Jimbo999123 Posted October 5, 2013 Report Share Posted October 5, 2013 It should just be part of the main test, motorway or dual carriage way driving at 70mph. People should be able to merge on to a dual carriageway to match the speed of the traffic then maintain good lane discipline and safety zone between them and the car in front. It's madness this isn't tested. Nial. I did my test 6 years ago and driving on a dual carriage way at 70 was part of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperfection Posted October 5, 2013 Report Share Posted October 5, 2013 It should just be part of the main test, motorway or dual carriage way driving at 70mph. People should be able to merge on to a dual carriageway to match the speed of the traffic then maintain good lane discipline and safety zone between them and the car in front. It's madness this isn't tested. Nial. There are some people on here which need tuition then! On another thread they saw no wrong with lane hogging! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperfection Posted October 5, 2013 Report Share Posted October 5, 2013 .After all you must take a refresher test for a Forklift after 4 years, and yet we give people a licence for LIFE after driving a car at 30-40 miles an hour for 40 minutes . Health and Safety 'yeh right;. There is nothing in law which says you have to renew your forklift ticket-infact you dont need to pass any sort of legal test to operate one on private property unless you want to drive it on the road.Its only insurance companies which insist on people being trained to lessen the risk of accidents in the work place.The only thing an employer is required to do is instruct someone how to operate one safely. Training companies print an expiry date on the certificate to guarantee your business in 4 years time.I've got counter balance,reach and all terrain and none of the certificates have an expiry date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longbower Posted October 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2013 1066 , Just how long was the driving test increased to? The HGV/PCV test has to 50 minutes duration to make it a legal test. I have sat in the Test Center , and seen cars arrive back in as little as 35 minutes??? Badly bay park , and pass. With no Controlled stop. (Emergency Stop) as it used to be called. No 3 point turn , now its (turn the vehicle using gears brakes and steering) can be a six point turn. (And every car these days has power steering) Please advise how the driving test has got harder ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 So not being stoned yet I will play devils advocate. With us all agreeing that motorways are the safest place to drive on uk roads, why would we need a test to drive on them, they are already the safest roads with the current test in place. Surely there should be another test to drive on normal a and b roads as these are so dangerous I think that possibly comes down to statistics again, the fact is the % of serious/fatal accidents is high on motorways compared to other roads, ie, you are actually less likely to have an accident on a motorway, but if you do, it has a higher chance of being serious than on other roads. Somewhat like Air Travel, statistically the safest way to travel apparently per passenger mile, unfortunately it is also the most likely form of transport you will die in, if you actually have an accident! Statistics again, it is well known you can present them to say pretty much whatever you want. Being selfish, stopping/slowing a motorway for an hour or two is also very frustrating and costly for hundreds/thousands of other people/businesses as well compared to other roads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdubya Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 (edited) "Current statistics indicate that …. more than 1,500 people are killed or injured each year on the hard shoulder." Source: Green Flag Motoring Assistance ok then lets get lorrys off motorways ! rather than drivers who have just passed their tests KW Edited October 6, 2013 by kdubya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 "Current statistics indicate that …. more than 1,500 people are killed or injured each year on the hard shoulder." Source: Green Flag Motoring Assistance That will be all the tarts falling off their high heels waiting for the breakdown services when they forgot the car need petrol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1066 Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 1066 , Just how long was the driving test increased to? The HGV/PCV test has to 50 minutes duration to make it a legal test. I have sat in the Test Center , and seen cars arrive back in as little as 35 minutes??? Badly bay park , and pass. With no Controlled stop. (Emergency Stop) as it used to be called. No 3 point turn , now its (turn the vehicle using gears brakes and steering) can be a six point turn. (And every car these days has power steering) Please advise how the driving test has got harder ?? The driving test most of you guys will remember, up to the mid 1990's was 35 minutes long - The examiners did 8 tests a day. In that 35 minutes you would be asked to do an emergency stop, a three point turn and a reverse round a corner and on return to the test centre the examiner would ask six questions from the highway code and fill out your pass certificate all with 35 minutes. The examiner would only mark serious faults on your test sheet, no minor faults were recorded. So, you had about 18 minutes of driving time plus a few tricks, the national pass rate was about 56% and I would get about half my pupils through for a first time pass in about 20 hours. Today the test is 50 minutes long, the examiners doing 7 tests a day. The pupils now must pass the theory test before applying for the practice test. There are 900 questions in the question bank, the pupils need to score 43 out 50 random questions then a "hazard perception" test with movie clips. The test starts with "technical questions" brake fluid, tyre tread depth, cooling fluid, etc. Only one manoeuvre is carried out on test but it can be either a three point turn, a reverse round a corner, a parallel park or a reverse into a parking bay. The emergency stop is still carried out but only on 