Advanced driving not age limits
I am fed up listening to the typically narrow minded individuals that think all the problems on the road will be solved with limiting driving age groups. This method DOES NOT work. What we need to do is to educate young drivers further in the world of driving. Obtaining a driving licence is not the be-all-and-end-all of driving; it is purely a first stepping stone.
We must make young people aware that they can improve their driving after passing their L test – it’s called the advanced driving test. We use the same training criteria as the police class 1 drivers (roadcraft) and the only obvious difference is we're not allowed to exceed the speed limit.
It does NOT cost a fortune either, a one off payment of £65 for under 26s and £85 for everyone else. You are 70% less likely to be involved in a crash (government figures). We give an explanation with everything we ask you to do, which then leads to a better understanding of the law, car handling and road attitude.
I am 22 and drive a 220 bhp (293 lb/ft torque) car that now accelerates faster than a Porsche Boxter 3.2. Would you have me give up the car that I have worked so hard for, just due to my age? Should it not be based on your ability and the willingness to learn new skills?
Oh, and just to keep things interesting: experience does not mean that you will become a better driver: it only means that you have travelled further than me and not necessarily in a safe manner.
By: Ben Devlin I.A.M. Youth Advisor
Further Information
The Institute of Advanced Motorists
Established in 1956, the IAM is the UK’s leading road safety organisation dedicated to raising driving and riding standards and reducing the number of collisions that occur on our roads. A wealth of information including fact sheets and driving tips can be found on their website.
Driver Information
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. A good source of general information about driver licencing as well as online forms and links to other related topics.
Comments from visitors
my ting is so big, if I jack it when its hard, I just spray everywere. my girlfriend eats it after!
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From your tale you have a year's experience or less. This is the only significant information the insurance company had about you.
You may also have evidence of having further training by passing such schemes as Pass Plus, IAM or RoSPA however the fact remains you are a very inexperienced driver in a very high risk category i.e. males under 21.
The insurer does not know that you are "..not stupid and not a boy racer driver..." - how could they - and you are not paying for people who crash their cars any more than I am, you are simply in the category of people who are most likely to be involved in accidents and, even more damming, far more likely to cause death or serious injury as a result.
You can however take steps to help reduce your premium immediately: fit an immobiliser and alarm, park you car in a garage at night, keep your annual mileage to a minimum and swap your 1.4 Honda for a 1 litre Vauxhall or Ford which are cheaper to repair and hence in a lower insurance group.
You may also have evidence of having further training by passing such schemes as Pass Plus, IAM or RoSPA however the fact remains you are a very inexperienced driver in a very high risk category i.e. males under 21.
The insurer does not know that you are "..not stupid and not a boy racer driver..." - how could they - and you are not paying for people who crash their cars any more than I am, you are simply in the category of people who are most likely to be involved in accidents and, even more damming, far more likely to cause death or serious injury as a result.
You can however take steps to help reduce your premium immediately: fit an immobiliser and alarm, park you car in a garage at night, keep your annual mileage to a minimum and swap your 1.4 Honda for a 1 litre Vauxhall or Ford which are cheaper to repair and hence in a lower insurance group.
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I am 18 I took my test when I was 17 and got 3 minors on my 1st go and passed my 1st car cost 800 pound and my insurance was 2200 on a 1.4 golf 60 bhp pretty slow so I am paying for people who crashd their car im not stupid and not a boy racer driver infact I think its embarassing to be racing anything less than a 2 litre I have a bike that can go 3 times as fast as my car yet my bike insurance is 300 pound and my car 2400 now as I now have a honda civic 1.4i
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ADAM CROYDON - 20-Jul-10 15:13
I paid my £400 third party insurance when I was 17 ,then year by year I reduced it by being careful,I know what its like for insurance to charge big numbers.BUT you know nothing about road road sense when your 17.I am 42 now and pay small amounts for car insurance,I won t preach but bide your time....
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small premium - 18-May-10 20:28
Insurance companies are commercial organisations who are there simply to make a profit.
I know this is 'stating the obvious' but it has to be spelt out because some people seem to think very high premiums for very young drivers i.e 17-19 year olds are unreasonable however the only calculation that insurers make is risk balanced against profit.
The simple fact is that statistically young drivers as a group are a high risk.
Further driver training for youngsters, be it RoSPA, IAM or Pass Plus is to be recommended and I agree with the OP on this however convincing an insurer of your competence on an individual basis is impractical and would be far too costly.
I know this is 'stating the obvious' but it has to be spelt out because some people seem to think very high premiums for very young drivers i.e 17-19 year olds are unreasonable however the only calculation that insurers make is risk balanced against profit.
The simple fact is that statistically young drivers as a group are a high risk.
Further driver training for youngsters, be it RoSPA, IAM or Pass Plus is to be recommended and I agree with the OP on this however convincing an insurer of your competence on an individual basis is impractical and would be far too costly.
