Amelia
Out of all the comments thus far on your website only one has commented on the fact that older drivers are just as much of a risk. I am a 20 year old who was recently involved in an accident- I was doing the speed limit and because of the impatience of the driver behind me who had been persistently tailgating me,when I braked he was so close that he hit me thus causing whiplash and a fracture. This is all because I was doing the speed limit,and this is something which I experience frequently as do other drivers who abide to the speed limit.I feel infuriated that bad driving is only attributed to young drivers- how about adults after ten years re-take their test or complete a driving course? Just because a person has been driving longer doesn't mean they are a more competent driver- in fact the older people get and the longer they have been driving the lazier they become. Many a times I've seen a parent breaking the speed limit with their children in the car- it's disgusting and dangerous.I hope a solution can be found to encompass ALL drivers.
Munawar Ali Dossul
Being Driving instructor for last 4 years and from my personal experience I agree with Amelia that people to get impatience and put their life and other road user's life in danger.
Leeroy Jenkins
well there are many things you could do to stop the boy racers mainly eliminating bad parenting that is the cause of most bar brawls and crimes commited by youths they are parented badly and do not know what it right and what is wrong.
Lidya
All teenagers are different,some drinks wgule they are driving but many don't and i would say that they shouldn't be restricted
Malcolm Cheney
We totally agree with your Inside Out Programme regarding young drivers, namely that driving safety education should start as early as possible as part of the school curriculum. It should be compulsory and made as involving as possible with practical demonstrations, real life footage and following on from pedestrian and cycling education.
Clive Smith
It is quite natural for young men to act in a macho manner behind the wheel. We will never get rid of youthful enthusiasm. One of the main things that is missing is the Traffic Cop. He/she was there to offer advice and stop their antics before they killed themselves. Perhaps the money generated from speed cameras should be ploughed into Traffic Cars. Clive Smith retired traffic cop and Police advanced driving instructor.
Sara
My daughter is 16 and many of her friends have just passed or are taking their driving tests now, I am extremely worried about her being a passenger with these young people and we have many conversations about not getting into cars with un safe drivers. I think they should raise the age limit for driving and make it law for new drivers to show a green L with speed restrictions for new drivers. Schools should also be showing videos and arranging talks to alert young people to the devastation and dangers of driving too fast.
Kathy Bonner
I am a driving instructor and believe that young men should have to wait until they are aged 25 before learning to drive. This is not to say that all young men are bad = but the large minority of boy racers is enough to cause carnage and should be addressed.
Lisa Dawson
I think the theory test taken by drivers needs to encompass more questions on drink driving and the use of mobile phones whilst driving. Questions regarding the law and the penalties of being caught and possible consequences of using these aspects. There is not enough education on these topics within the theory test and by incorporating them it would assit in educating more drivers.
HELEN SUTTON
AS a local driving instructor, out alot of the day in Hereford , I am apalled at how many people still use mobile phones whilst driving. I also cannot believe how close people get to the rear of cars, i don't understand what they think they have to gain by racing up behind you at red traffic lights! What amazes\me most is how many people appear to be looking everywhere , apart from where they are going. All this applies to all age groups and gender.
harriet
i think the campaign is a briiliant idea. I am related to joanne and lin and i have been around my school and got signatures for it. Young drivers also shouldnt be given such big engined cars
sam mcghee
my grandad has been driving 4 over 20 years and he knows that if you didn't have hgv's on the road then all of the main busness will not be able to get there supplies
david wilson
i think its time we did things like when i joined the airforce in the late fifties
we took test every three years and we were tested on every vehicle we drove then we were tested before we could drive over 50 mph then advanced driver training before we could go at high speed
Ju
I have seen at close hand the devastation caused when you lose someone you love in a terrible car accident. The teenage boy who was driving the car when a young girl aged 15 was fatally injured had only passed his test two weeks previous. It was night time and raining, he lost control when he was 'dazzled' by an oncoming lorry. This lorry had it's lights on dip, but the young inexperienced driver was going too fast and did not know how to control his car. Young people are more likely to think that they can handle a car in any conditions, they drive too fast. Everyone who passes their test should have to have some driving experience at night time, and be made to see footage of the devastation an accident can cause. I pray to god no other family and friends have to go what we did, it's beyond words.
Tim
It seems to me that if we were to have more traffic police patrols to stop offenders, then the number of accidents due to poor or negligent driving would be reduced. Furthermore, imho there is far too much reliance on "Traffic Calming" measures that simply make drivers divert their attention away from the process of driving safely.
Mrs G.A. Jones
Perhaps the legal driving age should be raised to 20 and restrictions on engine size as on motorbikes.Young people think they are invincible and of course they are not
Tony
Could the fact that more young males than females are involved in accidents have anything to do with video games, which involve driving cars. When they crash, you just restart and have another go. Real life is not like that.
Elizabeth
Your Drive to Survive campaign is great.Should you be targeting other experinced and older drivers.It is pathetic and dangrous how they don't care and observe rules including overtaking in restricted areas,irresponsible and careless approach at roundabouts no signals and appropriate lane position.Not to mention speading!I feel such drivers should be targeted too.They cause a lot of ill feelings and set bad example to young drivers who witness these attitudes during their lessons.They think once you pass your test you can do what you want and get away with it.Can the theory test be introduced to all drivers too? Or should we have them taken every few years to reinforce displine and awareness?
Alan
In the 1980's an increasing rise in teenage motorcycle fatalities saw a number of measures introduced, in an effort, to reduce death and serious injuries.
