I failed my artic truck test initially for the trailer clipping the kerb at the very end

Why? I pased on my 5th test and all my fails were entirely down to nerves and not my driving skills. Just because you're not successful passing the test doesn't mean you're a bad driver.

In fairness I was just picking a relatively low number out of the air, nor can I claim I passed my test 1st time either (passed second time round). Having said that I still agree with Sas here that a limit on the number of times an individual can fail their test, perhaps with an opportunity for fails to drop off your 'record' after a period of time like licence points, is a good idea.
You're absolutely right to say that some people experience nervousness that affects their performance in the driving tests and may lead to failure but at some point, as you did, they need to get over it.
While I picked 5 out of the air I don't think it's an unreasonable number to give people a fair chance of passing and getting over their nerves but at some point I also don't think it's unreaosnable to draw the line and say to the person that they've clearly got an issue and as a consequence shouldn't be driving. If they can't cope with a driving examiner how will they deal with a nervous passenger, or a judgemental member of their family as two examples?

I also agree that passing or failing the test doesn't automatically make you a good or bad driver - that's down to skill, experience, personality and so on, a lot of which is developed once you get out there on your own. However the test, as with many exams, is there to set a minimum 'safe' standard. How well people stick to that standard is a matter for society to judge and enforce via the police and things like insurance rules.

Ooooo - where to start ranting with this one?

Given that all drivers are in charge of a potentially lethal weapon, here's some things I'd like on the test:

• Basic driving licence to only allow engines up to 100bhp, no motorway driving and carrying of no more than 2 passengers
• Standard driving licence to only allow engines up to 200bhp
• Enhanced licence to allow engines up to 300bhp
• Super-Enhanced licence to allow engines up to 500bhp
• Professional licence to allow any engine
• Every driver has to re-test every 10 years
• Every test to be subject to eye-test by qualified Optometrist
• Enhanced, Super-Enhanced and Professional licences to be subject to medical check-up
• All tests, other than Basic, to include driving on motorway for at least 30 minutes.
• All learners have to be able to certify that they have done the following:
  
  
  1. Driven in the rain
  2. Driven in the dark
  3. Driven on wet roads below 10 degrees celcius
  4. Driven in a busy town centre
  5. Refueled a car
  6. Inflated a tyre
  7. Checked a tyre pressure
  8. Checked a tyre tread depth
  9. Correctly found the tyre size and rating
  10. Checked engine oil
  11. Checked all lights with help
  12. Checked all lights without help
  13. Driven on motorways for at least two hours in a single day and for at least one hour without a break (not for Basic licence)

But here are some other things I'd like:

• No speed limits on motorways
• Replace all motorway speed cameras with tailgating cameras
• Replace all Highways Agency plastic bobbies with real traffic police officers
• Road marking/barriers preventing vehicles in Lanes 3,4 or greater from changing lane within 1/4 mile of a junction
• Ban Xenon lamps - they're f***ing atrocious
• Vehicles carrying infants to be banned from using lanes 3 or greater, except at filtered junctions
• Not using indicators to be subject to fine of either £5000 or 3 months' income, which ever is the greater
• Unecessary use of fog lamps to be subject to fine of either £5000 or 3 months' income, which ever is the greater
• Tailgating to be subject to 18 months' ban and a fine of either £10000 or 6 months' income, which ever is the greater
• Tailgating while driving a Bus, minibus, van/LGV or HGV to be subject to 3 months' custodial sentence and 5 years' ban and a fine of either £20000 or 12 months' income, which ever is the greater
• Everyone who lives in Northampton gets to kick everybody who had anything to do with the roads in the genitals
• The designer of the new Catthorpe junction has to get kicked in the face
• The person who decided that the A5 should be dug up at the same time as the M1 is to be stabbed in front of their family

Rant over - for now.

Sounds very reasonable Rusty.

On the test side I agree, especially the power rating and retesting.

Good list Rusty. I learnt to drive in a quieter age and have continued to improve my technique as time has passed. My most important (hard won) 2 lessons? Tolerance of others and that the road is not a racetrack.

It sounds suspiciously like the genius club in Northampton that deal with Roads and the one in Peterborough may be one and the same.
We apparently have some award winning bits of road in Peterborough. This may be true but I suspect the awards weren't given by anyone who has to drive on the bloddy things.

Not driving test related as such but I'd like a prohibition on lorries (and vehicles fitted with speed restrictors that means they can't keep up with the rest of the traffic) trying to overtake each other without there being at least 1 lane in which to pass for faster vehicles - so no lorries overtaking on dual carriagways, only using lanes 1 and 2 on a 3 lane motorway and so on.

