Driving Standards

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Why was he using a handheld phone in a bloody Bentley, surely Bentley's come with bluetooth & hands-free phone operation?

Looking at facebook or whatever, the phone was on his knees and he was looking down whilst driving forward.

Not that it would have made much difference if he was looking straight ahead, according to his own brief he was paying so much attention that...

Beckham's defence barrister Gerrard Tyrrell said the former Manchester United midfielder had "no recollection of the day in question or this particular incident".

He added: "There is no excuse for what took place but his view is that he cannot remember."

 

[Crispy]

Got snapped doing 36 in a 30. If it's the road I think it is, I was in the middle of kicking myself for missing a turning and having to go round the (large) block. Copped to it and going on a safety course. I cannot overstate how keen I am for self-driving cars to work out. Driving is misery.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Got snapped doing 36 in a 30. If it's the road I think it is, I was in the middle of kicking myself for missing a turning and having to go round the (large) block. Copped to it and going on a safety course. I cannot overstate how keen I am fro self-driving cars to work out. Driving is misery.

The course is good, everyone should have to do it every 5 years or so, focuses the mind.

 

[cupid_stunt]

The course is good, everyone should have to do it every 5 years or so, focuses the mind.

I am an aware driver, I never speed, I give cyclists a wide berth when over-taking, I am constantly flashing people to let them out, which seems to confuse them as I drive vans nowadays , I've never got more than a parking ticket, certainly no points on my licence.

How would going on such a course benefit me & focus my mind, more than it is already?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I am an aware driver, I never speed, I give cyclists a wide berth when over-taking, I am constantly flashing people to let them out, which seems to confuse them as I drive vans nowadays , I've never got more than a parking ticket, certainly no points on my licence.

How would going on such a course benefit me & focus my mind, more than it is already?

Teaches you stuff that you either didn’t know or have forgotten. Makes you think about your driving and how you can be an even better driver.

Flashing people to let them out is a test fail, btw.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Flashing people to let them out is a test fail, btw.

What?

Got a link for that?

 

[weltweit]

Bentleys probably do have Bluetooth
Beckham is an idiot
he is role model
i.e. he deserved a ban

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

What?

Got a link for that?

Highway Code, 110

 

[cupid_stunt]

Highway Code, 110

I asked for a link, but I've google that, and it doesn't support your claim that flashing people to let them out is a test fail.

Here's a link that suggests otherwise...

Although it’s not illegal to signal to another driver to proceed by use of headlight flashing or hand gestures, it is not advised to do this during a driving test for the above reasons of being potentially or actually hazardous. Though signalling to a pedestrian or other road user in this manner during a driving test isn’t necessarily a test failure, it really depends on the actual situation and the discretion of the examiner (their personal view on this matter).

Flashing Headlights – Driving Test Tips

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I asked for a link, but I've google that, and it doesn't support your claim that flashing people to let them out is a test fail.

Here's a link that suggests otherwise...



Flashing Headlights – Driving Test Tips

So that links says it can or can’t be a fail, the Highway Code says it is a dangerous thing to do, but you know better...

 

[hash tag]

Flashing headlights is not recognised as standard practice. Perhaps people get confused because flashing lights could be a warning?
If you want to look at ways of improving your driving or correcting bad habits, you could try an advanced motorists course. Rather than sat in an oppressive room, someone is out with you while driving. Much more beneficial.

Beckham should have been banned for a year a least. Telephones automatically link up to cars systems these days. Still, at least he has made headlines, which will help get the message across.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Flashing headlights is not recognised as standard practice. Perhaps people get confused because flashing lights could be a warning?
If you want to look at ways of improving your driving or correcting bad habits, you could try an advanced motorists course. Rather than sat in an oppressive room, someone is out with you while driving. Much more beneficial.

Beckham should have been banned for a year a least. Telephones automatically link up to cars systems these days. Still, at least he has made headlines, which will help get the message across.

Beckham wasn’t making a call, he was reading a website on his phone, which in many ways is worse.