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I believe that the price of insurance already discriminates and determines who can and can't drive due to prices..... for instance when I passed 3 years ago at 17, I paid £600 for a KA it wasn't the best value for money but I was eager to get on the road and then it cost me £1900 to insure it..... this meant paying insurance payment of over £170 a month because of the area I live in. Then once I turned 18 I got my inheritance cheque and was looking at buying an audi a3.....my dad advised against it thinking I would have it taken off me, so on I plodded to get sum insurance qoutes, norwich union £17,000, swinton...wouldnt insure me, sheilas wheels £8000........ see what I mean??????
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Jason, I was referring to the comment just below mine. But then I suppose (hope) that wickedno1 would fail the written test anyway!
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grumpyoldwoman - 12-Jun-09 11:32
Now that is an excellent idea, but you know, so many people would fail the test. Probably not a bad thing either though. Perhaps and IQ test should be included in the right to bring up children too. What an amazing world we could have by introducing these tests.
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I think an IQ test should be included in the driving test!
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grumpyoldwoman - 12-Jun-09 10:57
im 17 and I want to buy and jaguar or beetle what is the size engiune limit do I have to be a certain age to drive a certain sized engiune ?
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I am in general agreement with the suggestion that better training will prove more beneficial than raising the age at which drivers can take their test and the IAM is as good a way as any to do this however some of their 'Observers' are very anal with unpleasant supercillious attitudes. And it's not just the Honda / Skoda / Volvo-driving old geezers with caps and stringback gloves that are like that. It was this more than anything that put me off renewing membership.
ROSPA offer equivalent schemes and I would recommend that anyone wanting to improve their driving try both gropus before deciding.
More worryingly the IAM appears to favour some of the Goverments dafter anti-speed proposals.
ROSPA offer equivalent schemes and I would recommend that anyone wanting to improve their driving try both gropus before deciding.
More worryingly the IAM appears to favour some of the Goverments dafter anti-speed proposals.
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It seems to be the 'In' thing these days to aim all criticism at young drivers. While I admit that young drivers can be irresponsible, the answer isn't simply to raise the age limit. Can you remember when you were 16, just about to turn 17 and learn to drive? It's an exciting time, and lots of people look forward to this moment immensely.
Restricting the age of those who can learn would, in my opinion, not only irritate and alienate the youth of the country, but would lead to an increase in car crime, and people driving without licenses and insurance. If you think carefully, you'll realise this. If you are 17, and everyone else you know has learnt at 17, you will also want to. If suddenly, you are told that you are not responsible enough, this would create an attitude which woul d cause people to believe they can still drive.
Following on from this, the main problem is a lack of driving experience, which is caused simply by the age at which we are allowed to learn. If the age is raised to 21, then surely the lack of experience would still be there, just in slightly older drivers. I feel that I, as a 20 year old driver, am a safer driver than someone who is 21 and just starting out, as I already have 2 years of experience.
It is hard enough learning to drive at 17, with insurance companies trying to charge £1200 for a group 2 car without raising the age requirement for a driving license.
Anything that is changed will simply change the age at which inexperienced drivers are allowed on the road. Surely, early education is much better than waiting until later when it's more difficult to learn new skills.
Restricting the age of those who can learn would, in my opinion, not only irritate and alienate the youth of the country, but would lead to an increase in car crime, and people driving without licenses and insurance. If you think carefully, you'll realise this. If you are 17, and everyone else you know has learnt at 17, you will also want to. If suddenly, you are told that you are not responsible enough, this would create an attitude which woul d cause people to believe they can still drive.
Following on from this, the main problem is a lack of driving experience, which is caused simply by the age at which we are allowed to learn. If the age is raised to 21, then surely the lack of experience would still be there, just in slightly older drivers. I feel that I, as a 20 year old driver, am a safer driver than someone who is 21 and just starting out, as I already have 2 years of experience.
It is hard enough learning to drive at 17, with insurance companies trying to charge £1200 for a group 2 car without raising the age requirement for a driving license.
Anything that is changed will simply change the age at which inexperienced drivers are allowed on the road. Surely, early education is much better than waiting until later when it's more difficult to learn new skills.
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I believe that the age restriction will not help, in fact it shall just cause more chaos because all the younger drivers which are not yet passed shall intentionally drive illegally (without a liscence, insurance, MOT, road tax etc...). If something is to be restricted, it should be the horse power of the car or perhaps the engine size. I also believe that this shall not make much of a difference as well because if some one wants to drive recklessly they could also do it in a car such as a Nissan Micra (i am not criticising Nissan Micras). Driving tests should also become more advanced. Perhaps there should be a motorway test? I do hope that many of you agree with me because increasing the age restriction will definitely cause a lot of chaos and youngsters shall not be very happy indeed.
Thanx
Thanx
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I think the car test is too easy thats why s**t drivers get on to the road mostly female. Try doing a motor bike test it is very hard I did and I only got two minors I was going for none but I made two mistakes.
making people retake there test would be a good idea. I would love to because I a young and would pass not many older people would though because they would fail.
making people retake there test would be a good idea. I would love to because I a young and would pass not many older people would though because they would fail.
