Driving test

Parkey

Here's an idea for improving the driving test.

As a lot of skills from cycling are transferable to and from driving, perhaps anybody wishing to take a driving test should first demonstrate proficiancy at using a bicycle as part of the testing process? It just occurs to me that the highway code seems a lot more real and important when you aren't separated from the road by a metal and glass box.

Any thoughts?

spen666

what about those who are unable to ride a bike? eg disabled etc?

Eat My Dust

I don't think it would hurt for (able bodied) drivers to have to try out a few days cycling in rush hour conditions, maybe then they would understand why cyclists get pissed off when you drive 1 inch away from their elbows!

BTW, from what I see in NW London, I suspect that there are quite a few of the blue badge holders who are more than capable of riding a bike!!!!

MattBlackBigBoysBMX

Make cycle training compulsory in schools.
That's my tuppence worth.

Smokin Joe

I was a driving instructor for nearly twenty years and taught many cyclists through my club connections. Cycling experience made sod all difference to their speed of learning or to their ability behind the wheel. The speed differential between a car and a bike is too great to make any experience on a bike relevant.

Motorcyclists, however were a different kettle of fish. They were the easiest of all classes to teach, not only did they have relevant road experience but they knew how the controls worked and had the machanical sympathy to use them properly.

formerlyknownasbonj

Eat My Dust wrote:

BTW, from what I see in NW London, I suspect that there are quite a few of the blue badge holders who are more than capable of riding a bike!!!!

Sub3_99

what about those who are unable to ride a bike? eg disabled etc?

They can demonstrate their proficiency on their mobility scooters :twisted:

ContrelaMontre

Smokin Joe wrote:

I was a driving instructor for nearly twenty years and taught many cyclists through my club connections. Cycling experience made sod all difference to their speed of learning or to their ability behind the wheel. The speed differential between a car and a bike is too great to make any experience on a bike relevant.

Motorcyclists, however were a different kettle of fish. They were the easiest of all classes to teach, not only did they have relevant road experience but they knew how the controls worked and had the machanical sympathy to use them properly.

It might not affect speed of learning, but it may help engender a more sympathetic/understanding attitude to more vulnerable road users.

I'm all in favour of advocating a set number of hours mandatory cycling experience before being permitted to take a driving test, as part of the process along with the theory test.

Should we start a petition?

spen666

Who is going to pay compensation to Mrs Miggins who falls off her bike whilst completing the number of hours needed to get a car licence?

She would not have had the accident if you had not forced her to ride a bike for x hours before she can have a driving licence

ContrelaMontre

spen666 wrote:

Who is going to pay compensation to Mrs Miggins who falls off her bike whilst completing the number of hours needed to get a car licence?

She would not have had the accident if you had not forced her to ride a bike for x hours before she can have a driving licence

Who currently pays the compensation when someone crashes their car whilst learning?

Or the person who gets mugged because they had to go to, say, Luton to take their theory test?

You bloody lawyers... :roll:

spen666

ContrelaMontre wrote:

spen666 wrote:

Who is going to pay compensation to Mrs Miggins who falls off her bike whilst completing the number of hours needed to get a car licence?

She would not have had the accident if you had not forced her to ride a bike for x hours before she can have a driving licence

Who currently pays the compensation when someone crashes their car whilst learning?

Or the person who gets mugged because they had to go to, say, Luton to take their theory test?

You bloody lawyers... :roll:

Those are unrelated examples

In first one- you are not forcing someone to undertake a different mode of transport that exposes them to danger. They are using a car to learn to drive in a car

Forcing someone to ride a bike to learn to drive a car is forcing them to undertake a different form of transport

ContrelaMontre

One of the examples is unrelated I'll admit, that's why I gave the second one.

But before we get carried away with you playing Devil's advocate, as I know you have on occasion been known to do, do you seriously believe there would be a case if someone had an accident in the manner you describe. I mean in all honesty, if the law was changed in the way I described, would such a case have a good chance of success? I really want to know if you're just being funny or are serious!

Even if you are serious though, I'm sceptical that such litigousness would be a major consideration of whether or not to go ahead with the policy of compulsory cycling for driving. The number of accidents probably wouldn't amount to a major sum of money.

Jon G

spen666 wrote:

Forcing someone to ride a bike to learn to drive a car is forcing them to undertake a different form of transport

So should those aiming to become bus or lorry drivers no longer be expected to pass a car driving test first ?

spen666

ContrelaMontre wrote:

One of the examples is unrelated I'll admit, that's why I gave the second one.

But before we get carried away with you playing Devil's advocate, as I know you have on occasion been known to do, do you seriously believe there would be a case if someone had an accident in the manner you describe. I mean in all honesty, if the law was changed in the way I described, would such a case have a good chance of success? I really want to know if you're just being funny or are serious!

Even if you are serious though, I'm sceptical that such litigousness would be a major consideration of whether or not to go ahead with the policy of compulsory cycling for driving. The number of accidents probably wouldn't amount to a major sum of money.

I'm being deadly serious AND such a case would be devastating to cycling- you can see the newspaper headlines about how dangerous cycling is and how government have had to pay £x million as a result of forcing people into unsafe practices

top_bhoy

If theres a political will theres a way You could change the name from the driving test to the 'cycling and driving proficiency test', changing the law as appropriate to encompass cycling within the system before obtaining the green light to drive a car solo. A waiver for the cycling part could be awarded for the infirm. Its all hypothetical - it'll never happen!

ademort

Ilive in the Netherlands where everybody(almost) rides a bike and from a very young age too. It sounds like a good idea to teach learner drivers about the dangers of cycling on the road, how vulnereable a cyclist is in traffic and to ecourage a learner driver to first take to the road on a bicycle to get a cyclists perspective of the road traffic etc, but in the Netherlands just about all learner drivers are also cyclists in one form or another and with years of experience to boot and not all cycling lanes are seperated from the main road especially in the town centres.However the amount of accidents involving young drivers (mainly male )drivers is just as high as it is in the U.K. If anybody could think of a way to make new motorists better drivers or more careful on the road, without banning alcohol, drugs restricting cars to a 70mph speedlimit, then we could make cycling an even more attractve alternative to the bus tube or car any thoughts anyone......