30% of tests - So you still need to know all the manoeuvres because you don't know what you are going to get. On the test the examiners will now mark minor errors and Eco driving errors. An accumulation of these will result in a fail even if you have done nothing serious. For example, driving in third gear when you could have been in fourth would give a fault. Recently a new section has been added called the "Free drive" where the examiner will ask you to follow road signs to XXX until I tell you otherwise. The national pass rate for all tests taken is now around 43% and the first time pass rate is around 23%. A theory test costs £30 and the practical test cost £62 and the average pupil is taking 40-60 hours to reach test standard. When I assess experienced drivers I very rarely find one that would pass a learner driving test today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnlewis Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 I agree at least one lesson should be on a motorway/busy dual carrageway and also a lesson on a skidpan to teach peole what to do on a slippery surface as this is another grey area that I believe causes accidents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nial Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 As I said in a previous post - the average guy is now out of touch with the current driving test. Dual carriageway and national speed limit roads are included in the test if possible, and of course, driving at 70mph would be expected by the examiner if appropriate. The length of the driving test was increased several years ago especially to include dual carriageway (70mph) driving. Now 85% of all test centres are able to include these higher speed reads on the test. That sounds like a better test! Does anyone know how this works in NI now? It used to be that for a year after passing your test you had to display an 'R' (Restricted) plate and weren't supposed to drive faster that 45.This was a good idea but in reality at 45 you because a hazard on the (2) motorways. Nial Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 (edited) no drivers are so slow nower days,put them on the motorway,and they will never get off, Edited October 6, 2013 by mossy835 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdubya Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 The test starts with "technical questions" brake fluid, tyre tread depth, cooling fluid, etc. Only one manoeuvre is carried out on test but it can be either a three point turn, a reverse round a corner, a parallel park or a reverse into a parking bay. The emergency stop is still carried out but only on 30% of tests - So you still need to know all the manoeuvres because you don't know what you are going to get. On the test the examiners will now mark minor errors and Eco driving errors. An accumulation of these will result in a fail even if you have done nothing serious. For example, driving in third gear when you could have been in fourth would give a fault. Recently a new section has been added called the "Free drive" where the examiner will ask you to follow road signs to XXX until I tell you otherwise. The national pass rate for all tests taken is now around 43% and the first time pass rate is around 23%. A theory test costs £30 and the practical test cost £62 and the average pupil is taking 40-60 hours to reach test standard. 40 to 60 hours? failing you for nothing serious, seems more about making money than anything else. KW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh1 Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 (edited) After having two sons do the test in the last few years, i fear it is the standard of instructor who may be to blame, no1 son failed twice and when i asked what his instructor did he said spent most of her time texting, so i took him out and was shocked that he hadn't learned to parallel park or even reverse around a corner,i stopped lessons and took him out 6 times myself, i had to sort out his gear changing and a lot of other things, he then passed his test, the instructor also commented to him on the smooth drive. No2 soon had a dozen lessons with another instructor and again not taught to parallel park,use gears properly etc,again dropped the instructor took him out and he passed first time. The cynic in me thinks that the instructors don't want you to pass as it would be more lessons for them in an ever increasing competitive market. Edited October 6, 2013 by welsh1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdubya Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 (edited) The cynic in me thinks that the instructors don't want you to pass as it would be more lessons for them in an ever increasing competitive market. that's about it,be no good putting you through your test on a 10 lessons for a £99 scenario would it? I had 6 lessons (long time ago) then passed 1st time, my youngest daughter (19) is now taking lessons she has had about 30 is is nowhere near yet, due to the method of tuition, seems they spend more time parked up talking theory rather than driving,still at what is petrol now £6 odd a gallon? its not surprising is it. KW Edited October 6, 2013 by kdubya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead eye alan Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 I sat for an hour last night on the A1 in traffic jams queing to get round two accidents amd what always pissese off is yhe nimber of people with sat navs in the MIDDLE of their field of view on the windscreen in full brightness daylight mode. Wete these people born this stupid or did they work towards it? In a straight queue, you can clearly see them 3/4 cars ahead through the screens of the car in between, have these ********* never heard of night vision etc ? To my mind, the 'swept area' of the screen is UNTOUCHABLE, is that not correct ? Yes it is and also an MOT failure. Not to mention stuff hanging of interior mirrors bobbing about and distorting your vision. Usually in young girls cars I mite add, still thy probably dont notice as there too busy on the phone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 Yes it is and also an MOT failure. Not to mention stuff hanging of interior mirrors bobbing about and distorting your vision. Usually in young girls cars I mite add, still