47 P Platers loose their licence every day in Vic.

[burnz]

Originally Posted by bent8

I like to consider myself a competent driver, 16yrs and no accidents to date..touch wood

Originally Posted by balthazarr

If only all 16 year olds had such wisdom.

ha ha ha classic

[platinumXR]

I think a lot of people forget that the P in P plater stands for PROVISIONAL...which means you are still learning and under probation like the first three months of a new job...of course the police are going to pay more attention to you because you SHOULD be doing the right thing. The P plate says LOOK AT ME...it's like putting a big flashing sign on your car so what do do you do? Sideways through a round about or big rev with a pstsssssssh as you change gear and you expect cops not to look at you? Come on...wake up. I know ALL P PLATERS DO NOT DO THIS EITHER.

I cannot defend or justify police who unfairly TARGET P platers either but, you have to play the game like everyone else.

Now, having sprayed all that it's not P platers alone who are the sole problem, it's other drivers who do the wrong thing in front of them which is like "Well I saw an old fart doing it the other day...why can't I?"

Revenue raising is voluntary...many years ago I lost my licence TWICE due to fine default because every time I got caught, I WAS speeding.

[Rodp]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

There is far more to driving than looking at whats infront of you, infact i have no problem saying that anyone who can only maintain awareness of things directly in front shouldn't be on the road in the first place.

Absolutely. I've almost always got a sense of what's infront, behind and beside me at all times. If I have to perform an emergency manuver then I can make a split second decision and then act. If I hadn't been paying attention particularly on what's beside me and what's looming behind me and I have to change lanes quickly then I've potentially made the situation worse if I have to act without knowing what's there.

If I have to check my mirrors or look over a shoulder before I act then it could be too late to do anything about it...

[Rob's 76 Effy]

Originally Posted by balthazarr

If only all 16 year olds had such wisdom.

He's not 16yr's old he's been driving for 16yrs

[xbgs351]

Originally Posted by platinumXR

I think a lot of people forget that the P in P plater stands for PROVISIONAL...which means you are still learning and under probation like the first three months of a new job...of course the police are going to pay more attention to you because you SHOULD be doing the right thing. The P plate says LOOK AT ME...it's like putting a big flashing sign on your car so what do do you do? Sideways through a round about or big rev with a pstsssssssh as you change gear and you expect cops not to look at you? Come on...wake up. I know ALL P PLATERS DO NOT DO THIS EITHER.

I cannot defend or justify police who unfairly TARGET P platers either but, you have to play the game like everyone else.

Now, having sprayed all that it's not P platers alone who are the sole problem, it's other drivers who do the wrong thing in front of them which is like "Well I saw an old fart doing it the other day...why can't I?"

Revenue raising is voluntary...many years ago I lost my licence TWICE due to fine default because every time I got caught, I WAS speeding.

Gee, I thought the P plate was so young people could identify each other in order to 'play' or 'race'. I know that when I was in my twenties I used to enjoy baiting P platers. I never sped, but the P platers where always heroes in a straight line and zeroes when the corners arrived.

[platinumXR]

Originally Posted by xbgs351

Gee, I thought the P plate was so young people could identify each other in order to 'play' or 'race'. I know that when I was in my twenties I used to enjoy baiting P platers. I never sped, but the P platers where always heroes in a straight line and zeroes when the corners arrived.

Yeah, a lot of people don't know what to do when a corner jumps out in front of them...it's heaps funny to watch...

I also love the tail whipping on the freeways. Watch the line of cars tailgating each other in the right hand lane...when the one in front drift's to the right...the last car touches the dirt...

[balthazarr]

Originally Posted by Explorer_Me

He's not 16yr's old he's been driving for 16yrs

:

Oops... that's what I get for replying at work... it's hard to multitask.
When I read it (clearly not carefully enough), I thought that it was odd that a 16 year old had such an outlook.

[needaXYGT]

last summer, i read in the paper (cant remember which one) that around 4000 P-platers take to the roads with suspended licences every year!!

[Rob's 76 Effy]

Originally Posted by needaXYGT

last summer, i read in the paper (cant remember which one) that around 4000 P-platers take to the roads with suspended licences every year!!

Wonder how they come up with those figures

[uranium_death]

Originally Posted by balthazarr

:

Oops... that's what I get for replying at work... it's hard to multitask.
When I read it (clearly not carefully enough), I thought that it was odd that a 16 year old had such an outlook.

Don't feel bad...I thought the same thing.

With regards to 'good driving', what do you people think it's down to?

Absolute adherence to rules, control of your car, decision making...clearly a combination of factors...articulate please.

[Daymoe]

Originally Posted by uranium_death

Don't feel bad...I thought the same thing.

With regards to 'good driving', what do you people think it's down to?

