Learner drivers

Hi Anya, I quite agree that riders, cyclists and of course walkers have just as much right to use roads as motorists - we have several footpaths crossing our local roads & it's not uncommon to see groups of hikers. I apologise if I appeared to be suggesting otherwise. My post however was specifically to do with drivers on rural roads. Maybe this thread is pointing out that all rural road users, be they riders of horses or bikes, drivers of cars or walkers should be more aware of others! Regarding the speed limit, our closest road is classed as a "quiet lane" and the speed limit is 20mph - there are parts of the road where I feel 10 is more appropriate as you never know what's coming from around the blind corner - a tractor with a fully laden trailer going downhill doesn't stop very fast! Neither does a group of cyclists...! My daughter did a lot of reversing practice in empty car parks, not just parallel parking. My son started driving on the farm when he was 6 & could competently reverse a tractor & trailer round a corner into a shed by the time he was 12..now, I've had 36 years practicing reversing up our lanes but I could never quite get the hang of that !!

If it was purely for the test it might be a possibility but cost/distance/time rule out any regular exposure. It's a 440 mile round trip from north Scotland to the nearest motorway, taking 11 hours driving not including meal stops and a driving lesson. Using a local (to the motorway) driving school car and taking the train is even worse. That's a 14 hour round trip - again not including meal stops and lesson. It also costs in the region of £70 for the train. It's not as simple as making an effort, the logistics do not make it feasible.

What about those who live in the centre of big conurbations? Will they have to take their driving tests 30 miles plus away from home in order for the examiner to find some country roads.

DH has done, and passed the Institute of Advanced Motorists' test and one of the contentious issues there is is that, unless road/weather etc conditions dictate otherwise you are expected to drive to the speed limit, whatever that may be or the national speed limit in non-controlled roads.

This means if there is a long straight on a country road you are meant to speed up to 60, and slow down when you reach the end and the road bends etc, which I think is ridiculous. I think that you should drive at a steady speed with some variation if the road is clear ahead but I cannot see that it is good practice to constantly accelerate and slow down and have therefore decided not to do the IAM test. DH failed it the first time for not driving fast enough!!!!!

I was stopped once by police for going too slow!! It was dark and very cold/icy but they weren't impressed by that!

Many, many years ago a neighbours son moved to Scotland and died when his car hit a tractor. I'm sure that it doesn't occur to many people that, when going round a corner on a rural road, there could be something they might drive into. Having said that, my daughter lives in the next village to me and I very rarely drive to her house without someone driving very fast round one of the bends, usually slightly on the wrong side of the road and with one hand on their mobile phone [can't believe that is still happening]. And these are people that have been driving for years .

Our rural roads are really badly potholed now, especially near the edges. Perhaps because of this, a lot of drivers have started driving in the middle of the roads and are reluctant to move over very far when they pass a vehicle coming the other way. We have seen so many near misses recently because of this. And that is on the straight stretches, so you can imagine what it is like on the bends. As there doesnt seem much likelyhood of the holes being filled in, how to safely negotiate pot holes needs to be taught too!

Can I please put in a plea for people to actually bother to indicate in car parks? OK, there might be any other cars around, but pedestrians would appreciate knowing if you are planning to suddenly turn into a place where we are about to walk!

And a very simple bit of advice for new (or maybe all?) drivers, keep your speed down, and your distance up. You never know what the driver of the car in front is going to do, so don't get too close, and you have a better chance of reacting well and safely to events if you are driving at a reasonable speed.

My mantra about speed limits is " just because you can doesn't mean you should and certainly doesn't mean you must" usually muttered as some lunatic speeding driver overtakes me after being far too closely behind me on a country road

Not really for this thread, but I must say, on the TV last night there was a study been done about good driving, and the conclusion was that drivers who are 75 years old are the safest drivers, how about that.This was a survey in Sweden I think, where we live, I had a proud moment there!

Not only pot holes everywhere, but road markings seem to be non existent in some places. We have a quite complicated island at the end of our village that directs people to the motorway, an A road and several villages and, if I didn't know it really well I wouldn't have a clue as to what lane I should be in. DD went to Nottingham the other week [somewhere that she used to live] and said it was the same there.