 

[existentialist]

Got snapped doing 36 in a 30. If it's the road I think it is, I was in the middle of kicking myself for missing a turning and having to go round the (large) block. Copped to it and going on a safety course. I cannot overstate how keen I am for self-driving cars to work out. Driving is misery.

I got nailed for 35 in a 30 - slightly over-exuberant acceleration off the line at some traffic lights, followed by a not-abrupt-enough deceleration when I spotted the camera. All bang to rights, but you're right - this very rigid enforcement of limits does make driving a more gratuitiously stressful experience.

I'm taking the safety course option, and will look forward to it - the last one I did was interesting and definitely did help me adapt my driving behaviour more to the new realities (I should point out that I've been driving for 35 years and had one accident, so I don't think I'm a particularly reckless or careless driver to start with ).

 

[hash tag]

There is no room for complacency and a refresher won't hurt.

 

[hash tag]

Beckham wasn’t making a call, he was reading a website on his phone, which in many ways is worse.

I didn't think thats what I said

 

[hash tag]

BTW. our new touch screen will not work above about 4 MPH, which is fair enough, but you can still control it by buttons.
We have a new VW at work. The touch screen appears to work at high speed, which despite a host of other safety features is not good.
As I have said previously, these entertainment things can be a terrible distraction.

 

[Crispy]

rigid enforcement of limits does make driving a more gratuitiously stressful experience.

I'm absolutely fine with the enforcement. The limit is reasonable and I always do my best to stay under it. 36 feels like only a little bit more than 30, but it's actually 20% faster and increases your stopping distance from 74 to 100 ft.

Missing my turning, dealing with traffic, noisy kids in the back, and having to make a 10 minute detour when I'm already late are what make driving stressful.

 

[dervish]

I am an aware driver, I never speed, I give cyclists a wide berth when over-taking, I am constantly flashing people to let them out, which seems to confuse them as I drive vans nowadays , I've never got more than a parking ticket, certainly no points on my licence.

How would going on such a course benefit me & focus my mind, more than it is already?

How long have you been driving? How long has it been since you read you highway code?

The law changes all the time, normally not major changes year to year, but there will be new stuff to learn, not to mention all the things that you have forgotten since you passed your test.

 

[hash tag]

I am an aware driver, I never speed,

most people that say this are usually economical with the truth. The number of indignant people who used to write to honest John saying I've just been done for 33 in a 30 limit...how can that be right...ive been driving for 50 years and never do much as had a parking ticket You mean you've never been caught before.

Mrs Tag is very cautious and careful "who never speeds". Nope, she speeds, unintentionally most times she drives. At least twice today I noticed she was speeding, not wildly over, but she broke the law none the less.
if you are over the limit, you ARE over the limit.

 

[weltweit]

Indeed. I would like to think of myself as a careful driver, but I catch myself doing 45 in a 40, or 80 in a 70. And there is always the risk of distraction which is a constant issue while driving.

I class myself as an experienced driver, I had a 10 year spell as a rep doing 50k miles a year which equates to 1,000 miles a week so I have certainly driven a long way. But equally I will have picked up bad habits along the way, it is almost inevitable.

 

[hash tag]

Real driving or as I suspect, motorway driving?

 

[T & P]

Speeding and being careful and/or safe drivers are by no means exclusive, of course. And one could also add that intentional speeding might be preferable to unintentional speeding, since at least it shows the driver who is intentionally speeding is fully aware of both the local traffic regulations and the speed they're travelling at. More than can be said of an unintentional speeder

 

[hash tag]

BTW. Re Mrs tag....she is not easily distracted whilst at the wheel.

 

[not-bono-ever]

some spunker cut me up on the motorway last week , blasting up the hard shoulder thne veering into the outside line where i was doing about 80, causing me to take action. i came alongside him at a slip road some way further on, wound down the window and called him a manky kojak cunt. the children are still asking what a kojak is.

 

[Saul Goodman]

The course is good, everyone should have to do it every 5 years or so, focuses the mind.

Assuming you drive an Audi, and aren't already focused on the important part of driving... driving!

