Not magnetic TB. Its just some days the Cone of Invisibility surrounds your motor:-))
Happy Motoring Phil I
ps.Had same syndrome in the days when I was riding my pedal bicycle to work and back a long time ago.
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Its just that you are taught to pass a test, not be able to drive.
My test lasted 25 minutes, and whilst i would consider myself an excellent driver now (don't we all?), its slightly scary thinking back to how much *less capable* - not necessarily 'worse' in the eyes of the law - i was 4 years ago (still passed 1st time, 3 minors).
Then again, you can't pass without learning, and you can't learn without time on the road, and you can't get that much time on the road when it costs £20 a lesson....unless you are allowed to pass before you are truely capable enough.
TIC Mode On:
I suppose thats one of the things us perfect drivers will have to learn to live with.
TIC Mode still On:
Also, 25 minutes of concentration you can do, the rest of your life you are not being marked down for weaving all over the road, not signalling and so on, so unless you get stopped by the police, there is no need to concentrate on your drivng skills
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Hawesy,
Makes the unlimited free of charge Observed drives with the IAM look a bargain?
Have you started yet?
Matt35.
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Makes the unlimited free of charge Observed drives with the IAM look a bargain?
As the subject of the IAM has been raised again, I'll ask the question: is it a good way for an inexperienced driver to improve his skills? The use of the word 'Advanced' makes me wonder whether a certain level of experience is assumed first.
To add my twopennorth to the original topic, the driving test is a lot harder (or at least far easier to fail) than it used to be. On the other hand, instructors do often fall into the trap of teaching pupils to pass the test rather than actually drive, even to the extent of taking them round known test routes.
The things that I've found most difficult since passing would be hard to teach. They are understanding and predicting the behaviour of other road users and, above all, knowing where to go.
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Welliesorter,
Good comments;
Yes - it IS a good way for an inexperienced driver to improve his or her skills.
We normally expect that a new driver needs 3 months experience before joining us.
If I was a driving instructor, I would probably go after as many passes as I could get - to get a reputation for passes - and to make a living.
As an IAM Observer, I sometimes take nervous drivers around what I think may be test routes, but, if I have done my job right, they could drive round Hyde Park Corner at rush hour with the same preparation.
I will copy your comments to our 'Young Driver' contact to consider if the word Advanced could be putting young drivers off.
Matt35
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Then again, you can't pass without learning, and you can't learn without time on the road, and you can't get that much time on the road when it costs £20 a lesson....unless you are allowed to pass before you are truely capable enough.
Maybe there should be incentives to encourage family / friends to accompany learners prior to their test? I do agree with your point of the cost but should we really let people pass who aren't quite read simply to save them money short-term?
How about a two-stage test? First stage similar to now which proves you can handle the car. Once this has been passed, you are allowed out accompanied with less restrictions on the basis you pass a further 'competence test' with 6 /12 months?
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I think it would be a good idea to restrict the type of car or the number of passengers or even the hours of use of a car for those within the first year of having passed their basic test anyway, even if there wasn't a second level of testing. Bearing in mind the number of people on the road without a licence or those that have paid someone else to take the test if you make the driving test too onerous then you will encourage cheating to such an extent that it could make actual on the road driving standards worse. Perhaps passplus should be made free and more heavily encouraged so that anyone taking passplus and getting a reasonable standard of competance gets much lower insurance premiums than someone that didn't bother with it.
I think IAM courses should also be much more widely promoted and company car drivers/ other commercial drivers should get tax incentives to pass the test. If you raise the standards of enough drivers then the dipsticks will have less of an impact and hopefully others' good habits might rub off on them a bit.
teabelly
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teabelly,
This is why the IAM reduce from £85-00 to £75-00 for under 26 year olds and our Group reduce another £35-00 - cost is total £40-00 for the younger drivers - and we supply the £12-00 books required for the course free of charge.
This, plus unlimited Observed drives makes it a good investment for any driver.
Matt35
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It's a shame really that the IAM has so little penetration in to the minds of motorists. I was playing with the idea of taking courses a while back but at the time did not have my own car so it would have been tricky to arrange to have my mother's when I needed it. However, had I realised that there was a discount for U26s I'd have looked again when I got my own car a few years back. Too late now to take advantage by no reason not to find out more I guess.
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