Driving Tests Getting Harder

Former Member

I'm glad I've already done mine now, because according to the news on Radio 1, they might be about to get a lot harder. Measures suggested include compulsory night and motorway lessons, and a required number of formal lessons before you can take your test (if I heard it correctly, they said possibly up to 100 hours!!!). Your thoughts? I personally think that if you saved enough on the insurance to cover the costs, far more people would do the Pass Plus. I did it, and I'm not sure whether it'll save me money, but I definitely thought it was a worthwhile course, and I'd definitely be in favour of more people being given training in driving on the motorway.

Former Member

Sounds like good news.
100 hours seems excessive. But here a certain amount of hours is required, and what you go through during those lessons is already set by whatever authority takes care of such stuff. Meaning that it was compulsary for me to have a lesson after dark and on the motorway.
I am sorry, but after coming to England I've met a few people who have no clue whatsoever about what they're doing in the car. They shouldn't be on the road in the first place. And these are friends that I am talking about.

Former Member

I've personally not even had a lesson and have no idea when I will start. But I've known people who have been failed for things such as 'letting the car behind get too close.' I'm sure Driving instructors and test centres are relishing any change, as they will be able to fleece even more money out of people. On the other hand however there are a lot of morons on the road...but i still feel as if they are just trying to extort as much as possible.

Former Member

I bloody hope it's not true, I've got mine on the 24th (the day before my eighteenth, no less-such stellar planning on my part). I think motorway driving should be compulsory, you're travelling at such a high speed that any slip up could be fatal. I think the required number of formal lessons is ridiculous. Some people learn faster than others, AND its £180 for ten lessons down here. I'd end up spending nearly £2000 on lessons, two thirds of which i wouldn;t need.

Former Member

whats the point, britains roads are already the safest in europe

Former Member

I'm all for it, I definately would want the night and motorway lessons, but It's a bit much....especially as you have to fork out for the car itself, insurance and road tax and congestion charge and petrol ect...

Former Member

minimi38 wrote:

whats the point, britains roads are already the safest in europe

dismissing improvement because of that? Sounds strange to me.

Not sure whether it would help, but i've always wondered how the hell certain people pass their tests, it's like everything they learned goes in one ear and out the other.

But i sure don't want to take my driving test under more difficult circumstances than today, partly because i'm a lazy bastard.

Former Member

i doubt the returns from more restrictions would be worth the costs incurred on individuals. investing in infrastructure would probably have more cost effective benefits.

Former Member

I'm going to be starting driving lessons at some point, it already sounds hard enough. But i was gonna do pass plus anyway. It's already expensive so having to do even more isn't going to help. I do think you should be made to take a 2nd exam on motorway driving after you've passed though.

But they say you don't learn to drive til after you pass anyway.

Former Member

I'm all for the motorway and night time lessons but the formal lessons? Nah.

I've failed my driving test 5 times. I've never failed on one specific thing. Its something lame I do in my test each time. Like, in my last one, they changed the car on the day of the test due to something being wrong with the brakes on the other. I was failed for accidently slipping into 2nd gear from 3rd when I was meant to go into 4th. Its been stupid little things like that each time.

I'm a bit of a nervous thing so when I'm being tested, I do silly little things like that. I've practically given up.

My theory test has ran out which I need to do again and I can't afford anymore lessons, tests, etc. It costs a fortune.

Former Member

100 hours!!!

fuck that, you only need 45 Hours to get a Private Pilots License.

Former Member

I think any extra compulsory tuition is a good thing, especially if it covers the essential elements of road use that aren't taught.

100 hours is probably too much for many people, especially at £20-odd per hour. But 100 hours of tuition is going to be far better than 20 - new road users will have seen far more circumstances and conditions, and have had the supervision and teachings required to allow them to deal with so much more on the road.

Means Stace will never pass her test, which is probably a good thing . Just kidding... I think .

Former Member

Territt wrote:

fuck that, you only need 45 Hours to get a Private Pilots License.

Maybe, but you'll have problems parking your plane down the high street...

Former Member

Click to see more wrote:

I think any extra compulsory tuition is a good thing, especially if it covers the essential elements of road use that aren't taught.

100 hours is probably too much for many people, especially at £20-odd per hour. But 100 hours of tuition is going to be far better than 20 - new road users will have seen far more circumstances and conditions, and have had the supervision and teachings required to allow them to deal with so much more on the road.

Means Stace will never pass her test, which is probably a good thing . Just kidding... I think .

Oi!

I've probably already had that many lessons tbh.

Former Member

Click to see more wrote:

100 hours is probably too much for many people, especially at £20-odd per hour. But 100 hours of tuition is going to be far better than 20 - new road users will have seen far more circumstances and conditions, and have had the supervision and teachings required to allow them to deal with so much more on the road.

I did somewhere between 20 and 30 before my test, and I seemed to drive through every road condition known to man. I think snow was the only one I missed, but then that's the Lake District for you. I was shocked that I passed. I think I'm actually a pretty good driver generally, and in about the ten lessons leading up to my test, I made hardly any mistakes, and only ever made my instructor intervene once. But on my test, I was shit. Nothing dangerous, but I wouldn't trust someone who drives like that regularly on the road. But in my pass plus, I was pretty awesome, except for the bit where I didn't park close enough to the parking meter and had to lean miles out of the window to get the car park barrier to go up. Should be buying my first car this week. :yippe: Can't wait.

Former Member

^Woohoo! It's awesome when you get your first car .

*Snow White Queen* wrote:

Oi!

I've probably already had that many lessons tbh.

You'll be well equipped for when the new laws come into effect then .

