[Alscoob]

Originally Posted by Pond

I have been telling my daughter exactly the same; "passing the driving test is just to prove you are safe to be on the road with others. Learning to drive starts from here".

I can say from recent experience with my daughter's test (which I was quite shocked about TBH):
She didn't do an emergency stop (she seems to think they only do a certain number everyday). Maybe it's because it costs too much in iPads when they slam them on the dashboard!
She didn't do a three point turn (or turning around in the road).
She didn't do a hill start (tricky in the Lincs flatlands admittedly but still).
She didn't do reversing around a corner (they don't do that anymore at all apparently).
She didn't do much at all by the sound of it!

So they only test you on whether you can drive in a forward gear then on a straight road!

I took my test in a Vauxhall Firenza (and no wasn't a droop snoot). Three point turn was a tough one, instructor chose the road because you could only just do it, he also insisted that you didn't touch the kerbs with the tyres when manoeuvring, same for long & short corner reversing, you had to keep it tight and use the mirrors as well as turn around in the seat to look behind. Benefit of all that was when you took the test, 3 point turn was a breeze as the examiner chose a particularly wide road, which made you look like an expert.

Had a great appreciation of my instructor and yes on the day he also said congratulations you passed, now go learn to drive!

[Alscoob]

I watched an old re run of Bangers & cash yesterday, they picked up a Consul Capri to auction, cracking looking car but it had a 0-60 time of around 22 seconds. the original had a 1340cc engine while the later GT version went to the 1500cc engine so marginally better.

So back then the performance of the everyday car was far less than today and your really had to work at it to make it go... and stop! so it was really a learning curve and by default you did learn because you didn't have all those aids that did stuff for you plus for for every action there was an equal but opposite reaction. So while cars today do things for you it does take to some extent, the learning to drive away from the driver, you still have to tell it what to do, ..... but as the topic of the thread, a lot don't....and what's the biggest nut in a car, well that'll be the one behind the streering wheel sir

[bishbosh]

Out of the 3 maneouvres I remember; 3 point turn, reverse around a corner, parallel park - only parallel park is taught nowadays according to my daughter. She has been taught how to forward and reverse park into a parking bay though.
She also has to do a bit of navigation by satnav.

She had a mock test last week and would have passed had it been a proper test.
Once she has passed I plan to give her a few lessons on motorway driving.

[Pond]

Originally Posted by bishbosh

Once she has passed I plan to give her a few lessons on motorway driving.

We haven't got there yet. Our nearest motorway, or even dual carriageway, is 25 miles away!

[C320]

Originally Posted by Alscoob

Had a great appreciation of my instructor and yes on the day he also said congratulations you passed, now go learn to drive!

I passed my test in a 1982 Mini. My instructor pretty much said the same to me - although I did have a heart stopping moment. You know how they can stop the test at any point, well on the way back to the test centre, my examiner told me to stop the car where convenient on the left hand side. The driving test centre was across the dual carriageway from where we parked, so I thought shit this isn't good. There was also a mobile cafe in the layby near where I parked. It transpired later that a lot of the driving instructors or parents would have a coffee there while they waited.

He said, I'm pleased to inform you that you've passed. There's no point turning right ahead across all this traffic, was it your Dad that came with you? I'll let him know the good news and you can make your way home when you're ready!

And that was the day I started to learn, actually went on the motorway for a couple of junctions just before going back into school!

[Jon TDI]

And another incident tonight………. On a dual carriageway, coming up to roundabout, I’m in the right hand lane to turn right at the roundabout, a bus in the same lane about 100 yards ahead. A car slightly ahead in the left lane, both of us slowing down for the roundabout.

A Corsa in the left lane, undertook me, moved into the right lane ahead of me & overtook the other car & pulled back into the left lane, hard on the brakes, just making the roundabout and narrowly avoiding the bus which naturally has to take a wide swing into the roundabout.
Must have thought he was in Grand Theft Auto or something.

Really astonishes me on what people think they can achieve by doing this.

[Alscoob]

Originally Posted by Jon TDI

And another incident tonight………. On a dual carriageway, coming up to roundabout, I’m in the right hand lane to turn right at the roundabout, a bus in the same lane about 100 yards ahead. A car slightly ahead in the left lane, both of us slowing down for the roundabout.

A Corsa in the left lane, undertook me, moved into the right lane ahead of me & overtook the other car & pulled back into the left lane, hard on the brakes, just making the roundabout and narrowly avoiding the bus which naturally has to take a wide swing into the roundabout.
Must have thought he was in Grand Theft Auto or something.

Really astonishes me on what people think they can achieve by doing this.

They generally achieve nothing, just like those who have to get in the outside lane on a dual carriageway when joining from a slip road and the the traffic is at a crawl or slow, they simply don't realise that the inside lane is generally moving quicker and flowing better, which equals less of a hold up.

Corsa (generally) = youngster = limited experience = waiting for an accident to happen