Brilliant Government ideas again

[pc]

What is with everyone wanting to raise the driving age? Are there some statistics that i'm not aware of?
I think that people are probably more likely to crash in the first x years of driving rather than the first x years of life. I may be way off base here but haven't seen any numbers that say otherwise.

I think car control tests and psychological examinations as part of the license process would be more beneficial. As always, education (absorbed information) is key.

[Mr.Phreak]

What is with everyone wanting to raise the driving age?

So people who act like $&#$% can get charged as adults??

[Truenotch]

I hope the driving age doesn't get changed, you'll just end up with a nation of adults that drive even worse than they do now!

The only problem with the current system is that there is no way of knowing how many hours of experience new drivers are getting, and no control over the quality of their tuition (from family etc). So you end up with drivers picking up the bad habits of their parents and other drivers, and barely any input of how to drive well.

The answer is to better educate our drivers. Possibly by changing the 6 month learner license "learning period" to 12 months to give drivers more of a chance to learn. Also a compulsory defensive driving course and some sort of practical training (like prodrive) would do wonders for the skill of our drivers.

Putting 9million dollars into driver training would be more constructive than a poorly worded referendum.

[rollaholic]

I hope the driving age doesn't get changed, you'll just end up with a nation of adults that drive even worse than they do now!

The only problem with the current system is that there is no way of knowing how many hours of experience new drivers are getting, and no control over the quality of their tuition (from family etc). So you end up with drivers picking up the bad habits of their parents and other drivers, and barely any input of how to drive well.

The answer is to better educate our drivers. Possibly by changing the 6 month learner license "learning period" to 12 months to give drivers more of a chance to learn. Also a compulsory defensive driving course and some sort of practical training (like prodrive) would do wonders for the skill of our drivers.

Putting 9million dollars into driver training would be more constructive than a poorly worded referendum.

this sums it up perfectly, age is so subjective anyway - its really about maturity, which is obviously going to differ from person to person.

making laws does nothing, we need some real driver training, both in terms of car handling ability and 'driving in traffic' behaviour

most NZ drivers are incredibly selfish and short sighted, speeding up at passing lanes, refusing to let people merge, racing down fast flowing exit lanes and pushing in further up the road, etc, etc it just makes things worse for everyone

[mr30%jr]

markku for PM

[MAGN1T]

I think a lot of it is in the genes. Not everyone has the same self preservation instinct, there's always feckwits around who will get themselves a "darwin award" by some means, whether it's behind the wheel of a car or some other way.
It doesn't matter how much money or effort gets thrown at the road toll, it won't make any significant difference. Some people just can't drive properly, never will, don't like being told what to do, won't obey rules, don't care, if they don't kill themselves in a car will find some other way to do it.

The old term for it was "accident prone"

Steve

[flygt4]

I think a lot of it is in the genes. Not everyone has the same self preservation instinct, there's always feckwits around who will get themselves a "darwin award" by some means, whether it's behind the wheel of a car or some other way.
It doesn't matter how much money or effort gets thrown at the road toll, it won't make any significant difference. Some people just can't drive properly, never will, don't like being told what to do, won't obey rules, don't care, if they don't kill themselves in a car will find some other way to do it.

The old term for it was "accident prone"

Steve

lol good point buy i can't help thinking of that TV ad.

"drivings in the blood"

[0EBUNY]

ok i havent quite read everything but maybe some of ya need to actually look into the laws a bit more before piping up.

you can get a ticket for going to slow and holding people up.

and you can get tickets for bald tyres (who said that cant remeber)
its not that wofs are not tough enough its that people are managing to get through them then doing burn outs and wearing out tyres after getting their wof or changing the wheels and unfortunately making the wofs etc tougher will only make stupid people do this more.

also some of these dangerous cars with wofs are due to the garage doing the wof. I changed brakes after my mum got her wof pulled the wheels off to find munted cv boots, tie rid ends and couple of other bits that really needed doing.

i definitely agree that i think there should be retesting every 10 years or so,

[MAGN1T]

I think that anyone who wants to drive a car should start off with a bike licence. Maybe at 15, then a 17 you can go for a car licence so long as you've had your bike licence for 2 years.

That way new car drivers should have a bit more respect for other road users.

Sure, the roads are too dangerous for bikes but there's always riding schools.


So, you don't think you could manage riding a motorbike, fine, forget about getting into a car.

That way anyone who wants a "darwin award" can get one earlier in life.

Will it help reduce the road toll? Probably not.

Steve

[sik_gt_starly]

if the driving age was raised from 15 to get learners, 6 months later to get restricted my life would have turned out alot different.

i lived way out in the wops, without me being able to drive to whakatane for work/school etc i wouldnt have been able to make money, gain work experience, social skills etc

there was a school bus that took you to and from school but that was it, parents were farmers so had no time to drop me to work and back etc so i was left to fend for myself, not that it was a bad thing

[sergei]

The bike licence idea is complete bollocks.
Not many people physically can ride bikes.
It is very impractical as well, and completely unnecessary.
Scandinavian style training is sufficient.
Would you put your kid into unnecessary danger of riding a bike, just to get to movies with his/her mates?
Even if there were no other road users, bikers would find a way to kill themselves.
Bikes naturally are unstable, unsafe, and a lot more physically involved.
Panic braking on a bike is very likely to endup fatal.
Also most of the bikers on roads I have seen are kamikazi morons that don't respect other users (cutting through traffic, expecting drivers to see them when they are dart in and out of blind zone).
Admit, most people get bikes due to fun factor.
If you would get a bike due to practicality, you probably would endup on a scooter/moped not a 200hp monster.
It is silly how they banned non-"frontal impact" cars, while did nothing on bikes, think about what happens when bike crashes @40kph into a stationary vehicle, wall, cetner median? That would endup in a lot of broken bones if not death.

