Re: Driver license test - questions about peds & cyclists?

[BrettS]

Theo Bekkers wrote:

>>Experience is one thing, but if your experience involves always doing
>>the same thing wrong, like indicating right to exit a roundabout,
>
>
> Who would indicate right to exit a roundabout?

Morons, and lots of them


>>FWIW, how many roundabouts were there in WA in 1963? Or freeways? Or
>>cycle lanes?
>
>
> None, one and none. That obviously means that anyone in WA my age
confronted
> by a roundabout is totally confused. Is it safe to assume you have
learnt
> nothing since you got your driving licence?

You misunderstand the point I was making. Experience counts for nothing
if what you learnt was incorrect in the first place and you've spent the
intervening years practising the same mistake.

--
BrettS

 

[Theo Bekkers]

BrettS wrote:
> Theo Bekkers wrote:

>> None, one and none. That obviously means that anyone in WA my age
>> confronted by a roundabout is totally confused. Is it safe to assume
>> you have learnt nothing since you got your driving licence?

> You misunderstand the point I was making. Experience counts for
> nothing if what you learnt was incorrect in the first place and
> you've spent the intervening years practising the same mistake.

So what was your point. All older person have no idea of how to drive? This
must be why all the under 25s are dying and the over 55s get cheap
insurance.

Theo

 

[TimC]

On 2006-02-25, Theo Bekkers (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> BrettS wrote:
>> Theo Bekkers wrote:
>
>>> None, one and none. That obviously means that anyone in WA my age
>>> confronted by a roundabout is totally confused. Is it safe to assume
>>> you have learnt nothing since you got your driving licence?
>
>> You misunderstand the point I was making. Experience counts for
>> nothing if what you learnt was incorrect in the first place and
>> you've spent the intervening years practising the same mistake.
>
> So what was your point. All older person have no idea of how to drive? This
> must be why all the under 25s are dying and the over 55s get cheap
> insurance.

Yep. Older persons don't die themselves, they just kill other road
users that their cataracted eyes don't pick up...

Stupid blind old bat who pulled out in front of me barely looking, let
alone seeing.

--
TimC
"If geiger counter does not click, the coffee, she is just not thick."
-- Pitr Dubovich, User Friendly

 

[BrettS]

Theo Bekkers wrote:
> BrettS wrote:
>
>>Theo Bekkers wrote:
>
>
>>>None, one and none. That obviously means that anyone in WA my age
>>>confronted by a roundabout is totally confused. Is it safe to assume
>>>you have learnt nothing since you got your driving licence?
>
>
>>You misunderstand the point I was making. Experience counts for
>>nothing if what you learnt was incorrect in the first place and
>>you've spent the intervening years practising the same mistake.
>
>
> So what was your point. All older person have no idea of how to drive? This
> must be why all the under 25s are dying and the over 55s get cheap
> insurance.
>

Not at all, just that it makes sense to retest ALL drivers periodically.
The same way athletes need coaches to maintain their technique, why
shouldn't road users get periodic checks?

Under 25s die cause they overestimate their ability to control their car
and drive too fast. Over 55s get cheap insurance because they don't
drive as many kilometres as younger people. (Alright, and because they
may be more cautious drivers )

BTW, it's not just drivers over 55 that don't seem to understand the
road rules.

--
BrettS

 

[Theo Bekkers]

BrettS wrote:
> Theo Bekkers wrote:

>> So what was your point. All older person have no idea of how to
>> drive? This must be why all the under 25s are dying and the over 55s
>> get cheap insurance.

> Not at all, just that it makes sense to retest ALL drivers
> periodically. The same way athletes need coaches to maintain their
> technique, why shouldn't road users get periodic checks?

I agree about keeping up to date but not with retesting. Having spent some
time in the UK and US I totally agree with the idea of using 1 minute ads to
update drivers on road rules. When I was in the UK you could not watch an
evening's TV with some road rule reinforcement.

Should you feel an absolute need for a periodic competency test, you can
find your nearest testing station in your phonebook.

Theo

 

[Graeme Dods]

On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 13:59:32 +0800, Theo Bekkers wrote:

> When I was in the UK you could not watch an
> evening's TV with some road rule reinforcement.

When was that? There haven't been many of those on TV in the UK for years.
The best one I can remember was a short cartoon with a really old guy on a
bike indicating to turn across the road. I can't find that one, but there's
a lot of the other here <http://www.tv-ark.org.uk/pifs/pifs_a-f.html>

> Should you feel an absolute need for a periodic competency test, you can
> find your nearest testing station in your phonebook.

The trouble is, it's usually the drivers who don't feel the need for a
retest that are most in need of it.

Graeme

 

[Graeme Dods]

On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 14:44:20 +0800, Graeme Dods wrote:

> The trouble is, it's usually the drivers who don't feel the need for a
> retest that are most in need of it.

and that comment wasn't aimed at anyone here by the way.

 

[EuanB]

Should you feel an absolute need for a periodic competency test, you can
find your nearest testing station in your phonebook.

When I was serving in Germany one of the first things I'd do on arriving back in the UK was check if there was an updated highway code. If there was I'd buy it and read it.

