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What is it we do?....


AMT

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I find one of the problems these days is people seem to have lost the ability to overtake, so you just the queues forming behind a slower car.

 

It goes hand in hand with the belief that to drive more conservatively is to drive 'better' which is frankly, bollocks.

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Indeed. Any old diesel lump has more than enough torque to overtake with, but no-one ever does.

 

Me, I'll do it at every single time given the chance. Good practice.

 

Should be part of the test imho, along with many other things that actually teach you how to drive.

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I find one of the problems these days is people seem to have lost the ability to overtake, so you just the queues forming behind a slower car.

 

It goes hand in hand with the belief that to drive more conservatively is to drive 'better' which is frankly, bollocks.

 

Didn't see that mentioned in the thread so far? If you edge up behind slower drivers, you might then find that person does one of three things. Firstly realises they were well under the speed limit and speed up and generally feel ok with it, secondly stay at that speed and just ignore you with a level of patience you don't have, or thirdly they speed up over and above their comfort zone and potentially cause an accident.

 

Stick the boot on the other foot. There are drivers out there that could easily sit up behind you, speed up slow down, flash lights etc because you are not for instance on the speed limit completely on say a tight country road. So a 60mph tight corner approaches, you slow for it a touch but their better set up car, better skills, and better knowledge means they are stuck behind you as you ease off. If they started flashing their lights, how would you feel?

 

I know I am in a minority of one on this, and I am not looking to change anyones mind, I just think it helps to put yourself into someone elses shoes for a minute to try and understand why they do what they do...

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I dont think its just a zed thing. People always try racing me in my previous cars too. think its just now-a-days people like to brag to their mates oh i beat this and i beat that etc etc

 

Im sure it goes something like 'oi lads, I beat a porsche earlier today!'

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I just think it helps to put yourself into someone elses shoes for a minute to try and understand why they do what they do...

 

If you havent got the confidence or ability to drive at the speed limit or be able to overtake etc etc, then you shouldnt be on the road in my opinion., your only putting yourself and everyone else at risk.

 

This is the problem with the test, it doesnt acknowledge the ability to drive to your surroundings, just perform basic tasks in simple car control, overtaking, motorway driving, skid pan, driving at night etc should all be part of the test.

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And all the people that drive right up on the speed limit confident they are safe and have the skills to drive and kill people when it all goes wrong for whatever reason, they are OK to be on the road, there are plenty of them around who probably lambast slower drivers then turn off put their foot down most likely moaning about the slow driver they were stuck behind then wrap it around a tree - should they then not be allowed to drive again because clearly they do not have the ability.

 

What about new drivers? They hardly step into their first car with 20 years of driving experience and probably drive slower, should they not be on the road?

 

There are older drivers who know their reactions are maybe not as lightning fast as they were 20 years ago (not including blind, 100 year old people in that) and wisely give themselves a bit more time to react, should they not be on the road?

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And all the people that drive right up on the speed limit confident they are safe and have the skills to drive and kill people when it all goes wrong for whatever reason, they are OK to be on the road, there are plenty of them around who probably lambast slower drivers then turn off put their foot down most likely moaning about the slow driver they were stuck behind then wrap it around a tree - should they then not be allowed to drive again because clearly they do not have the ability.

 

What about new drivers? They hardly step into their first car with 20 years of driving experience and probably drive slower, should they not be on the road?

 

There are older drivers who know their reactions are maybe not as lightning fast as they were 20 years ago (not including blind, 100 year old people in that) and wisely give themselves a bit more time to react, should they not be on the road?

 

If they wrap it round a tree, they have gone past their abilities and no they are not ok to be on the road, obviously.

 

New drivers abilities should be better tested, i already said that, so no, until they are able to prove they have the ability to perform more than basic tasks then they shouldnt be on the road.

 

Older drivers, no if they cant drive or reaction times have diminished to that of a sloth, no of course not, retest at retirement age and 5 yearly.

 

Drivers should be confident in their surroundings and road conditions, many arent and many are over confident.