[sergei]

Regarding lifting age, young hoons is not a problem, it is older "wiser" folk that do stupid shit is the problem (people who never learned how to handle a car properly).
People who think going slower immediately equals safer.
People who forget to turn on the lights in dark.
People who merge motorway at 50kph.
People who never had their car lose control in controlled situation so they could learn from it.
People who have at least one nose to tail on yearly basis.
People who have speeding tickets without actually trying to speed.
People who fail to realise that yellow actually means stop, and red is not a maybe.
People who are oblivious to give way rule.
People who are completely unsure of their driving - if you are afraid to drive get some one else to do it.
People who are afraid of median on the harbour birdge - either taking 1.5 lanes or slowing down to 50.
People who talk on the phone, thinking they are great at multitasking.
People who fail to pull over and let 20 other cars pass, while being scared shit less of the incoming bend and slowing down to 20 while suddenly becoming brave and speeding up to 100 on straight, making it impossible to overtake them without breaking the law.

I would love for the allowance to no-limit burst for overtaking purposes - say you can overtake at whatever speed as long as it is no longer than 10 seconds. A lot safer than overtaking at 110 a car doing 100 (which will slow down to 70 when you cannot overtake them).

One more rule would be welcome - fine every single sob being in the right lane if they are not passing on 2 or 3 laned road (like they do it everywhere else). Good example two idiots on motorway doing 80 side to side.

[Santa'sBoostinSleigh]

One more rule would be welcome - fine every single sob being in the right lane if they are not passing on 2 or 3 laned road (like they do it everywhere else).

fark i hate d|ckheads that sit in the passing lane when they either have finished passing or arent even passing at all

[sergei]

One more rule would be welcome - fine every single sob being in the right lane if they are not passing on 2 or 3 laned road (like they do it everywhere else).

fark i hate d|ckheads that sit in the passing lane when they either have finished passing or arent even passing at all

Especially idiots in their 4x4 thinking they could actually pass some one uphill, while spitting out clouds of smoke and actually slowing down.
Then they get upset if you blink them with high beams.

[Santa'sBoostinSleigh]

i find its more old men in their v6v/8 boats that decide not to indicate and then just to sit in the passing lane

i attempt to pass people in my slow work ute only to not be able to get past people as someone is sitting in the passing lane and wont move out of the way

[1I1]

But older people that do this type of driving are allowed to do all mentioned above because a. They are old therefor the country owes it to them and b. they are not some 'young' guy in an illegally modified car (even if the car is certified and fully legal).

I think all of sergei's points are pretty spot on and should be made into law!

Re passing lanes, following 96bzg through the desert road and came up to a slow vehicle lane but the car in front of him thought it would be best if they didn't use it (so he ended up passing on the left ). I've had this before as well just out of palmy where idiots fail at using their mirrors

[sergei]

But older people that do this type of driving are allowed to do all mentioned above because a. They are old therefor the country owes it to them and b. they are not some 'young' guy in an illegally modified car (even if the car is certified and fully legal).

I think all of sergei's points are pretty spot on and should be made into law!

Re passing lanes, following 96bzg through the desert road and came up to a slow vehicle lane but the car in front of him thought it would be best if they didn't use it (so he ended up passing on the left ). I've had this before as well just out of palmy where idiots fail at using their mirrors

Yeah, I was following a 4x4 with a trailer caravan home thingy, and there was a slow vehicle bay, the bastard didn't use it, then there was another one, the bastard tried to "overtake" (snail race) another caravan that was using that lane but failed, then another and he did not use it. I managed to overtake him when all this was over on straight, which was more exercise of "I hate you and your trailer" than getting to place faster as he decided to tailgate me at 105kph for quiet a while (until road became curvy again).

[1I1]

I've seen buses try to overtake each other on passing lanes going up hill, at least one had the decency to pull back and let those of us who could actually get past to pass.

[1I1]

Oh and re- caravan's. When i was younger we take the caravan for summer holidays and dad always made sure he would pull over when ever it was safe to do so for traffic behind to get past.

[BlakJak]

But older people that do this type of driving are allowed to do all mentioned above because a. They are old therefor the country owes it to them and b. they are not some 'young' guy in an illegally modified car (even if the car is certified and fully legal).

I think all of sergei's points are pretty spot on and should be made into law!

Re passing lanes, following 96bzg through the desert road and came up to a slow vehicle lane but the car in front of him thought it would be best if they didn't use it (so he ended up passing on the left ). I've had this before as well just out of palmy where idiots fail at using their mirrors

Yeah, I was following a 4x4 with a trailer caravan home thingy, and there was a slow vehicle bay, the b**tard didn't use it, then there was another one, the b**tard tried to "overtake" (snail race) another caravan that was using that lane but failed, then another and he did not use it. I managed to overtake him when all this was over on straight, which was more exercise of "I hate you and your trailer" than getting to place faster as he decided to tailgate me at 105kph for quiet a while (until road became curvy again).

next time that happens, use *555. Speed limit for towing is 90km/h - combination of speeding and tailgating would get their attention nicely.