Paid particular dividends once when I found that the speed limit on dual carraigeways had been raised from 60mph to 70mph on national speed limit sections.

 

[Theo Bekkers]

Graeme Dods wrote:
> Theo Bekkers wrote:
>
>> When I was in the UK you could not watch an
>> evening's TV with some road rule reinforcement.
>
> When was that? There haven't been many of those on TV in the UK for
> years.

That's a shame, they were quite informative and very good in 1967. Was that
maybe before your timeGgraeme?

>> Should you feel an absolute need for a periodic competency test, you
>> can find your nearest testing station in your phonebook.

> The trouble is, it's usually the drivers who don't feel the need for a
> retest that are most in need of it.

Are you saying you don't need a test or you're on your way there now?
Personally, I think tests are pretty meaningless.

Theo

 

[Theo Bekkers]

EuanB wrote:

> When I was serving in Germany one of the first things I'd do on
> arriving back in the UK was check if there was an updated highway
> code. If there was I'd buy it and read it.
>
> Paid particular dividends once when I found that the speed limit on
> dual carraigeways had been raised from 60mph to 70mph on national
> speed limit sections.

They don't have speed signs on roads in England?

Theo

 

[Graeme Dods]

On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 15:21:25 +0800, Theo Bekkers wrote:

> They don't have speed signs on roads in England?

Not necessarily ones with numbers in. You get the "national speed limit"
sign which is a white circle with a black diagonal line. It gets a bit more
complicated as the change in limit from 60mph to 70mph only applies if the
dual carriageway isn't lit by lamp posts, or if it is then the lamp posts
must be more than a certain distance apart (can't remember what it is).

Graeme

 

[Graeme Dods]

On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 15:20:04 +0800, Theo Bekkers wrote:

>> When was that? There haven't been many of those on TV in the UK for
>> years.
>
> That's a shame, they were quite informative and very good in 1967. Was that
> maybe before your timeGgraeme?

1967 was before my time, just. They showed various public information films
fairly regularly up to about the late 80s/early 90s. You still get them
now, but to a lesser extent. Some of them were pretty scarey! Have a look
at <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4743384.stm> for one example
(there's a drop down list of others at the top right).

>> The trouble is, it's usually the drivers who don't feel the need for a
>> retest that are most in need of it.
>
> Are you saying you don't need a test or you're on your way there now?
> Personally, I think tests are pretty meaningless.

The test in itself could be largely meaningless unless passing it required
some level of training (formal, informal, self administered etc.) It's the
training that's the useful bit, the testing just makes sure you've at least
understood it.

I've been looking in to local providers of advanced driving lessons to
knock off some of the rusty bits in my driving as I'm afraid I've adopted
some of the local bad driving habits that I never had before I came here.
One such slip resulted in my first, and hopefully last, speeding fine
caused by me "going with the flow" rather than maintaining good observation
(I didn't notice the new temporary speed limit on roadworks).

Graeme

 

[Theo Bekkers]

Graeme Dods wrote:

> Not necessarily ones with numbers in. You get the "national speed
> limit" sign which is a white circle with a black diagonal line.

Our Nationals speed limit signs have to have numbers because they are
different in each state.

Theo

 

[Theo Bekkers]

Graeme Dods wrote:
> On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 15:20:04 +0800, Theo Bekkers wrote:

>> Are you saying you don't need a test or you're on your way there
>> now? Personally, I think tests are pretty meaningless.

> I've been looking in to local providers of advanced driving lessons to
> knock off some of the rusty bits in my driving as I'm afraid I've
> adopted some of the local bad driving habits that I never had before
> I came here.

I've done a couple of motorcycle riding refresher courses but not one for a
car.

Theo

 

[BrettS]

Theo Bekkers wrote:

> Graeme Dods wrote:
>
>
>>Not necessarily ones with numbers in. You get the "national speed
>>limit" sign which is a white circle with a black diagonal line.
>
>
> Our Nationals speed limit signs have to have numbers because they are
> different in each state.
>

Those black circles with diagonal lines are still around. I drove past
a pair just south of Bunbury last week.

--
BrettS

 

[Zebee Johnstone]

In aus.bicycle on Wed, 01 Mar 2006 14:27:16 +0800
BrettS <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Those black circles with diagonal lines are still around. I drove past
> a pair just south of Bunbury last week.

In the dim and distant past, they meant "no speed limit applies".

Zebee

 

[Theo Bekkers]

BrettS wrote:

>> Our Nationals speed limit signs have to have numbers because they are
>> different in each state.

> Those black circles with diagonal lines are still around. I drove
> past a pair just south of Bunbury last week.

I know where there's a couple too.

Theo

 

[Theo Bekkers]

Zebee Johnstone wrote:
> BrettS wrote:

>> Those black circles with diagonal lines are still around. I drove
>> past a pair just south of Bunbury last week.

> In the dim and distant past, they meant "no speed limit applies".

I remember when they meant that. Now they mean "Look people, this road is
not well travelled and the locals know it well. This sign is to advise the
rest of you that the dangerous and low-speed parts of this road are not
marked in any way. So be careful."

Theo