Well done to Anna, who passed with 12 driver faults today. A close call, but she was extremely nervous and not driving as well as she can. But a pass is a pass, and I know she will be a safe driver now the pressure is off.
Enjoy those roundabouts in Milton Keynes!
Socialist Worker Online reports that examiners and administrative staff at the DSA have voted to strike over proposed job losses and closures.
The DSA plans to close offices at Cardiff and Newcastle.
This one will develop further.
Well done to Richard, who passed this morning first time with 3 driver faults.
I will never forget that comment when you showed me how you did your parallel park, and I asked how you had judged the position. You told me “I sensed where the kerb was. I’m good at that, me. You know what I mean?” And then on the second go we ended up about half a metre on the pavement!
And when you told me you weren’t nervous, and I asked if you wanted the loo when we got to the test centre. You said you didn’t need it. But your “super bladder” failed about 3 minutes later and you had to go!
We had a good laugh.
According to DSA Freedom of Information data, somewhere out there – in Southwark, actually - is a 26 year old woman who failed her theory test 90 times (it doesn’t say if she’s passed it yet, but she failed that 90th attempt in November 2010).
The theory test costs £31, so she has spent £2,790 just trying to pass her theory!
You’d think she might have got the message by now that Nature was trying to tell her something, wouldn’t you?
The same would apply to a 39 year old man from around Stoke on Trent. He failed his practical test for the 36th time several months ago. So he has spent well over £2,000 just on tests. Even if he managed to get a re-test every 10 days, he’d have taken a whole year to do this many, and even with only one 2 hour lesson between tests he would have spent an additional £1,500 on top of the £1,000 (at least) he would have spent learning at the start.
Nature needs to start shouting a bit louder.
Seriously, though. If someone repeatedly fails the test like this – does it mean they are acceptable if they eventually pass?
EDIT 17/3/2011: Incidentally, this story has gone global – the newsfeeds are supplying hits from all countries. I wonder if they’ll track the woman down?
This story from the TRL News Hub says that the “appalling” casualty rate of young drivers needs tackling… according to MPs.
Yes, it does. But if MPs were even close to living on this planet, they would realise that it isn’t the driving test that will achieve any reduction.
A recent report from the Transport Select Committee proposed making the current driving test more rigorous in an effort to reduce accident rates, claiming that it is “essential” young drivers are thoroughly prepared before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle alone.
When will people realise that it isn’t driving skill per se that is the problem?
The driving test has always been intended to make sure people are capable of going out on the road as new drivers, and then continuing to learn through experience gained over their subsequent driving lifetime. It has never been intended to put perfect drivers with a lifetime of experience out there.
Because it can’t. Ever,
The real problem lies in the fact that your average 21st Century 17-24 year old male thinks he is Buzz Lightyear, and your average 21st Century 17-24 year old female is more than happy to be posting her life story on Facebook or Twitter while she is driving her kids around. It didn’t used to be like this, but it is like it now. And it is the gradual change from the former to the latter (current) situation which is the real explanation for why so many of them kill themselves or others.
The TRL story also contains some more realistic recommendations from Brake, the road safety charity:
[Brake]… suggested implementing a system of ‘graduated driver licensing’, where there is a set learning period, followed by time spent as a novice driver where exposure to high risk is limited.This gives people the chance to build up their skills and experience on the road before they obtain their full licence, the charity explained.
Exactly. If the idiots can’t behave, then they either need to be made to behave – or prevented from misbehaving.
But even then, the focus of the Brake proposal is still on giving them the skills to behave like idiots without killing themselves rather than stopping them from behaving like idiots in the first place.
If you needed proof of all this, take a look at this BBC story. It reports on a delinquent named Philip Truong, who was apparently racing his car with another and effectively caused the death of two teenagers in the process (though one of them, the driver of the other car, deserves little sympathy) when the other car lost control. He was speeding, yet he has been cleared of the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving. Truong admitted he was “showing off” and his own defence lawyer said he was “immature”. He is 22, for God’s sake.
He may or may not go to jail.
And that’s the deterrent to behaving like idiots. There really almost isn’t one.
Well done Olivia, who passed today with 5 driver faults. Now you’re going to have to save your money properly to get that car and run it!
I was totting up my record and this makes my recent pass rate 80% out of the last 15 tests (it was between 50-60% last year). I’m not sure how much the independent driving section has got to do with pass rates overall, but in my own case I don’t think it matters too much because I’ve only ever had a handful of fails for any of the manoeuvres (and that’s out of hundreds of tests). Only one pupil has failed the independent driving section since it came in.
Well done to Tracy, who passed with just 3 driver faults this afternoon.
She couldn’t have left it any more late – her theory test certificate was due to run out tomorrow, and this test booking was a cancellation which came about due to all the snow we had at the end of last year.
Don’t forget to tell your insurance company you passed!
That’s six in a row for me at the moment.
I think this might be a little tongue-in-cheek judging from some of the stories on there [link removed, as now dead], but wouldn’t it be good if it were true and spread over to the UK?
In an effort to make driving less of a headache, the State of Colorado passed a law requiring an IQ exam as part of the driving test.
In order to obtain a drivers license in the State of Colorado, and IQ of at least 120 is required.
“We find that many traffic incidents and traffic jams are caused by sheer stupidity,” said El Paso County Sherriff Terry Maketa.
Lawmakers decided that if there were fewer stupid people on the road, there would be fewer stupidity-related incidents.
“I just want to be able to go skiing without hitting traffic caused by idiots who don’t know how to drive,” commented Representative Doug Lamborn.
It made me smile.
What IQ is required to get a driving licence?
Someone found the blog on that term (the spelling suggests it was an American query). Unfortunately, anything down to 0 (zero) is sufficient from what I’ve seen in the UK.
In America, I think negative numbers are allowed. And in some states, as long as you carry a spare pack of Pampers (diapers) in the boot (trunk) age isn’t a restriction, either.
Well done to Leanne, who passed with 5 driver faults this afternoon.
She equals the record for the person who demonstrated the most marked lack of enthusiasm when told of her pass, but I do know what it means to her. As she said herself, she couldn’t believe she’d passed and it hadn’t sunk in yet.
On top of all the bad stuff, here at least was some really good news to carry her forward.
From my own point of view, I’m now back on a roll of 5 in a row.
An interesting story from the Southeast Missourian (USA). State legislators are supporting a Missouri House bill whereby driving tests could only be conducted in English.
House Speaker Steven Tilley, R-Perryville said:
If there’s a flashing sign that says ‘merge left,’ I want somebody who can read that sign…
Missouri currently conducts the test in 11 languages, but the candidate can pay for and supply their own interpreter (from an approved list) if they speak a language that isn’t covered.
I’ll let you read the story and form your own opinions.
Imagine someone raising something like that in the UK.
EDIT 23/2/2011: CBS St Louis reports that the bill mentioned above is going to be debated in the House.
EDIT 5/3/2011: WLTZ 38 News reports that a lawsuit filed in Alabama claiming that multiple-language driving tests were “unconstituional” has been rejected by the Alabama Supreme Court. No reason was given.