thy probably dont notice as there too busy on the phone! Nearly as bad as young mothers! It seems the maternal instinct goes out of the window when they get in the driving seat especially on the school run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1066 Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 that's about it,be no good putting you through your test on a 10 lessons for a £99 scenario would it? I had 6 lessons (long time ago) then passed 1st time, my youngest daughter (19) is now taking lessons she has had about 30 is is nowhere near yet, due to the method of tuition, seems they spend more time parked up talking theory rather than driving,still at what is petrol now £6 odd a gallon? its not surprising is it. KW There are around 50,000 qualified instructors in the UK and I must admit, many are not that good. If you're concerned about your daughters lessons, ask to go out on a lesson and see how it goes. Ask the instructor for a demonstration of how it should be done. Get your daughter to do the theory in her own time, she can download an App for her phone with all 900 questions and answers, she can buy a CD with all the questions and hazard perception tests. - Time spent with the instructor should be driving not sat talking (other than necessary explanation/fault analysis.) Did you know that a lot of the cheap instructors are not fully qualified, they are allowed to teach pupils for six months as practice for their final exams - They use your kids to practice on but they won't tell you they're not qualified, only 30% of them eventually qualify. A fully qualified instructor will have a Green hexagonal badge next to the tax disc, a trainee instructor will have a pink triangle. Did you know all qualified instructors are graded from 1-6. Grades 1,2 and 3 are sub-standard and need to get further training. Grade 4 is the lowest acceptable grade, this is the average instructor, there are more G4 instructors than all the rest put together. Grade 5-6 are considered high grade instructors (around 6% of instructors are G6) Government research show that higher grade instructors have a higher pass rate and pupils take fewer lessons to get to test standard. Many cheaper instructor lease their cars, often with a 30,000 mile limit, that's why you see them sitting on the side of the road talking all the time. So - You would be better off with an experienced, independent, high grade instructor who comes with a personal recommendation from someone who has actually passed with them. - You can ask to see their Grade certificate, if they can't/won't show it find someone else. Cheap lessons are really false economy, to take a test now will cost well over £100, there should be no need to take 3-5 test and then scrape through on a lucky day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norfolk dumpling Posted October 6, 2013 Report Share Posted October 6, 2013 No motorways in Norfolk either and a 50 mile drive from main city so no possible. We do have one or two dual carriageways so some similar stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted October 7, 2013 Report Share Posted October 7, 2013 Not a single mile of motorway in Norfolk (thank god ) any how I always drive on the hard shoulder when on motorways ,never any traffic there . Harnser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pastiebap Posted October 7, 2013 Report Share Posted October 7, 2013 I learned to drive in Germany and my instructor took me onto the Autobahn on a few occassions as he didn't want me going on them for the first time on my own and "****ting myself".I was glad he did, and coming back to the UK I felt alot more confident and equipped to drive on the motorway solo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 ................................................................the average pupil is taking 40-60 hours to reach test standard. Are you really suggesting people need 40-60 lessons these days, on the basis most seem to be 1hour long. How much will a driving lesson cost...Average price? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 People used to teach their kids themselves - passing on experience, we do it shooting and those lessons are well remembered. After taking lessons and failing once £200 down the drain ),I decided to teach my son, maybe 3 months of driving around in the passenger seat, a couple of trips per week. He passed. He asked me to take him on a motorway to get experience and thats no problem. I would like to see the test continue to evolve, a higher speed element and reaction testing. - Take a look at the crash videos on u-tube - absolutely amazing - no anticipation, no reading of the road, no reaction. Driving in bad weather is typically poor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAULT Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 I passed my test 2yrs ago test lasted about 40 minutes and you drive on dual carriageways at seventy miles an hour and I had to overtake part of the test now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Having been stuck on two separate occasions recently on Motorways, because of accidents, Should there be a two part test? The first where you are allowed to drive on a PL plate. (passed learner). And a second where you are trained and then tested at higher traffic flow rates on Motorways? As the emergency or controlled stop has now been abandoned on the test, should it be replaced with a "off road" brake test where the ABS has to be activated? (As most newbies were found to take their foot Off as soon as they felt the "cadence effect"?) I just thought while I was sat there for a few hours HOW MUCH it must be costing in peoples wages, and lost appointments and wasted fuel missed flights etc. After all you must take a refresher test for a Forklift after 4 years, and yet we give people a licence for LIFE after driving a car at 30-40 miles an hour for 40 minutes . Health and Safety 'yeh right;. If it were me making the decision I should say yes include a motorway test and also a compulsory skid control course (most council skid pans were shut circa 1990 ish). The assumption seems to be the general public will pick it up as they go along, which they do sometimes but how many lives does it cost ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.