rsalmon

read thread on S3BARU's insurance earlier, got me thinking about the current driving test and how it compares to the last type of driving test (and previous).

would personally never have been ready for full-on 4WD turbo at 17 (have just made it to a WRX after 11 years and find this quick enough) - but there's a load of pressure to get a quick car straight-off.

is there anything majorly different in the test nowadays that can prepare you for quicker cars (most are faster now than when I started) or should they give an extra section for "positive" driving ?

Bubba po

Before you get road-sense, things happen too fast in a slow car!! Handling your vehicle properly is a minor part of surviving on the road, IMO.... It's being able to predict what the other **** are going to do that's the real skill......

rsalmon

sound reply bubba_po.

still would question capability (i.e. part of insurance risk) vs further driving test experience, how about giving new drivers the chance to do some decent overtaking and traffic-joining with some pace then rating them. also skid-pan test. never had these when I learnt.

can then be in control from start, have time for the anticipation bit and get the turbo WRX insurance sooner.

why not ....

Lum

Isn't this what Pass Plus and the IAM are for?

Out of interest though, what if you get banned and the onlycar you have when retaking the test is an STI. I can imaging your typical driving examiner getting somewhat distressed after riding in one of those

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

Learners over here nead to learn how to drive on the Autobhn before they can pass their test, so joining and surviving an autobahn should stand you in good stead for being able to drive, it is a pity they don't do the same in the UK. it is stupid the way you pass your test in a mini metro then jump in a Ferrari and take it on the motorway without 1 second of motorway training legally.

Mitchy260

Things have changed dramatically over the last 5 years, im certain many of the 'old n bold' would struggle in todays driving tests.

Stricter rules along with the introduction of theory and hazard perception tests for instance.

rsalmon

certainly never had much in the way of hazard perception when I started. I think there's some decent simulators for this sort of thing - do these get used ?

what's Pass Plus ?

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

True; that said I think most people would struggle to pass a re-test not 1 one month after originally passing!

Skill and procedural knowledge are one thing, a safe attitude to driving and the development of roadcraft are quite another. The former is much more amenable to testing than the latter. Initial development of the latter should not occur in a high performance car IMHO.

Best

staffs Mike

pass plus is an advanced driving course which is supposed to teach you how to drive on a motorway and in poor weather etc....

rsalmon

is it any good - anyone done it and felt much more confident afterwards ?

and does it count towards insurance discount ?

Lum

Yes and no.. the only insurance companies that recognise it are the ones that have a higher starting price. After discounts you'll be on a similar price level to the ones that don't recognise it.

I didn't do Pass Plus, couldn't afford it back then after struggling to fund the driving lessons and test and the fee for having passed to convert my licence into a provisional.

If the government was actually concerned about safety, they'd offer free Pass Plus when you pass your test, or at least they would make it a compulsory requirement that you do it before you are allowed in a car unaccompanied (P plates would then take on a new meaning)

scoobyster

I did Pass Plus a month or so after passing my test (3yrs ago). At the time my county (Denbighshire) were paying for 6th form students to do it as 17yos kept killing themselves. It's just six hour lessons with a normal driving instructor who's done the appropriate course, so is only ~£100 anyway. They try to cover everything - night, bad weather, town, country, and motorway driving.

The standard test is a joke, the examiners stick to their rule book far too stringently instead of assessing your ability to drive; I've seen appalling drivers pass first time because luck and the traffic was on their side on test day, conversely very good drivers fail for things like not using an indicator to join a clear dual carriageway from a slip road. Anyway, that's another rant

If someone in the first category took Pass Plus I can imagine them benefiting from it a lot, a fairly good driver would see the lessons as fairly Micky Mouse, but the experience can't do any harm. At the moment Norwich Union give a ~45% discount for Pass Plus, more than you get for 1yr NCB! They also seem to be the cheapest at the mo for under 21s. They certainly were for my modded GL a couple of months ago, although I wish they'd take my Pass Plus as well as NCB into account, having some NCB actually counted against me

I've also done IAMs and feel a better driver for it. You are encouraged to make fast progress on lessons and test, though obviously only up to the speed limits - on test . The main objective is to improve your observation and control. Obviously the benefit you get depends on your observer's ability as a teacher and attitude to driving. That's only about £75 for young drivers and the lessons are free as the observers are volunteers. Hardly anyone recognises IAM for insurance though, there is a specialist but they laughed when I said Impreza and 20yo.

Do Pass Plus to get an insurance discount if you have no NCB; do IAMs to become a safer driver, particularly if you don't have much driving experience. That's the advice I'd give.