Learner drivers

We live in a rural area and driving schools use our street to teach their learners to reverse usually behind my car! I agree that learners need to learn, although in my opinion there are already too many cars on the roads. I have witnessed a few near misses, where a learner has almost collided with my car. I know driving school cars have dual controls but I wonder what would happen if a car hit mine.
In New Zealand, where I come from, all speed limit signs say 50, or whatever the speed limit is, is not a target and I have noticed that they are beginning to do it over here.

in my suburban corner, people drive at ridiculous speeds. And in massive 4x4s. Hate to think the damage they can cause in their rush. Especially pedestrians wandering across roads looking at phones, off with the fairies,

I am useless at reversing back down a road although fine in a car park, think it's the distance & also restricted movement in my neck (my excuse & I'm sticking to it)

I lived in a rural area when I was learning to drive & learnt through the Winter, some dreadful weather conditions so that holds no real terrors for me. I now live in rural Devon, sorry to say but visitors are the worst, they freeze if they meet another vehicle on a fairly narrow road!! Some locals drive too fast especially over Dartmoor (40 MPH limit).

I am an expert at parallel parking as long as it's nearside

My biggest bugbear is lack of indicators, I'm not a "mind reader". As for using roundabouts correctly

We are just under 200 miles to our nearest motorway, so not sure what will happen up here. But agree with learner how to navigate single track roads!

Lemon I learned to drive in 1966, and my memory not being perfect, I don't remember if it was part of the test, but it was definitely one of the things I was taught, along with reversing around corners with the aid of a hairclip pushed into the centre of the back window rubber. I still use the same method, whether driving a large Daimler or my present small Opel Corsa: first pull alongside the space to see if there is room for your car! Then pull alongside the car in front with the back wheel level with the end of that car. Reverse with full lock until you judge your wheel arch is the right distance from the kerb (depends who my passenger is...if DH he needs a good foot to be able to get out of the car, anyone fit gets half that distance) change lock at this point and straighten up the car...job done.

I hate it when horse riders and cyclists ride side by side sometimes making it impossible to pass because I like to give them a wide berth , I'm another who wishes drivers would use their indicators on the road and in car parks .

I struggle with reversing, I am only 5' tall (probably less now!) and after a whiplash injury I cannot turn my head far, even looking sideways is painful. Thank God for rear parking sensors, I have to use the mirrors instead of turning round, and can only look at one side of the car at a time, so yes, I cannot help a bit of weaving backwards and forwards if reversing for any distance. So I am probably the one waiting hopefully that someone who finds reversing easier than me will give in first! I don't think I am alone in having neck pain, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak!

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.

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!

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.?

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.

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?

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

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'.

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

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.

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)

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 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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!

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