Newsbot Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Police officers in the Isle of Man launch a campaign to target safety for new young drivers on the island's roads. Source : http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/...man/7737974.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Ayres Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 "The aim is to improve road safety by clamping down on the age group that is statistically the most likely to be involved in a serious collision. " And once this age group are 'retrained' they move onto the 25 - 45 age group, ad infinitum. Talk about jobs for life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spartacus Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Ok, so young folk are impetuous behind the wheel and the statistics seem to prove that people in the targeted age group have the most accidents in the UK but does that definately apply over here? There was another serious accident this weekend involving - again - a motorist in their eighties. I don't know what the answer is, as being without a car in a rural area like this makes life very hard but the earliest age group is again getting bad publicity whereas others involved in a number of incidents just carry on as normal. And for the record, I'm not on R plates.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebrof Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Ok, so young folk are impetuous behind the wheel and the statistics seem to prove that people in the targeted age group have the most accidents in the UK but does that definately apply over here? There was another serious accident this weekend involving - again - a motorist in their eighties. I don't know what the answer is, as being without a car in a rural area like this makes life very hard but the earliest age group is again getting bad publicity whereas others involved in a number of incidents just carry on as normal. And for the record, I'm not on R plates.. The reasons why young people have more accidents in the UK than older drivers will no doubt apply equally in every country - it's to do with being young, wanting thrills, and feeling they are immortal. I have seen nothing to indicate that Manx youngsters are any different in these ways from young people anywhere else. S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Peters Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 25% of accidents involve 16-25 year old drivers. But I bet that sector makes up a similar percentage of all road users anyway, so maybe not so shocking. Trouble is, we all NOTICE boy racers in pimped-out 106's, whereas blind codgers (not all, but plenty) in their Micras are almost invisible, and have usually driven away from the accidents they caused completely unaware of the destruction in their wake. I speak as someone nearer the latter age bracket than the former too - so I'm not just being ageist! Trouble is, what to do? I've supported the DoT Young Driver scheme this year, but after the launch event it's been very poorly attended (see video). I guess road safety isn't *kewl* and swapping war stories at the Bottleneck car park is more the thing. Shame, since if the carrot doesn't work, the stick is probably the only option. We're discussing this on Talking Heads tomorrow from 12:00 noon - feel free to join in if you have a view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossils Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I had the advantage of passing my bike test a few years before I could afford a car. That certainly taught me real survival skills, and just how blind most car drivers are. "R" on a car usually stands for reckless driver, and few of us can honestly claim to have been any better at that stage. You pass your car test and you instantly become immortal. Nowadays you also drive with computer game mentality, subconsciously expecting to press the restart button when you cannon into a wall, bank, vehicle or person. The conversion from insanity usually coincides with the arrival of the first major motoring bill (accident damage, or otherwise) which generates a more sober view through the windscreen. If you are lucky, it doesn't involve loss of life or injury to anyone. The view-through-the-steering-wheel-drivers are another sort of problem. How expensive can it be to buy a cushion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Peters Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Wot ^ said! The difference between maturing as a sensible driver - or killing yourself at a tender age - is often down to sheer luck. Most of us did things when we were young drivers, but we got away with it. I remind myself of that when I get imperious about boy racers. I get a lot of stick from older drivers for suggesting they're dangerous, but I keep hearing stories (and seeing things with my own eyes) that take my breath away. Like the story I heard of an old girl who drove up Tynwald Street the wrong way, colliding with parked cars and remaining completely unaware of what was happening until the cops arrived. She's the type who phone me and tell me they've been driving for 50 years and have a clean licence...and that I drive too fast and am therefore irresponsible... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saltire Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 Ok, so young folk are impetuous behind the wheel and the statistics seem to prove that people in the targeted age group have the most accidents in the UK but does that definately apply over here? There was another serious accident this weekend involving - again - a motorist in their eighties. I don't know what the answer is, as being without a car in a rural area like this makes life very hard but the earliest age group is again getting bad publicity whereas others involved in a number of incidents just carry on as normal. And for the record, I'm not on R plates.. You probably should be though! Regarding the young driver/old driver debate. You have good and bad drivers across all age groups. Why not just target any drivers that are driving dangerously instead of targetting either pimped up Saxos or Nissan Micras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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