Another rant on licensing.....!

[avgas]

A far better idea is a minimum number of hours of professional instruction.

Hate to rain on your parade here, but some are considered professional (AA in this case), fail to provide suitable instruction.
Girlfriend went to about 10 of AA's one on one lessons, i sat in the car with her and let her drive and i told her in 5 mins she had wasted her money.
All this instructor had done is sat in the car and told her where to drive, along with a 5 min instruction on what pedal does what.
I taught her cornering (the proper way), how to anticipate other drivers actions, all forms of parking, reversing and defensive driving in about 45 mins. In 2 hours i had her driving laps around a local carpark at relatively decent speed.

[Lucy]

That'll work.
A far better idea is a minimum number of hours of professional instruction. As civilised countries require.

Yes, that is a great idea (but you didn't need me to tell you that). Thanks for the sarcasm, you seem like a really nice guy.

I'm not actually suggesting that people get a different vehicle for their test. I'm suggesting that people who don't know how to drive, aren't allowed to drive.

Cheers

[sunhuntin]

Yes, that is a great idea (but you didn't need me to tell you that). Thanks for the sarcasm, you seem like a really nice guy.

I'm not actually suggesting that people get a different vehicle for their test. I'm suggesting that people who don't know how to drive, aren't allowed to drive.

Cheers

i dont know how to drive a car. are you sayin i shouldnt be allowed to ride a bike?

[davereid]

How about classes of licence for :

column shift manual
floor manual
column shift auto
floor auto
pushbutton auto
clutchless manual
preselect manual
tiptronic

then of course for motorcycles
manual LHS foot change
manual RHS foot change
manual hand change LHS
manual hand change RHS
automatic
then div them up by cc rating !

Then of course add ABS.. drivers with ABS equipped vehicles are deemed to be incompetant in vehicles with standard brakes...


Hell we could waste our entire lives getting new classes of licence.

Or we could decide that other skills are more important than the way you change gear, and test those instead !

[Lucy]

How about classes of licence for :

column shift manual
floor manual
column shift auto
floor auto
pushbutton auto
clutchless manual
preselect manual
tiptronic

then of course for motorcycles
manual LHS foot change
manual RHS foot change
manual hand change LHS
manual hand change RHS
automatic
then div them up by cc rating !

Then of course add ABS.. drivers with ABS equipped vehicles are deemed to be incompetant in vehicles with standard brakes...


Hell we could waste our entire lives getting new classes of licence.

Or we could decide that other skills are more important than the way you change gear, and test those instead !

Lesson learnt - don't vent on KB.

[Ixion]

The point about ABS is very valid. Is not someone who has only ever driven a vehicle with ABS likely to be a hazard trying to stop in an emergency in an non-ABS vehicle?

After all, pilots have to qualify in each model of plane the want to fly. You can't get a pilots licence in a Piper Cub and jump straight behind the controls of a Boeing 747.

I reckon the country could do a sight worse than model road licencing (and crash investigation!) after the aero model.

Perhaps have the classes a little broader than single models, and the test for a new class just be to show familiarity and competance with that model. Could even be just a time thing. First three months , restrictions apply, at the end of that time restrictions automatically drop off.

[avgas]

How about classes of licence for :
pushbutton auto

I favour the vauxhall bus license system Actually didnt Mercedes busses have them too......good old Kati Bus Company

[Toaster]

So when I become transport minister, watch out![/QUOTE]

You'd get my vote!

[scumdog]

How about classes of licence for :

pushbutton auto........ !

The old coot up the road nearly filled his daks when he went to overtake another car in his Belvedere one night and pushed '1" instead of "2" - then floored it!!
Nearly had a Morry thou as a bonnet emblem.

[Toaster]

How about classes of licence for :
....Hell we could waste our entire lives getting new classes of licence.

Or we could decide that other skills are more important than the way you change gear, and test those instead !

Hell, don't say that too loud, Cullen might think its a great way to make more revenue out of us and ping us charges for each different class!