Sorry, I shouldn't be having a dig at you. I actually think you'd be a rea... erm... goo... erm... avera... erm... driver of comparable quality to most other road users .

Former Member

I'm a good driver!

Also, how would they know how many lessons you've had?

I mean, I've probably done that but I've given up for the time being. Would they make me take 100 lessons again?!

Former Member

As far as driving on the motorway and at night, I don't get it how it was not taught so far!!! So that's a logical thing to introduce.
However, the artificial minimum hours required before a test is nothing but a money making scheme, if indeed it is true.

Also what happend with all these EU people coming over that can just go and exchange their license for a british one? Will they be forced to take theory tests, as they should be and 100 hrs before they can drive here?

Former Member

*Snow White Queen* wrote:

Oi!

I've probably already had that many lessons tbh.

And me. And I've failed five times too, on stupid little things.

Tbh, if I don't pass on my next one I never will if they make it any harder. My instructors adamant that there's no reason I should be failing, so god knows what happens to me out there - I dont feel like I'm driving any different.

Make them harder and I'm screwed.

Former Member

bugger

I hope not, its already expensive enough as it is, and 100 complusory hours to way to much.

just more ways to rob your money if you ask me.

Former Member

Driving is a choice. What's with all the talk of them robbing you blind etc? Surely everyone knows before they choose to drive that they will have to (usually!) pay for some lessons, pay for at least one test (or many, many more as seems to be the trend on these boards!), buy a car, tax and insure it, pay for petrol and services etc. Everyone knows that, but the convenience far outweighs the cost if you ask me.

Former Member

AmsyBamsy wrote:

I've got mine on the 24th

Me too! I hope I pass if they're going to make it harder

Former Member

BumbleBee wrote:

Driving is a choice. What's with all the talk of them robbing you blind etc? Surely everyone knows before they choose to drive that they will have to (usually!) pay for some lessons, pay for at least one test (or many, many more as seems to be the trend on these boards!), buy a car, tax and insure it, pay for petrol and services etc. Everyone knows that, but the convenience far outweighs the cost if you ask me.

Yes but everyone also knows that the amount they pay doesn't all go towards keeping the roads intact, or making sure there's enough traffic police, or any number of other measures that actually have something to do with transport. If it went towards subsidising a succeeding public transport system, I wouldn't mind so much, but we all know that that isn't the case. So it's natural to question whether any additional costs incurred are actually going towards making the transport system better, improving safety, or whatever other justification they have for it, or just another way for the government to add a tap to your bank account for whatever purposes they feel like that day. Interestingly though, I heard the other week that taking inflation into account, the cost of owning a car has actually gone down under labour.

Former Member

Bollocks the cost of owning a car has gone down, look at the tax on petrol.

Back to driving test, if they run many like my first one then I can see why they need making harder. I did two laps of practically the same block (in opposite directions) in stop go traffic. Shiny daylight but no glare. Max speed (if we're lucky) would have been 25 mph. This is what happens when you put a test centre between a highstreet and a school. It was a complete joke of a test, which I failed.

I had two faults, a major for not giving way to a car which had right of way because the nice lady let me out of the side road, and waved at me to confirm this is what she meant when she was stationary and back from the junction. The minor was for gears. It makes a complete mockery of the test system that they run ones like that, it made no assesment of my driving ability what so ever.

The one I passed I took somewhere else (much shorter rebook time). It was near the dual carriage way (one of those ones that's just like a motorway) and was a true assesment of my ability.

Former Member

Scary Monster wrote:

Bollocks the cost of owning a car has gone down, look at the tax on petrol.

Yeah, but as a percentage of people's wages, I can believe that it's true.

Former Member

I'm With Stupid wrote:

Yes but everyone also knows that the amount they pay doesn't all go towards keeping the roads intact, or making sure there's enough traffic police, or any number of other measures that actually have something to do with transport.

It goes towards training more efficient drivers. What more could you want?
As said 100 hours seems excessive, but quite a few people on the English roads do not know how to drive - regardless of them having passed their driving test.

Former Member

Dear Wendy wrote:

It goes towards training more efficient drivers. What more could you want?
As said 100 hours seems excessive, but quite a few people on the English roads do not know how to drive - regardless of them having passed their driving test.

And i'm sure thats the case in every other nation on Earth too.

Former Member

Dear Wendy wrote:

It goes towards training more efficient drivers. What more could you want?
As said 100 hours seems excessive, but quite a few people on the English roads do not know how to drive - regardless of them having passed their driving test.

I don't think the standard of driving on the roads is that bad really, even though I might complain about twats not indicating and stuff like that. In fact, i find that the people that tend to complain most about other peoples driving tend to be pretty shit drivers themselves, because they tend to be the ones that have absolutely no patience for anyone who might make a mistake. I remember when we were driving home from Manchester one time, and my cousin accidentally cut across someone. A simple mistake, that he held his hands up for. And what does the other guy do? Doesn't drop back to a safe distance, speeds past us at over 80 sounding his horn, no doubt complaining about how everyone else is a shit driver. Call me a cynic, but I think that anyone who has that big of a chip on their shoulder about everyone elses driving, is probably pretty shit at driving themselves, because being stressed doesn't make you a good driver.

But I get your main point. But it's just a question of keeping in proportional. You can only increase the cost of motoring so much (whilst often spending the proceeds on other things) before people start to complain that you're using them as a blank chequebook.

Former Member

Re-test every ten years would be better IMHO

Former Member

Man Of Kent wrote:

Re-test every ten years would be better IMHO

At least a theory, I agree.

Former Member

Theory is the easy part. We all have a damned good idea of how we should drive. We just don't put it into practice. Attitude for example cannot be measured in a theory test...