Transport Research Laboratory’s report

There have been articles appearing in the media about changes to the way “Young Drivers” can learn to drive.
There has been research and questions asked about how to improve driver training.

Please remember that nothing has been decided yet, nor will anything be decided for a long time.

At present, people can start learning to drive on the public highways at the age of 17. They can take their Driving Test at 17, and once they have passed the Test, they are then able to drive on any public roads, anywhere in Britain, without any further training, or any limitations other than limitations that apply to all drivers. 
That means that a Young Driver can pass their Test, and then drive straight from the Test Centre where they live, along any motorway, at any time of day, in any weather conditions, in any traffic conditions, to any destination they wish, as long as they and the car are on the road legally.

Government Press Release. It seems that the Overhaul of Driver Training was instigated by British Motor Insurers concerned about the high insurance premiums being charged to Young Drivers, not by Bodies wanting to improve Road Safety. 
I think the priority is wrong. Surely we should be concentrating on improving the quality of British Driving because it will save lives and injuries, not because of the price of insurance? The insurance premiums should naturally reduce in time to reflect the lower risks of driving. It should not be the reason for improving Driver Safety. 

I have just been viewing the BBC website to find out what has been published by them.

They mention a minimum learning period of at least one year, including at least 100 hours of supervised driver training, and at least 20 hours of supervised driver training at night. 
It does not state that all those hours have to be with an Approved Driving Instructor.
I am a firm believer that the more hours of constructive driving experienced, the better the driver will become, regardless of age.

Once the test is passed, there will be a Probationary period, which could include a curfew, and those under 30 will be banned from carrying passengers also under 30.
I think this is unlikely to work in its present wording; how will a new father under 30 years old carry his new child to school, hospital, shopping etc?
How will the Probationary Driver be able to receive further training if their Approved Driving Instructor is also under 30?

There is talk of a lower alcohol limit for Probationary Drivers.
I think it should be at least lowered for everyone. Could it be an alcohol limit of Zero? Why not?

Statistics show that 20% of deaths on British roads involved drivers aged 17-24 years old.
That is a very high, and scary statistic, which needs to be improved drastically, and fast.

Who is driving for the other 80% of the deaths? 
Why are all drivers not being targeted to improve road safety?

According to ROSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents):

In the mid 1980s there were about 5500 road deaths each year. In 2012 there were 1754 road deaths.
This drop in numbers is encouraging, and shows that British drivers are becoming safer. 
Are British Drivers becoming safer, or are the roads they are driving on becoming safer?

But we still need to remember that 5 people die on British roads EVERY DAY, and that does not include all the others who are injured, or those, including close and distance family members who are traumatised. That is a horrendous statistic. It has to be changed, across the whole range of ages, not just one section.

RoSPA's Causes of road deaths in the UK states:
Common causes of these unnecessary tragedies include:
Speeding
Around 400 people a year are killed in crashes in which someone exceeds the speed limit or drives too fast for the conditions.
Drink Driving
Around 280 people die a year in crashes in which someone was over the legal drink drive limit.
Seat Belt Wearing
Around 200 lives each year could be saved if everyone always wore their seat belt.
Careless Driving
More than 300 deaths a year involve someone being "careless, reckless or in a hurry", and a further 120 involve "aggressive driving".
At-work
Around one third of fatal and serious road crashes involve someone who was at work.
Inexperience
More than 400 people are killed in crashes involving young car drivers aged 17 to 24 years, every year, including over 150 young drivers, 90 passengers and more than 170 other road users.

I think what we need to do now is to improve our skills of controlling the vehicle, and our awareness of risk factors. This is nothing more that we are trying to do at present. 
Choose an Approved Driving Instructor who can help you learn to drive safely.
Learn to drive safely, with a safe attitude, and you should be able to minimise the risks in driving.

We cannot wait until there is a new Law before we bother trying to stay safe.. that could be another two years away, or more. With 1754 road deaths each year, we cannot wait that long. 

When the Government has made its decision, we can work from there. 

Once we have "sorted" the "Young Drivers", perhaps we need to urgently start on all the other Drivers as well.

The news tonight reported that well over 100 vehicles were involved in a massive collision on a bridge leading off the Isle of Sheppey during this morning's commuting time.

Amazingly, thank goodness, there were no fatalities.

The news reported that the bridge has no hard shoulder running along the edge of it. There is no lane dedicated for use by the Emergency Services in the event of an emergency. There is no lane that vehicles could use in an emergency to avoid colliding with, or being hit by, other vehicles.  There is no lane that could be used in an emergency by people trying to leave the site of a collision, without having to clamber around the vehicles involved in the collision. 

There a plans by the Government, to start using existing hard shoulders as extra lanes on some motorways, to ease congestion, at very little cost. They say that there will be refuges for emergencies every half mile or so.

 I beg to suggest that we should keep our hard shoulders as hard shoulders, to be used whenever there is an emergency. As shown by today's event, emergencies can happen at any time, with almost no warning. Although today's cars are very reliable mechanically, I suggest that we cannot plan ahead for a collision, and clear the hard shoulder ready for the Emergency Services. That hard shoulder needs to be available all the time.

The news also reported that there were no gantry signs above the carriageway so that the speed limit could be lowered in the event of fog.

