YOUTH ON THE ROAD

There have been rumblings recently about raising the age to hold a driving license in the UK to eighteen years. Whilst I personally consider this to be a good thing I don't believe it actually goes far enough.

For many years now motorcyclists in this country have been restricted to the size of "horse" they can ride after passing a driving test, in a bid to reduce motorcycle related accidents with inexperienced riders who are riding bikes that are just way beyond their current level of control. If the D.O.T. want to really change the rules for people driving cars on new licenses then this is surely the way to go. It is ridiculous that a seventeen year old whippersnapper can pass a driving test in a car with a 1200cc engine and then go out and buy something with a 3000cc twin turbo V6 which is totally beyond their minimal driving experience. It is time that probationary drivers were restricted to the size of vehicle they can drive, just the same as a motorcyclist. I would also consider changing the rules with regard to buses and trucks making it essential to have several years of road experience before being able to hold a PSV or HGV license. It beggars belief that someone can go from 950kg of car to 38000kg of articulated truck in one leap. It's no better than handing a child a BB gun and swapping it ten minutes later for an AK47 with a full magazine and no safety catch.

I've been driving for eighteen years and most of my friends and family would rather travel with me driving than with anybody else, but I'm still learning things every day. I've just got my first 4WD and I can go places I've never been with a vehicle before, but I've had to learn to drive again because it's a totally different driving experience. The real problem with obtaining a driving license is that everybody believes that they are learning to drive and they're not; they are learning to pass a driving test. Nobody learns to drive until the test has been passed and they're let loose to jostle for position on the road with all the others who desperately need to make a gargantuan effort to be in front of everybody else and twenty yards further down the road. Crazy, crazy, crazy.