Having done some advanced driving courses myself, I'm of the view that the standard tests are too short and too simple (also having been through them and observed them being administered). More extensive tests would at least allow assessors to be more critical.

But, like everything in this politically correct country, we make the system as easy as possible so as to not fail anyone at anything so we don't hurt any feelings, especially for those that can't speak English properly or read our road signs. Wouldn't want anyone to feel rejected now would we?

[V4ME]

So i leave the car as transport and the bike for fun

Spot on - My point exactly

[buellbabe]

Unlike a lot of KBrs I don't see my car as a 'cage'.
Its a portable dog kennel... a shopping basket and occasionally a place to kip for the night... but NEVER a cage.

I prefer manuals but like Crashe said its getting harder and harder to buy a latemodel manual car... If I am driving my car I bloody well enjoy it cos I am a bit of a Possum Bourne ... tee hee and I've got the right wheels for that mentality.
However because I am also a motorcyclist I reckon it makes me a better driver as I LOOK for bikes, I move over on the motorway to let them thru and I not only USE my mirrors but also look OVER my shoulder...

As someone else said, don't blame the cars... any idiotic/dangerous behaviour is due to driver lack-of-skill and not whether the car is manual/auto.

Oh BTW a recent AA study revealed that the most dangerous vehicles on the roads are SVUs... surprised... anyone?

[Swoop]

More extensive tests would at least allow assessors to be more critical.

Unfortunately NZ has been eaten up by the "assess" model. We assess everything to the smallest detail (Unit Standards are ONLY about assessment) and the little insignificant part is forgotten about... TRAINING!!!

I would rather have someone in the driving seat who has been well trained but not assessed, rather than someone who has no training but passed the "assessment".

[FilthyLuka]

Driving a manual doesn't make you any more aware of your surroundings.

hmm, lets think about this logically.

In an auto, your a newbie and you focus on the road, you car position, people around you ect. ect.

in a manual, your a newbie and dont want to look like a dick if you stall your car, all of a sudden, ALOT of attention that could be going into the road has gone into the act of clutching and changing gears...

so your completely right... there might very well be a statistic that more auto's crash every year, but then again there might be a statistic that states more suzukis crash every year... does that mean we need to ban suzukis? (or reserve them only for the disabled )

getting "lazy" whilst driving is gonna happen in a manual aswell... i mean, on the motorway, top gear, chugging along... hey look! a doughnut... mmm, doughnut... CRASH!!! where as auto... on the motorway, mmm... doughnut... CRASH!!!

as for the restricted... you know, some of us are poor students that might not be able to afford to get full licence straight away. if i had a mint rs250, i might very well never want to upgrade... i know my mother is lookin at a gsx250 and shes probably gonna stick with it untill it dies... are you saying she needs to go and get a full licence straight away? if you stay on restricted, the maximum breath alchohol level is 150, so look at it this way. If your on your restricted, ONE BEER will throw most people over the limit, less drunk driving... you can argue either for or against but in this case, taking away a persons licence because he/she doesnt sit his full is just... well... stupid

just my two cents worth

denden

[Ixion]

,,

As someone else said, don't blame the cars... any idiotic/dangerous behaviour is due to driver lack-of-skill and not whether the car is manual/auto.

,,

I suspect though that there is a correlation. Because, as you note, finding a manual car nowdays takes some effort, the "sit back, push that pedal thingy, waggle this wheel thingie, until you get where you want or hit something" crowd are most unliklly to make the effort to obtain one.

So whilst an automatic is no indication of ability one way or the other, a manual is probably an indication of someone who at least takes some interest in the driving process. And one may assume that a manual driver is either (a) older, and learnt when manuals were common, which at least indicates some degree of experience; or (b) willing to make the effort to acquire a driving skill, which may indicate that they will make the effort to acquire other skills and roadcraft.

Personally I reckon learner drivers should have to sit the test in a car with no front wheel brakes, manual non-synchromesh gearbox, no power anything, and no electric starter. Worked for me, why should they have it easy.