 

[mauvais]

I am an aware driver, I never speed, I give cyclists a wide berth when over-taking, I am constantly flashing people to let them out, which seems to confuse them as I drive vans nowadays , I've never got more than a parking ticket, certainly no points on my licence.

How would going on such a course benefit me & focus my mind, more than it is already?

Years ago, I posted this:

Pop quiz:

What is the speed limit for a car here?

How about here?

For a 7.5+ tonne lorry, past the sign here?

Without looking at the source thread, what are the answers and why?

 

[BigTom]

Years ago, I posted this:

Without looking at the source thread, what are the answers and why?

Without checking the 7.5t limit in the HC, I think

Spoiler

1 - 60mph for a car. Can't see any speed limit signs, so national speed limit, single carriageway, no streetlights = 60mph.
2 - 70mph for a car. As above but it's dual carriageway (just with a very large central reservation), not single carriageway, so despite being a single lane, it's 70mph. oddly I think the other carriageway might be a different speed limit as I found some national speed limit signs for that way when I was looking for ones on our side, but no corresponding limit change for our carriageway.
3 - Not sure if this is 40mph or 45mph but 7.5t vehicles have lower speed limits on all national speed limit roads, I remember they were consulting on raising the speed limit on this type of road a few years back but don't know if anything came of that.

For extra points, what's the speed limit for 3.5t vehicles in these examples, since cupid_stunt drives a van mostly nowadays, that's more relevant.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Years ago, I posted this:

Without looking at the source thread, what are the answers and why?

If we are talking about cars for the first two, and there's no speed limit signs:.
60 - single carriageway
70 - dual carriageway
50 - Goods vehicles are 10 mph lower than cars on single & dual carriageways.

For extra points, what's the speed limit for 3.5t vehicles in these examples, since cupid_stunt drives a van mostly nowadays, that's more relevant.

50
60
50

 

[BigTom]

If we are talking about cars for the first two, and there's no speed limit signs:.
60 - single carriageway
70 - dual carriageway
50 - Goods vehicles are 10 mph lower than cars on single & dual carriageways.



50
60
50

We disagree about the 7.5t limit but afaik the van speeds are right - ime most people think 3.5t limits are the same as cars so that's a from me. I haven't gone to check what that limit is to see what the 7.5t limit is though.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

The main thing I took from the course:

Two things; I didn't know what a dual carriageway was, didn't know it could be a single lane.


And this; we were shown this picture, but at night with no traffic or pedestrians about, it was well lit:



We were asked what we thought was a safe speed at 1am, (the time the photo was taken), not the legal speed, which we all knew to be 30mph, but what we would consider to be safe, driving in the direction of the BMW.

40-45 was my answer, most people answered the same, some less, some more, but my answer was the majority answer.

As it happens this road was close to the place where the course was taking place, most of us recognised it and had driven down it many times, 30mph when it is empty is a snail's pace on such a wide road.

We were then shown a smashed up boy-racer's Nova.

At the corner at the top of the picture is this pedestrian crossing with lights, a Pelican Crossing(?):



To the left of which is an alleyway going up steep steps to Guildford Castle.

A man in his 20's came flying out of there without stopping and the Nova smashed in to him, killing him instantly. We saw pictures of the aftermath, his shoes in the road, those little yellow triangles the police lay out on the road and so on. We saw a picture of the Nova all smashed up with the dead man's dent in in, it had Kev and Shaz or whatever across the windscreen, we were asked to think about the driver, who we all agreed was an inexperienced idiot.

Only it wasn't, it was the idiot's mum, who had borrowed his car for the night to go to the cinema and then a pizza. She was sober. She was 49 years old and ran a small business which provided a decent standard of living for her. She was doing 43 mph. She was sent to prison for 7 years.

The dead man was in the wrong, he ran out without stopping or looking. Had she been doing 30mph he quite likely would still have been killed, or at least suffered life changing injuries, but she would not have even been nicked. But she was speeding and as a result was found to be fully culpable for his death.

That changed the way I drive. Selfish, perhaps, but effective.