'm sure in today's litigation based society, the day will come when a householder has to insure his trees against the possibility of some innocent driver driving their car into one of them!)

If there's a reasonably constant ratio between the two, that's sort of what I meant - I didn't expect it to be exactly 1:1.
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Nick
North Wilts RoADAR

waremark · Joined: 15 Apr 2006 Posts: 721

Did anyone else watch Driving Mum and Dad mad? Two 17 year-olds being taught to try and pass their tests (more accurate description than being taught to drive) by very inexpert and in one case amazingly unpleasant Mums and Dads, in a total of 3 weeks, with no professional lessons.

From what we saw of the teaching process, I would have thought the programme was an advert for requiring at least some professional driving tuition. However, after the three weeks one teenager passed the practical driving test and the other nearly passed. I think the most interesting point for me was that in spite of what was an awful learning process, both new drivers ended up more or less able to drive.

I wanted to watch because I did most of the teaching of my two older children and plan to do the same with the third, who watched with me. Hopefully my youngest will appreciate her father's teaching more because of the complete contrast with what she saw on the programme!

There was no mention of any continued learning process after passing the test or of any other aspect relevant to young drivers and safety.

Jonathan · Joined: 22 Sep 2007 Posts: 18 Location: Surrey

Custom24 · Joined: 15 Feb 2008 Posts: 118

martine · Joined: 17 Oct 2005 Posts: 1376 Location: Bristol, UK

[quote="Jonathan"]Well, able to scrape through a DSA test perhaps./quote]
Not really - if you remember the lad didn't pass but the girl did. I'd have to say the lad's Dad was simply awful as an instructor and a danger to his son and other road users.

This program struck home with me as my 2nd daughter is just learning now and yours truly is teaching her Shocked

. I expect we'll do the same as I did with her elder sister...a mixture of me and an ADI.