 

A thorough test should be introduced and a basic retest for drivers over a certain age to check valuable info like reaction times. I will give you an example, i look after a flat for a client, there is an old boy in the block, i timed him actually get out of his car, 3.32 seconds, if he cant even exit a car because his limbs just dont work, what chance has he on the road.

 

Whilst it may appear like i am preaching, i am not and i am not saying everyone should drive round at the national speed limit whatever the circumstances, would you not like to see the roads a safer place?

Edited by Jetpilot
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The person that wrapped their car around the tree, prior to that is your 'oh that slow driver, shouldn't be on the road, im a better driver' type of person just minutes before. I dare say it, but any one of us could lose concentration at what we consider our safe speed at the speed limit and crash, none of us are immune but you wouldn't ban all of us from the road. In terms of safety, someone making their own way, in their own time, is much less likely to be unsafe than someone driving faster - any accident at a higher speed is likely to result in a higher chance of injury.

 

But hey, im debating driving slower on a forum full of petrolheads in performance cars, I get it I am going to get out voted!

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Your mistaking that i am saying everyone should drive as fast as they ultimately can, i am not, i am saying everyone should be capable at driving at a pace suitable for the conditions, if they cant for whatever reason, then no of course they shouldnt be on the road.

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When I'm in charge, anyone that has an accident on a straight bit of road gets an instaban for a year. There's just no way it should be possible for motorways to have accidents every single day.

 

This is alongside my long-standing snipers-on-roundabouts for those who don't indicate pledge.

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I digress to, its a waste of time anyway, had police, camera etc on in the background the other day, caught a lad, 16 years old, driving his mums car with no licence and no insurance and literally on the limit for drink driving, 8 points for when he eventually got his licence along with a host of others who were already banned from driving being caught in stolen cars driving like c****, waste of our breathe really when thats the justice system :)

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Your mistaking that i am saying everyone should drive as fast as they ultimately can, i am not, i am saying everyone should be capable at driving at a pace suitable for the conditions, if they cant for whatever reason, then no of course they shouldnt be on the road.

 

No I get it, but like I said above, if you were on country road you were not familiar with in a 1.6 diesel focus with three of your friends 3 year olds strapped in the back and you feel a little tired having chased them around the playground for the last 4 hours - the conditions might be that its 60 all the way, there is a chance, you might not be doing 60, you might even drop it back a tad to 50...then a Lotus Elise comes up behind you, the guys accelerates, decelerates flashes his lights, would you speed up, would you be a bit narked with him. Would you therefore be holding everyone up un-necessarily given you are not driving to the conditions?

 

Really I think as your post above, we should be venting at idiots that tailgate, undertake, middle lane, no insurance, abuse other road users and the other anti-social driving antics that happen - personally someone doing 30 in a 50 is highly unlikely to cause an accident and could well be driving that speed for very good reason what do I know, they really don't nark me at all and its quite nice to engage boost to overtake when I can.

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So for starters, I'm probably the calmest person I know, and that includes on the road. I don't road rage, but there is a strong feeling of bewilderment.

 

Fair enough if you don't feel comfortable going the speed limit when the conditions aren't ideal (road, weather etc). It's quite often ridiculously foggy round here on my commute and we all crawl through the 50 zones at 25-30, and that's cool, I'm okay with that. Another example would be a stretch of road which is a 40, but it's crazy tight and there's some really sharp corners. Again, I wouldn't really mind if you drop down to 10 through there.

 

However, when it's dry, clear, and a straight, wide road with no traffic, you have no real excuse for feeling uncomfortable going the speed limit. Even the really slow people manage 50 on the motorway, and that's usually in narrower lanes than A roads and there's traffic moving about all around you.

 

Also wish people would learn how the different speed cameras work. If it's one of these:

truvelo-speed-camera.jpg

Then you only need to worry about them if they are facing you, and even then, only when you get to the 3 black lines in the road right in front of them.

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i look after a flat for a client, there is an old boy in the block, i timed him actually get out of his car, 3.32 seconds, if he cant even exit a car because his limbs just dont work, what chance has he on the road.

Is that supposed to be a bad time?

 

I probably take that long if I can't swing the door open fully, and I'm a third the age of a good portion of the guys on here. :unsure:

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