I'd had, car must have two working lights when on the road or 3 points.

Would be a bit unfair if a bulb goes while you're driving. A lot of more recent cars also make it very difficult to actually replace the bulbs without dismantling large chuncks of the vehicle so a roadside repair may not be practical.
The police can do you for non-functional lights already (if they see you and can be bothered) but I suspect you get away with a warning the first time for the reason stated above.

There's also the fact cars are increasingly getting LED light arrays rather than individual bulbs. You can't change one of those by the road side, although in theory they break less often anyway.

The thing with mine if the DRLs are quite bright, so if one of the main lights did fail I'm not sure I'd immediately notice it anyway.

Jon

I'd go one further and say must have two working lights at the front and two at the rear of the car. Or maybe I'm being pedantic.

Now you can sod off right there!!!!!

I wrote a massive reply to this but never got round to posting it. Will try again


How are you going to determine the bhp of every vehicle? Particularly as you can modify them. Are you going to demand rolling road tests? Self-declaration?
And what will giving them a licence achieve? Will they have to undergo specialist training? Pay more money? Just have a fancier car? IMO the people who are the most dangerous are the ones who have under 100bhp. Dithering old ladies in their little fiestas who haven't checked their blind spots before manoeuvring.


Why? What's the difference between an optometrist doing an eye test and asking someone to read a number plate from 20m? If there's any doubt, the test doesn't proceed. You'd also cause huge backlogs at optometrists and you'd also line their pockets. I've done HGV medicals in the past. I used a snellen chart. If they failed, I would ask them to visit an optometrist at that point. Not before.


And what are you hoping to find in the medical check up? If someone can drive a basic car, they should be able to drive a professional car. If they have a medical condition that precludes them from having a super enhanced licence, should they even be on the road?


And how are you going to achieve verification? Instructor ticks a little box? Unless they're directly part of the examination, there's scope for fraud.


Never had issues with them.


I didn't use my indicators for half the journey home last night. There was no one else around to indicate to.


Given that more and more car manufacturers are now using fog lamps as DRLs, what are you going to do? Suddenly ban all cars? What about those people who had bought a car with fog light DRLs? The fog light issue used to pee me off loads mainly because the drivers would use sidelights and fog lights. Now manufacturers use dipped + fog lights. Sometimes the fog light is used as a "cornering" light.


Anyone who decided to live in northampton should be killed. Slowly.

I used to think that people became rubbish drivers after passing their test. They became lazy, forgot rules etc. A re-test every 10 years seemed sensible. But over the past couple of years, I've noticed more police cars on the road. Guess what happens? People suddenly become model drivers. They would drive at sensible speeds, avoid risky manouevres, use indicators where appropriate etc. Retesting wouldn't change this - you can smarten up for a test and immediately become lazy again. Where retesting might be useful is in those situations where the rules have changed significantly that people need to be aware of them.

I would advocate a longer first test and then shorter re-tests. The hazard perception test was brought in about six months after I passed my test. But I don't think I was fully aware of all hazards until well after I'd been driving for at least six months. By that time, I was comfortable with my car and didn't have to think about the controls. I was more focussed on where I was going and on hazards. Now, I tend to drive on almost "autopilot" ie I know how to get to a destination (unless it's new/relatively new) and don't even think about how to get there eg work, supermarket, visiting family, etc. I just tend to look at what's going on around me and what might happen.

Re-tests are REMOVED.

I also agree that horsepower can't be measured in such wide segments. The lowest powered car I've ever owned was 65bhp and I had a dangerous accident in it (my fault). Did the same a few years later in a 90bhp car. Both were (OLD) diesels.

The highest powered car I've owned was my last at 180bhp. I drove thousands of miles around the UK and across Europe for over 5 years without incident because I'd grown up and learnt from the mistakes of my 20s.

Driving on the continent (2 wheels or 4) is more enjoyable because there is less traffic by and large. This is definitely the case when comparing Cornwall with similarly touristy/rural spots in Italy/Switzerland/Spain. Maybe major cities will always have a problem, but the availability of cheap, efficient, comfortable public transport makes car ownership more conducive to simply enjoying a drive - not commuting.

Less commuters, less traffic, less frustration, less need to be a tool.

Youngsters will always be idiots. We've all done it - me included. Testing won't change that.

Good judgement comes from experience and experience often comes from bad judgement. So the trick is to make it less lethal for WHEN the inevitable occurs.