"l" Drivers

[TWR]

8am BBC News, are going to be allowed on the UK Motorways! Is this safe?

[ToraToraTora]

I'd rather have L drivers than no drivers TWR!

[mushroom25]

who's the bigger risk, TWR - the possibly hesitant trainee guided by a competent instructor, or the driver of a 44tonner who indiscriminately pulls out to overtake because he "can't afford" to slow down?

[mikey4444]

Almost every morning this week, there as been a serious accident on the M4 here in South Wales, and most occasions, its been due to serious driving errors.

Tailgating, not using lights or indicators, and driving far too fast. It seems to me that everybody needs to learn how to drive on Motorways, not just the newly qualified.

We have had poor visibility most of the week too, and yet there are still plenty of cars around with no lights on. Or, even worse, driving with just side-lights
( my pet hate ! )

People just don't seem to realise the difference between driving at 30-40 mph, and 70+.

[rockyracoon]

And that, Mikey, sums up why it could be a good idea to let learners drive on the motorways.

[Zacs-Master]

Motorways are by far the safer road type when looking at fatal,accidents:
Although motorways carry around 21 per cent of traf c, they only account for 6 per cent of fatalities and 5 per cent of injured casualties.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/533293/rrcgb-main-results-2015.pdf#page16

[naomi24]

//We have had poor visibility most of the week too, and yet there are still plenty of cars around with no lights on. //

Yes indeed! I simply don't understand why drivers don't put their lights on in bad weather. It infuriates me!

[ummmm]

Mikey - but there's a good chance they are all experienced drivers.

[Zacs-Master]

Naomi, modern dashboards are illuminated all the time leading people,to believe their lights are on. Also many cars now have automatic lights which don't come on in rain or fog.

[naomi24]

Zacs-Master, I know, and so should the drivers of those cars. My lights come on automatically, but in bad weather I always make sure they are on.

[mikey4444]

Ummm....yes, probably true. These bad habits are now ingrained in some people.

Another of my pets hates is people driving modern cars with DDL's......daylight driving lights, when they should be using their headlights. Most cars come with this facility now, but some people are unaware that while there are lights of some sort at the front, DDL's don't show from behind.....ie they are like sidelights on in the front only.

I have never really understood why DDL's only show at the front ?

[Zacs-Master]

Well done you. Me too. My observations over the years would lead me to believe that the main offenders are women driving people carriers with children in the car. Probably about 70% compared to other drivers.

[Zacs-Master]

That was to Naomi.

[Famous5]

Good idea, provided it doesn't become a compulsory part of the test. It's over 100 miles from Penzance to the nearest motorway, and I'm sure it will be similar from parts of Scotland

[Old_Geezer]

I don't understand why my headlights set on auto insist on coming on during the day, EXCEPT when the mechanics are checking it out.

[Electrochem]

If they are learning in certain makes of cars, they would have to learn:

Do not use your indicators, stay in the third lane until 100 yards before your exit junction etc.

On a serious note, I think it's a good idea as long as they are supervised by a fully qualified instructor. They are already allowed on similar sorts of road, with 70 MPH speed limits. To be honest, they would probably go faster off the motorway!

[jno]

it's not just supervised, Electrochem, the proposal is for it to be done in dual-control cars

[Zacs-Master]

I've always found it wierd that there is an advanced level of driving. I passed the IAM test a long time ago and found it strange that there are so many simple techniques to make you and other road users safer drivers, that aren't taught as standard. Speed awareness courses are also useful for this.

[vulcan42]

The safest way for learners to be taught is in stages. Continue as it is at the moment but with night driving added which can be as frightening as motorway driving the first time it's tried. After the person has passed the written and practical test allow them to drive for a period to gain experience and confidence and then be taught with an instructor how to drive on motorways.

[ummmm]

My driving instructor insisted on night driving.

[HansUrbancka]

Talking of inexperienced drivers, Motorcyclists teach themselves and a large number of them should have their licences removed for a period of time if caught riding between lanes on Dual Carriageways or Motorways. I hardly think that a car driver in the smallest of vehicles would get away with such behaviour, just because there was a wide gap between lanes.

Hans.