Are We Properly Preparing Our Young Drivers?

[finaldestination]

Is the Manx system of L plate and R plate restrictions actually working to prepare our young drivers for the road?

 

All the time a young person is learning to drive under L plates he/she is restricted to 50mph. He/she passes their test and displays the R plate for 12 months, still restricted to 50mph.

 

Suddenly, 12 months after passing the test, they rip the R plate up and can legally drive at any speed they want having never legally anyway driven more than 50mph! Surely the time to train our young drivers is when they have an experienced instructor sitting alongside them. Perhaps they should be instructed in how to drive safely within the speed limit, be that 50, 60mph or the relevant traffic/road conditions on unrestricted roads.? As far as I know, in the UK learner drivers are trained to drive up to the speed limit and are expected to be able to 'keep the traffic flow moving'. Although not allowed on motorways, I think a learner could end up on a dual carriageway with a central barrier where the speed limit is 70mph.

 

There will always be young drivers who get the red mist when they have a car full of friends. There are quite a few parents I know who will only allow the kids to drive with their one 'best friend' in the car - an attempt to reduce the risk of showing off with a back seat full of 'mates' egging them on!

 

I personally am in favour of incentives to get younger drivers to go on and get an advance qualification. I passed my test at 16 and then passed my Advanced Driving test at 17. This is not to say I did not frighten myself, but the extra training, time spent of the skid pan etc meant I was better equipped to cope with the inevitable mistakes of judgement that young drivers make. It gave me a sense of responsibility and as most of the instructors/examiners were either ex or serving Police Officers I knew I had standard to maintain and was being 'watched'!

 

I think I am right with my facts on the 50mph L plate restriction but if there are any Driving Instructors/Police Officers reading this I am sure I will be corrected. One thing is certain - we need to do something to reduce the terrible loss of young lives on our roads.

[Katman]

I think that after you have passed your test you should be restricted to driving say a Group 2 Insurance category car for the first year on R plates and then in the second year move onto say Group 4 (if you wish) with no R Plates, then at the end of that be allowed to drive any Group of car.

[Albert Tatlock]

Speaking from direct experience here, my lad was involved in a crash last year, as a passenger in a car of three youngsters. He is OK but injured his back at the time (young girl driving surprisingly - 70mph and went off the road).

 

You can't teach commonsense unfortunately, neither can you insulate young people from the world forever. All you can do IMO is teach and continue to press the consequences of irresponsible or fast driving - cos no matter how many hoops and hurdles a young person has to go through to get their licence - if someone is going to drive like that - they will anyway.

 

What generally eggs youngsters or show-offs on - is a mate or a pile of mates in the car - so that's the only kind of restriction you can add on I think (e.g. no passenger under 21 until driver 21) - other than harsher penalties, such as automatically losing your licence for a year if you are caught doing more than 50mph with R plates and a major fine, or vehicle confiscated - for which we would need far more regular enforcement. But we have to face up to the fact that cops can't be everywhere at once. Regular but well publicised licence removals and fines for speeding youngsters would give out much a stronger message.

 

I don't think we should penalise the majority of young drivers by adding further draconian measures such as passenger restrictions - because of a relative minority.

 

So overall, I would prefer to see much harsher and publicised penalties for those breaking the R plate rules - lost licence, car confiscated and a big fine - and the responsible ones left alone. Adding additional tests will make little difference in reality, except force them to keep to the speed limits while taking the additional test - just like they did on their first test.

[%age]

The L Plate/R Plate is typically Manx.

 

It makes it appear we are actually doing something when in fact it is just a fucken silly gimmick. Perhaps police figures will demonstrate that the introduction of the R plate has done fuck-all to help road safety.

 

The move is about as fuck-witted and attention-seeking as giving the votes to 16 year olds.

[Slim]

A National speed limit is required. It's daft that we don't have one, there's no argument in favor of maintaining it as it is in my opinion, not one.

 

Was on the mountain road Sunday morning, it's horrible, the speeds on a sunny day are just bloody stupid.

[Albert Tatlock]

A National speed limit is required. It's daft that we don't have one, there's no argument in favor of maintaining it as it is in my opinion, not one.

 

Was on the mountain road Sunday morning, it's horrible, the speeds on a sunny day are just bloody stupid.