Absolute adherence to rules, control of your car, decision making...clearly a combination of factors...articulate please.

Attention span, concentration, car control, knowledge of road rules and good decision making contribute to becoming a good driver in my opinion.

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by Daymoe

Attention span, concentration, car control, knowledge of road rules and good decision making contribute to becoming a good driver in my opinion.

All those things are the things we talk when conducting defensive driver training*.


(* - I do not consider a hoon around a race track with your company defensive driving, real defensive driving takes place in real traffic conditions, with properly trained professional trainers and covers all the stuff listed above, plus some)

[balthazarr]

Originally Posted by uranium_death

Don't feel bad...I thought the same thing.

With regards to 'good driving', what do you people think it's down to?

Absolute adherence to rules, control of your car, decision making...clearly a combination of factors...articulate please.

If we're talking about 'good driving' on public roads, IMHO, there are five (maybe four - 1 & 2 go hand in hand) major factors:

1. Attitude
"No matter how good a driver you are, or you think you are, you're only as good as those around you." - That was the first thing that my driving instructor taught me, and it's something that has stuck with me.

2. Courtesy
Courteous driving can go a long way, not only to avoiding accidents, but making your drive - and the drive of those around you - a far more pleasant experience.

One guy even reckons that courteous driving can reduce, or even eliminate, traffic jams: http://trafficwaves.org/

3. Common Sense
For example, driving to work today along the Monash Freeway... there are roadworks aplenty, so the lanes are slightly narrower than normal. But, for a regular car, there's plenty of room. When I'm driving next to a large truck, I try to drive in my lane with the car as far as possible over to the opposite edge of the lane - giving the truckie as much room as possible. They can wander a bit - especially at 100+ km/h - and I'd rather not have tonnes of truck hitting my car.

Today, there was a car doing the exact opposite - basically driving as close to the truck as possible. There were a few close calls - and the driver was completely oblivious. :

4. Awareness/Anticipation
You have to be aware of everything around you - not just the immediate vicinity in front of your car. Cars behind in your lane, in lanes either side, kids playing in the driveway, that kangaroo bounding towards the road up ahead... etc.

If a situation arises where you have to decide - do I stamp on the brake, swerve left or right, brake & swerve... you haven't got time to check whether there is a car to the left or right, or whether there's a tailgater riding your rear end, etc.

5. Experience
There really is no substitute for experience. But if you follow 1-4, you should get through unscathed to build up the experience.

[Fev]

1. Attitude
"No matter how good a driver you are, or you think you are, you're only as good as those around you." - That was the first thing that my driving instructor taught me, and it's something that has stuck with me.


thats a great word of wisdom there. i do exactly the same thing with trucks etc - travelling on 2-3 main roads(pennant hills rd, castle hill road and pacific hwy) every day you get used to trucks and busses and learn how to avoid or anticipate where and when they will swing wide or drift on the road from grooves etc

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by xbgs351

Gee, I thought the P plate was so young people could identify each other in order to 'play' or 'race'. I know that when I was in my twenties I used to enjoy baiting P platers. I never sped, but the P platers where always heroes in a straight line and zeroes when the corners arrived.

Most people are like this. Everyones a racecar driver in a straight line, then when they have to do some real driving they're hopeless. It happens alot on the freeways, I'm driving at the speed limit and some guy passes my at 10-20kph faster, get to the off ramp and then I pass them as they're scared to actually turn the car at the speed indicated.

[Trevor 57]

It is a goo point, many young people think that good driving is going fast in a straight line, but that is only 1/8th of it.

[Kaan]

I got my driver license when I was in Europe. I had to go to the driving school for about 2 months. Not the ones like in here. We had exams, driving tests and everything. If you fail on any exams or driving tests, your study takes longer and you have to pay for it. So you can't afford to lose. We had a book about 150 pages which is explaining how the car works (motor and everything). I had to know everything in that book. After I finished 2 months, I went for the last driving test and got my license. It was bloody hard to get it. It still is.

If I compare, getting drivers license is very easy in Australia. A lot of people getting their licenses without knowing what the radiator is. It should be harder and more expensive to get it.

[platinumXR]

Originally Posted by 2003-BA-XR6

I got my driver license when I was in Europe. I had to go to the driving school for about 2 months. Not the ones like in here. We had exams, driving tests and everything. If you fail on any exams or driving tests, your study takes longer and you have to pay for it. So you can't afford to lose. We had a book about 150 pages which is explaining how the car works (motor and everything). I had to know everything in that book. After I finished 2 months, I went for the last driving test and got my license. It was bloody hard to get it. It still is.

If I compare, getting drivers license is very easy in Australia. A lot of people getting their licenses without knowing what the radiator is. It should be harder and more expensive to get it.

You are preaching to the converted here my friend, it's something that has been needed for a long, long time.