Learning to Drive

[malvolio]

I think most of what you’re seeing in this thread matches my own experience.

Young drivers today are in a very different environment to when many of us learned — cars are heavier, roads busier and the consequences of a mistake feel much higher. That said, I’m not sure that simply slapping an X or P plate on the back of a car actually makes much difference to safety. In my group of friends when we first passed, most of the risks we faced were about inexperience rather than anything to do with how visible we were to other drivers.

There are definitely groups who push it too hard and make a nuisance of themselves on the roads, but that’s more about enforcement and responsible driving than the licensing rules themselves. A police presence and sensible penalties tend to do more for overall safety than plates or restrictions that don’t address the real behaviour issues.

Overall I don’t think policy should punish everyone for the actions of a minority, but I agree that anything that encourages better training and more awareness for novice drivers is a good thing.

Agreed, training is the key. I started in Land Rovers and tractors on the farm when I was 11 or so, some circuit driving (Lotus Anglia anyone?) then two wheels then cars. Thought I was fairly good at driving until I took the BSM High Performance course (many years ago now). They didn't teach me any more about car control but a hell of a lot about risk assessment. Then I did the IAM test and met Roadcraft, where police treat driving as a process rather than a s series of unconnected events. Had a gig a while back with a constabulary and had to take a driving assessment with one of their Class A drivers. He didn't say much other than where to go, then at the end it was "Aye, tha'll do!".

Snag is (or was) it cost money and most of my peers thought I was doing it to gain some kind of shiny badge. It will be the same now!

[Paracelsus]

Brother in law got one that was faster than my stage 4.25 tuned GTR running 700bhp.

I hope you kept that, wait a few years (and take the mods off) and you can retire!
Unless you're talking about a R35...