Surely the drivers can see the vehicles ahead of them disappearing into mist or fog, and start adjusting their speed and "safety bubble" accordingly? Surely it makes sense for people to drive with enough space in front of them, to be able to slow or stop safely? In fact, The Highway Code states in Rule 126:

"leave enough space between you and the vehicle in front so that you can pull up safely if it suddenly slows down or stops. The safe rule is never to get closer than the overall stopping distance (see Typical Stopping Distances diagram, shown below)

allow at least a two-second gap between you and the vehicle in front on roads carrying faster-moving traffic and in tunnels where visibility is reduced. The gap should be at least doubled on wet roads and increased still further on icy roads

remember, large vehicles and motorcycles need a greater distance to stop. If driving a large vehicle in a tunnel, you should allow a four-second gap between you and the vehicle in front.

If you have to stop in a tunnel, leave at least a 5-metre gap between you and the vehicle in front."

I am well aware that if you leave a gap in front of you, that it will be filled by someone else. If that happens, just ease off the gas pedal for a few seconds and build up the safety gap in front of you again. Even if you have to do that a number if times on a journey, then you will only arrive at your destination a few seconds later than you planned. That extra time would probably less less time than you having to wait at a red light at a junction, that's all.its not a lot. It's not going to get you sacked.

Surely it makes sense to drive safely, carefully, and with enough attention to be able to see what is happening around you, and to do something about it when it starts happening?

Why do people drive so fast and so close to each other, that a collision is inevitable when something goes wrong?

If in doubt, slow down. 

If still in doubt, stop. 

You cannot hit anything if you are not moving. 

Leave enough time to complete your journey safely. Do not rely on luck, and the fact that you've survived without crashing so far, that it's not going to happen to you. It has just happened to over 100 families. Luckily, today, in that particular collision, there were no deaths. There were some serious injuries, but there were no deaths, this time. Despite that, over 100 families have been directly affected by that collision today. Over 100 extended families are changing the way they think about travelling.

Please, learn from others, drive safely. You are responsible for your actions and your safety. No-one else, just you.

http://www.andrewknightdriving.org.uk/driving-in-the-fog.html

BBC News reports...

Drivers are being warned not to take the apparent generosity of other motorists for granted in a new take on the "crash for cash" insurance scam.

While the Highway Code states that headlights should only be flashed "to let other road users know that you are there", many use it as a way of inviting other road users to pull out.

In the "flash for cash" scam, a driver in an approaching car flashes their lights in this way, but then deliberately drives into the other vehicle.

Richard Westcott reports.

Andrew says... PLEASE drive to the rules of the Highway Code! If everyone drove that way, ("In an ideal world") driving would be so much safer

BBC News reports...

Careless drivers across Britain who hog lanes or tailgate can now be punished with on-the-spot police fines.
Under the new measures, officers can issue £100 fines and three points rather than taking drivers to court.

Ministers said it would make tackling problem motorists easier. The AA said a third of drivers risked facing a fine.
Jon Ironmonger reports.
Read more

Eva’s 19 year old brother went out one night with his best friend, just a few days before her first GCSE exam..

Here are a number of quotes from Eva's 4 minute video:

"They decided after several shots and pints, that my brother would be fine to drive, that he wasn’t too drunk

He was driving at 80 miles per hour and he was twice over the limit

He was supposed to turn a corner and he just drove straight into a tree

The car set on fire, so we couldn’t see his body, we couldn’t get to say goodbye to him properly

Nothing stays the same after something like that

One decision made by someone else has had so much effect on so many peoples’ lives

He was 19, he made such a stupid decision

A moment of madness really..  leads to a lifetime of sadness, which is what happened to my brother"

“The Honest Truth – Eva’s Story”

Drivers in England could be given a "grace period" to pick up goods from shops or leave their cars in bays for longer without being fined.,  according to the BBC News site. 

The aim is to allow people to park outside a shop, in order to pick up something they have just bought.

It is thought that severe parking restrictions is one of the reasons for the decline in the fortunes of the High street shops and businesses.

However, the Highway Code states:

1. Waiting and parking (238)

You MUST NOT wait or park on yellow lines during the times of operation shown on nearby time plates (or zone entry signs if in a Controlled Parking Zone) – download ‘Traffic signs’ (PDF, 486KB)and ‘Road markings’ (PDF, 731KB). Double yellow lines indicate a prohibition of waiting at any time even if there are no upright signs. YouMUST NOT wait or park, or stop to set down and pick up passengers, on school entrance markings (download ‘Road markings’ (PDF, 731KB)) when upright signs indicate a prohibition of stopping.
Law RTRA sects 5 & 8


Lets all hope that our local Town or Borough Councils will see the advantages of allowing this parking, but also ensure that the streets do not become too congested and dangerous for pedestrians to cross the roads safely!

If you want to take a Test to drive a car+trailer (Category B+E), from November 2013 onwards, the trailer will have to carry a "real weight", rather than just an empty trailer.

This will produce a much more realistic drive, as most people would only tow a trailer if they are going to load it with something, rather than just towing it empty. A fully loaded trailer can increase acceleration and braking times significantly, especially when carrying livestock or other delicate items that cannot afford to be "thrown around" the trailer. As a result, the driver would need to be looking much, much further along the road to allow more time to complete any task.

More details can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/new-laden-testing-rules-for-driving-test-vehicles