It's a good idea about rural roads, but not practical for city dwellers when taking driving lessons. I would have to travel miles away to find a rural road. Where as motorways are very close.

I think some people are naturally good drivers, many are average to okay and some are down right terrible. Age doesn't have much to do with it.

At 17 my DS had 6-8 driving lessons. He had no access to extra practice and against mine and DH's advice he took a test in a strange town that he had never visited in his life (as it was the only one available at short notice) . He passed.

I hold my hand up here and admit that I am hopeless at reversing. I lose all sense of direction when in reverse. DH says I am a good driver otherwise (I think I'm just ok) but I really do struggle to reverse. I do still reverse up the drive every time though (good job it's a wide drive )

I thought that the new rules for motorway driving and rural road driving was for some tuition to be given on roads of different types (presumably certified by a registered driving instructor) not for the actual driving test to include driving on both motorways and rural roads.

It sounds a good idea to me. Perhaps simulators might be used if there are no nearby motorways?

I've long thought that learner drivers need to have driving experience in the dark, in the rain, and on icy roads. Drivers could pass their test having only experienced driving in daylight on dry roads. How about skid pans for learning about wet and icy conditions and how to control a skid?

When I was booked for my driving test (a long time ago!) it snowed so my test was cancelled. But my instructor took me out for a lesson in the snow which was invaluable and I've never forgotten his advice.

I'm sure the majority of cars still don't have rear cameras or reversing sensors, so reversing can be a problem for some people GrammaH.

Great idea about the skidpan mostlyhopeless - I wouldn't be much good in a skidding situation. Night time driving is also a challenge for the novice driver if no kind person has ever taken them out after dark.

You're right, of course - a lot of cars still don't have sensors or reversing cameras. In fact, our new car has both but, like many Gransnetters, I've been driving for a long time (40 years in my case) so I still use my mirrors or look out of the back window. With many years of driving behind us Gransnetters though, I should have thought reversing shouldn't be a problem & everyone could reverse beautifully- surely 30 plus years is long enough to perfect any skill?!! Apologies in advance, I can hear the comments already.....!!

I moved from a busy Greater London suburb to a semi rural location and I am not at all surprised there are so many accidents - the people here love tail-gating, overtaking on bends and don't seem to understand that the little stick under the steering wheel is to indicate where they are going next (or else they think everone on the road is psychic)

The new driving test under consideration will include parallel parking, driving on country and urban roads (maybe even on a dual carriageway or a motorway) and following Satnav directions. Whether or not it will improve standards remains to be seen. I passed my test all those years ago in a beaten up old Austin with a crash gearbox having been taught by an old retired lorry driver.

So Caro1954 you don't trust mirrors. So how do you put on your makeup "by guess and by God?" <LoL>

I have been driving since 1956 all over the world without incident and have declined the IAM test because their standards for ordinary motorists are quite unrealistic. The same goes for RoSpA. I have my eyes and reaction times tested regularly which I think is a must particularly for older drivers. My pet hates are 'tailgating and not signalling an intention'.

You know I meant reversing mirrors Foxie! My makeup mirror and my reading glasses are my best friends!

Imperfect parallel parking, what's that??
Rural driving is often poor, either too slow or much too fast.
I did hear that learner drivers will have to learn to drive on motorways, how does everybody feel about that?

lemongrove I am totally in favour of learner drivers going on motorways. Nothing prepares you for that first solo encounter on a motorway, particularly the busier ones like the M1 and M6. I thought parallel parking had been in the test for a good while as I well remember finding quiet streets for DD to practice the art some 15 years ago.

Yes, parallel parking was part of the driving test at least 15 years ago, but not 47 years ago when I learned to drive.
I refuse to do it.?

I live in a rural area and we are surrounded by windy narrow lanes. It is also an expanding area and the village has become quite a rat run from one side of a hilly ridge to another to access a main road. It seems to me that there are some drivers who do not modify their driving technique/speed to the road conditions and find it impossible to understand that driving around country lanes is not the same as driving on a motorway!

shysal For DG2 sake the learning experience is not harsh
I passed my test on the second attempt after failing on first due to undue hesitation on a industrial estate crossroads. I think the examiner was in a hurry to finish his shift
I still hesitate until completely sure .
Be safe not sorry.