I prefer fish, chips and mushy peas, rather than fish, chips and beans. Just thought I'd add that as it has nothing to do with the question either.

[Slim]

I prefer fish, chips and mushy peas, rather than fish, chips and beans. Just thought I'd add that as it has nothing to do with the question either.

 

The question appeared to be about speed limits, not take aways.

[Albert Tatlock]

I prefer fish, chips and mushy peas, rather than fish, chips and beans. Just thought I'd add that as it has nothing to do with the question either.

The question appeared to be about speed limits, not take aways.

"Is the Manx system of L plate and R plate restrictions actually working to prepare our young drivers for the road?"

 

You just extended it to everyone.

[Slim]

"Is the Manx system of L plate and R plate restrictions actually working to prepare our young drivers for the road?"

 

You just extended it to everyone.

 

 

"Are We Properly Preparing Our Young Drivers?

we need to do something to reduce the terrible loss of young lives on our roads."

 

Having no national speed limit on a world famous racing circuit isn't helping in the education of young drivers. This latest fatality was coming off an unrestricted section of that course. In my view, the best thing we could do for young drivers and everyone else is to introduce a national speed limit. Why are we the Only place in the world other than the wide and straight German Autobahns to not have limits?

[finaldestination]

I note the debate regarding a national speed limit but the point I was trying to make was at the moment we cannot, because of the L plate restriction, train our drivers to drive safely to the speed limits we do have. We already have speed limits at 60mph but our learner drivers have never experienced speeds over 50mph - until the celebratory day when they tear up the R plate! Under the present regulations, a national speed limit would not help - we would still have the situation where a driver is limited to 50mph all the way through their training and then, after 12 months, can suddenly drive at 70mph or whatever the national speed limit was set at.

[Slim]

I note the debate regarding a national speed limit but the point I was trying to make was at the moment we cannot, because of the L plate restriction, train our drivers to drive safely to the speed limits we do have. We already have speed limits at 60mph but our learner drivers have never experienced speeds over 50mph - until the celebratory day when they tear up the R plate! Under the present regulations, a national speed limit would not help - we would still have the situation where a driver is limited to 50mph all the way through their training and then, after 12 months, can suddenly drive at 70mph or whatever the national speed limit was set at.

 

Sure, but 50mph to 70mph is better than 50mph to 120+.

 

Getting rid of the R plate is even worse, isn't it? Go from pottering round the streets of douglas at 30 on an L plate to bombing over the mountain at 120mph the day you pass.

[Rich]

Is the national speed limit debate yearly or monthly now?

 

I have no issue with an imposed national speed limit but I also know it will make no difference to people hooning around at 120 mph over the mountain.

 

The mountain seems to bring out the racer in everyone even down to mr and mrs people carrier for some unknown reason. I tend to avoid the mountain because I like to ride or drive at my own pace and not have to have some tosser looking at what channel my radio is tuned too or trying to avoid traffic that thinks it's ok to overtake when you're coming the other way.

[finaldestination]

Quite agree Slim - whilst I am of the opinion that there is nothing wrong with speed, in the right place, at the right time and road conditions there are limits. I would say none of our roads are suitable for anything over 70mph, maybe 80 at a push.

 

I think the speed thing has become a bit of a goal for youngsters and even if we had a 70mph speed limit we are still not able to train our drivers to drive safely at those speeds.

 

Inspector Derek Flint contributes to these discussions now and then - are you about Inspector?

[Slim]

I have no issue with an imposed national speed limit but I also know it will make no difference to people hooning around at 120 mph over the mountain.

 

Of course it will. Do people generally go 120mph through Santon?

 

The mountain seems to bring out the racer in everyone even down to mr and mrs people carrier for some unknown reason. I tend to avoid the mountain because I like to ride or drive at my own pace and not have to have some tosser looking at what channel my radio is tuned too or trying to avoid traffic that thinks it's ok to overtake when you're coming the other way.

 

Unknown reason? It's a section of a 'world famous road racing circuit' with no speed limit. Do you not think that encourages people to go fast on it?

[Albert Tatlock]

I would say none of our roads are suitable for anything over 70mph, maybe 80 at a push.

Try telling that to Guy Martin - he can often be spotted doing 207mph in a 30mph zone.