Compulsory training was introduced. Engine capacity, horsepower and age restrictions were applied. All of which encouraged teenagers away from motorcycling and into cars, where instead of having the manouverability to avoid most accidents they became a more potent threat to other road users. Not only putting their own lives at risk, but their passengers lives as well.
Teenagers especially male teenagers, are full of youthful exhuberance and don't see death as an option, only when it happens. Training is the only way to get the message across, but it has to be the right type of training, with all the implications built in. In my opinion teenagers should be restricted to mopeds and motorcycles and trained well, until they can prove that they are capable of acting responsably and are no longer a danger to themselves and others around them.
Ian Pearce
The whole issue of young drivers needs to be reviewed. Today there are far more road users and so it is more difficult to gain the experience in a safe environment.
I agree with compulary P plates but this needs to be coupled with restrictions on the power and size of car young people can drive under P plates, restrictions on passengers while under P plates, a maximum speed limit while on P plates, these restrictions can be lifted if accompanied by a skilled driver over the age of 25. A further driving test to be able to remove the P plates which includes night driving, motorway driving and other skills not tested on the first test.
joe
The age for young drivers should
be increased to 18 the engine size should be no more then 1000cc. P plates should be used
for the 1st year then take a
DRIVER AWARENESS TEST
if the driver passes only then
can they take off the P plate
and have a bigger cc engine.
this may save young lives
Roy
Besides a P plate for all new drivers for the first year, they should be restricted to a 50mph limit, not be able to drive more than a 1400cc car, and not be able to drive on motorways. Most young drivers will not have gone above 30 or 40 mph whilst learning. My own son crashed his car a week after passing his test. Luckily he was not injured.
David
We live on the A4110 in Wigmore,in the centre of the village there is a blind brow just before a side road.Every morning we can look out of the window and see young girls driving very fast whilst on thier mobile phones,steering with one hand!
NJH
Extra driving tuition is suggested as a way to reduce accidents involving teenagers with limited experience of real driving.I agree with that but essentially they should be aware of what centrifugel force is and the effect it has on a car driven at speed round a bend in the road. Even at 40mph if a car drifts toward the apex of a bend and hits the curb it could flip over or worse.
Carl
As Evesham’s leading driving school we have 8 instructors working with us to provide what we know to be quality driving tuition, when I hear anyone suggesting that the solution to fatal crashes is to make the driving test harder I see red.
Last March we wrote to numerous sixth for schools offering them out free Drive2Survive power point presentation, this initiative is aimed at making teenagers aware of the real reason behind this carnage, namely their attitude to driving.
Only one school took our offer up, Royal Grammar School Worcester, Mr Hugh Sykes endorses the presentation and has asked us to provide post test training.
The DSA have the means at their disposal to change this situation by exercising more control over driving instructor training and endorsing staged licensing to mention but two steps.
Lets start by involving parents and schools and stop blaming the roads
Ruth
When my son passed his test (several years ago) he was told, by his driving instructor, not to bother with a P plate because the other road users would just bully him.
My husband and I were in favour of it but after this we couldn't persuade him to get one.
He continued to be a troublesome teenager, full of testosterone, and drove fast and furiously, having several near misses and a minor crash.
Eventually the neighbours complained about his lack of care on the estate where we lived and we warned him to behave or leave!
My conclusions are:
the P plate must be mandatory for everyone, for a year after taking the test
other drivers must be prosecuted for being inconsiderate to L and P plate drivers
films of crash victims must be shown to the new drivers to shock them
instructions must be given to everyone about motorway driving
parents must not lend these young people their highly charged cars
Derek
Congratulations on your initiative. I often work with the forgotton casualites of our roads 'the injured' and I hope that you will focus on all drivers, not just young drivers. We often set a very bad example to younger people, from the team of Top Gear to the national objection to roadside devices to enforce speed limits.
Few of the people that I see have been injured by young drivers, but by people of their parent's and grandparents' generation, who break speed limits, talk on mobile phones when driving, tailgate, overtake between tiny gaps, amber gamble and all the other behaviour that has become an everyday feature of driving.
Few of the people have been injured in true 'accidents' most have been the result of stupidity, impatience or driving outside competence.
So PLEASE address your programmes to ALL drivers
Dave
I would like to congratulte H@W for highlighting young driver safety. I have both studied and taught driver and rider training for over twenty years. I would like to take sides with the driving instructor regarding comments that have been made by H@W, It has been stated by one of your presenters that the Pass Plus is expensive.Please spare a thought for the driving instuctor,he is self employed,no holiday or sickness pay,he is a trained proffesional, that has to reach certain standards or possible loss of instructor licence,he supplies a safe up to date vehicle with dual controls,he remains patient and quite often has to make split second decisions,he has to set a lesson plan for every individual,he has very high depreciation on his vehicle,that is well serviced, clean,and checked every morning before use.We also have to pay the tax man an accountant and national insurance.apart from the one hour lesson, we travel to our student we collect them from wherever, after the lesson we are quite often requested to drop the student at a different location,we have to cope with all traffic conditions,if the students lesson is at 10 we are expected at ten.We stear our students through all weather types it may be freezing, snowing 100degrees, is £20 per really expensive ?try a taxi ride you can get an old banger a driver that has no training,what will you get for £20 ?
Derek
I hope that, as a result of your excellent series of programmes, parents will stop whingeing about speed cameras, thus giving the message " We should be able to drive at whatever speed we think fit" to their sons and daughters.
Although they are far from ideal as a system, it is a nonsense that speed cameras are a form of stealth tax. If drivers kept to the legal limits cameras would be a very inefficient taxation device. The fact that, despite all the warning signs before you reach cameras, they still raise a great deal of money really says something about our standard of driving across all age groups!