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Lewis Hamilton - 21-Mar-08 14:57
I don't think that raising the Age at which one can drive to 18 or indeed 21 or any age would have any effect. I think that for the most part we see young people 17 and 18 year olds driving poorly is though lack of experience in car handling. pray do tell how someone aged 21 and never used a car on a public road before is going to do it any better than a 17 year old in the same situation.
I'm 16 and very frustrated being one of the youngest in my year at college, a lot of my friends are beginning to be able to drive on public roads, I have to get lifts, which just makes me jealous and I can't wait to start driving. (I'm already working on my car, a mini cooper s, currently has no engine, or gear box
I could go out and learn to drive a moped at 16 on which people have far more accidents than they do in cars, yet to drive a vehicle which is statistically much safer than said mopeds I have to wait an extra year, and pay more insurance for the privilege. and when I turn 17 pass my test, and if I could afford the insurance I could just jump behind the wheel of a high powered car, unlike motorcycles which are better regulated in this sense.
I'm 16 and very frustrated being one of the youngest in my year at college, a lot of my friends are beginning to be able to drive on public roads, I have to get lifts, which just makes me jealous and I can't wait to start driving. (I'm already working on my car, a mini cooper s, currently has no engine, or gear box
I could go out and learn to drive a moped at 16 on which people have far more accidents than they do in cars, yet to drive a vehicle which is statistically much safer than said mopeds I have to wait an extra year, and pay more insurance for the privilege. and when I turn 17 pass my test, and if I could afford the insurance I could just jump behind the wheel of a high powered car, unlike motorcycles which are better regulated in this sense.
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Young drivers --- I beleive that young drivers very often show off and are egged on by groups of passengers thus causing accidents, restricting young drivers to only one passenger would be one way and not raising the age to 18.
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I think you're absolutely correct aswell as that if the government is that bothered they should put cameras in the novice drivers car and also have a stricter point system. They could limit the cars like for mopeds for instance you can drive at 16/17 but your only aloud to drive cars with an engine capacity of 1.0 or less until they're 17/18 and have to pass another test. And what about a strickter test for everyone and retests every 5 years or so.
Increasing the minimum age is not the answer if anything they should be decreasing the age and make it part of the curriculum like in America for there's hardly any job that doesn't need the use of a car even if it's just travelling to and from work.
I am a 15 year old and an extreme car enthusiast and have been waiting to drive for as long as I can remember, i'm glad you've brought this up thank you.
Increasing the minimum age is not the answer if anything they should be decreasing the age and make it part of the curriculum like in America for there's hardly any job that doesn't need the use of a car even if it's just travelling to and from work.
I am a 15 year old and an extreme car enthusiast and have been waiting to drive for as long as I can remember, i'm glad you've brought this up thank you.
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Carl, you are obviously a very lucky young man.In my job as a mortuary attendant I have seen lots of super young drivers and their passengers who,with a little common sense, would,nt have finished up requiring my services,it is part of my job to put their innards back where they belong and to make them as recognizable as possible,so as their parents wont be shocked when they come to see their child as they are being brought out of the fridge.I really think that if you and your rubber burning friends were to witness some of the things I have seen and had to do in my job it may make a difference,although possibly not.
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Hang on Carl, so because you were a moron when you were 17-20 means that every other young driver must be tainted with the same brush?
You say that the legal age should be 21, therefore at 20 years old you still don't consider yourself to be a roadworthy driver. So why don't you sell your car (if you're still allowed one after that many accidents - didn't you think about changing your habits after the first couple?), then take some more lessons until you feel you are responsible enough to be driving on the roads.
I'm 24 BTW & wasn't lucky enough to be driving between 17-20.
I think the driving age is fine the way it is, age doesn't signify competency behind the wheel, intelligence or consideration for others. It's up to the driving instructors, police and courts to keep unsafe drivers off the roads until they can prove they are a safe driver.
You say that the legal age should be 21, therefore at 20 years old you still don't consider yourself to be a roadworthy driver. So why don't you sell your car (if you're still allowed one after that many accidents - didn't you think about changing your habits after the first couple?), then take some more lessons until you feel you are responsible enough to be driving on the roads.
I'm 24 BTW & wasn't lucky enough to be driving between 17-20.
I think the driving age is fine the way it is, age doesn't signify competency behind the wheel, intelligence or consideration for others. It's up to the driving instructors, police and courts to keep unsafe drivers off the roads until they can prove they are a safe driver.
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ok most 17 and 18, 19 year olds burn rubber, wheel spin and race around without a care in the world thats what teenagers do,I am 20 and had about 7 accidents and written off 5 cars in 3years of driving,I im still alive to tell the tale after 3 weeks in hospital following a accident I caused, luckily no one else was injured, me and my mates would race at upto 70mph in 30mph zones, half the teenage drivers I no have smashed there cars up, ended up on there roofs caused big accidents etc its the norm at that age, some are like it even in the mid 20,s but most of that stupid stuff stops before then, I think you should not be allowed to drive untill you are 21, that would cut down on teenage deaths and road accidents by probably 20 percent overnight, it would also mean the public transport would benefit by having more passengers and the country would be a much better place for it
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