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Essential Skills

Noodle-Pulp

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Having watched a lady trying unsuccessfully to parallel park outside ny house for what seemed like an eternity this morning (ok ok... it was only 27 minutes) - it struck me that someone so badly in control of their vehicle probably shouldn't be on the road.
(EDIT: she gave up in the end and drove off)

Are there any other skills that anyone else thinks should be mandatory to be legally entitled to drive on public roads?

I mean apart from the obvoius, signals, mirrors, lane discpline, speed (or lack of).
 
If we include cyclists... most of the highway code, including, but not limited to, traffic lights, one-way streets, sidewalks, insurance....

If it's only cars you want; well, I feel a minimum of mechanical knowledge. I.e. how to check that your tyres aren't flat, you aren't about to run out of fuel, you can differentiate between petrol and diesel... (yes, just a tad cynical after rescuing friends in all sorts of situations...)

M. (goes off and kicks a few hornets nests)
 
How about some 'essential courtesy' with rewards for drivers who do good things for other drivers?

For example, i've parked cars for people who couldn't park their own though I still question how anyone can call themselves 'a driver' when they cannot park their own car. Has parallel parking been dropped from driving tests or am I just being a bit old fashioned?
 
Oh yeah! Parking as above and motorway driving!

It still shocks me how a learner, who has never been on a motorway passes his test and suddenly he's unleashed on all the motorways on the UK without ever having seen one before!

M.
 
Having watched a lady trying unsuccessfully to parallel park outside ny house for what seemed like an eternity this morning (ok ok... it was only 27 minutes) - it struck me that someone so badly in control of their vehicle probably shouldn't be on the road.
(EDIT: she gave up in the end and drove off)

I was in a cafe in Derby a few years ago, and witnessed a driving instructor perform the same manoeuvre, in the same timescales, and with the same outcome. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It took me ages to take note, as I casually assumed it was a student diver under supervision in a driving school car. As I watched closer, it became clear that there was only one occupant. :eek:

I dearly wished I had video camera capability in my phone as that would have been on youtube in very short order!

And secondly:

Oh yeah! Parking as above and motorway driving!

It still shocks me how a learner, who has never been on a motorway passes his test and suddenly he's unleashed on all the motorways on the UK without ever having seen one before!

M.

M1 - near junction 36. Black Vauxhall Corsa driving school car. (Female) student driving. (Female) instructor instructing. Motorway virtually empty. Corsa doing less than 60mph (I estimate).

Middle lane. :crazy:
 
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I'm a supporter of more stringent testing and enforced re-tests every 10 years.

If re-tests are unpalatable then re-training every 10 years with an advanced driver/tutor would work.

No matter how good you think you are, over time bad habits creep in.
 
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Being able to follow the white lines on a road would be a useful skill for some to learn. As would the meaning of the different colours seen on traffic lights. Oh, and the difference between left and right indicators.
 
Understanding that "straight over" does not mean right then left with indicators :(
 
How about some 'essential courtesy' with rewards for drivers who do good things for other drivers?

For example, i've parked cars for people who couldn't park their own though I still question how anyone can call themselves 'a driver' when they cannot park their own car. Has parallel parking been dropped from driving tests or am I just being a bit old fashioned?

Would have loved to have been there to watch them get out again! :D
 
Some current drivers didn't even have to take a test!

Overall, this reminds me of a recent poll on this forum and I concluded that most of the irritation, which often leads to dangerous counter-reactions among other road users, is due to a complete lack of 'discipline' when entering another driver's personal space.

The thing is that not everyone can be taught 'spatial awareness' in the currently prescribed manner. If by chance they do manage to parallel park during their driving test, they pass, i'd hope, as an improver and not as an expert.

i've been considering taking an advanced driving course because as Moonloops says, I have picked up a few 'bad habits' over the years. For example, passing the wheel through my hands seems downright daft in my Merc because the steering is so light. I can't even recall why I used to do it anyway and I only ever turn the wheel when the car is moving. Does that even make sense?

I demand an emoticon which defines exactly what I just meant to say.

The Awfully Reverend Silver.
 
Many years ago in Canada a workmate had an Oldsmobile which looked about eighteen feet long. He could parallel park in a space I swear was little more than nineteen feet long. His ability to judge the cars extremities was outstanding, as people used to watch him park in seemingly impossible spaces and would cheer and clap his efforts.

The only thing wrong with his driving was that he drove like an accident waiting to happen. Getting out of his car after a ride from work used to leave me like a nervous wreck, as he had no consideration for others on the road.
 
Only if you're very young Colin. Not when I did it in 1976.

We also had to perform a part of the test giving hand signals ( was stopped not long after I passed ) .

No doubt many other changes have taken place .
 
Many years ago in Canada a workmate had an Oldsmobile which looked about eighteen feet long. He could parallel park in a space I swear was little more than nineteen feet long.

I developed similar skills while living in Possil Park, Glasgow. My Yooni ride of choice was an aging Volvo 244. No-one in the area parked outside their own property so space at the very nearby police station was at a premium. Sometimes I would watch a driver fail to enter the parking space and drive away in their small car. Then I would drop the volvo in, no problem

Those mahoosive bumpers helped. :)
 
I'd go for a MAXIMUM number of lessons and/or re-sits. If you haven't passed your test and you've had 100 lessons and 5 re-sits (or less!) then you should be banned from driving as it is clearly not something that you were meant to do!
 
I developed similar skills while living in Possil Park, Glasgow. My Yooni ride of choice was an aging Volvo 244. No-one in the area parked outside their own property so space at the very nearby police station was at a premium. Sometimes I would watch a driver fail to enter the parking space and drive away in their small car. Then I would drop the volvo in, no problem

Those mahoosive bumpers helped. :)

I had a Volvo 244 as well, fantastic cars and you could make the parking space a little bigger by nudging the other cars out of the way with your soft rubber bumpers:D One thing that helped in those cars though was the excellent visibility.
 

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