h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I completely agree with you Apprentice.

I've checked to see who is driving in the middle lane when the inside lane's free - it's invariably middle-aged men (usually with their wives) - both staring fixedly ahead, or, (and I'm sorry to say this), women.

The outside lane varies - lots of transit vans and ( during the early evening or Friday afternoon 'rush') business men in their company cars.

I once watched one of those police programmes on tv during which the marked police vehicle came up behind one of the middle lane brigade. He/she steadfastly refused to move over into the vacant inside lane even when the police car drew alongside! What chance have the rest of us got?

At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old woman, I'd like to add another example of poor driving - the concept of 'filtering'. When the roadworks or whatever are miles ahead - why don't people use BOTH lanes and 'filter' by turn instead of having a single lane for miles?

This isn't to be confused with joining a motorway or major road where traffic is travelling at full speed and expecting that they'll slow down to let your vehicle suddenly join them!

I agree wholeheartedly on the matter of filtering - as I experience such an issue almost every morning driving into Liverpool from the south, via the Bridge. A single lane leads to the Bridge from a dual carriageway and 95% of the traffic on the road wants to go that way... with about 80% of it choosing to queue in a single lane for about 2 miles leading up to the junction! Quite why, I just don't know...

Thanks for your comments!



The Apprentice

I lived in Norfolk for ten years and East Anglia is a region where there aren't any motorways - from a point of view of living near Sheringham, the motorway system begins fifty miles West on the other side of Peterborough. So learner drivers in Norfolk are at a geographical disadvantage, although I suspect most Norfolk people see this as a fair trade-off for not having any of they new-fangled motorway things making a stink and a stench and a noise across what used to be MOI fields, thenk 'ew very much!

also, there seems to be a peculiarly British mentality - I first heard a reactionary backwoods Tory MP express this in the eighties - that "anyone still using public transport after the age of thirty is a failure". As one dividing his travelling week bwetween a shared car and public transport, I question this.

I think we need to address a culture where everyone is led to aspire to the idea that a car of their own at age seventeen is an absolute right.

Maybe if the worst drivers and those most likely to have an accident are 17-21, progressively raising the minimum driving age to 21 would be a good idea? We can also take more stringent steps to get people over 65 who cannot physically cope with driving (and I work with the elderly, I see this all the time) to surrender their licences.

This way we might curb the expansion in vehicle use without building more roads and leave the roads safer for the rest of us?

Good Entry, raises valid issues!!

I liked your presentation, well done!

I'm an advocate of regular theory tests (a driver's MOT if you will) perhaps every five years... If you dont pass (it could be online or postal... 'Cheating' isnt an issue... if you have to read the highway code to get the answers, where's the harm? You're looking at it and will inevitably take some of it in!) then your licence becomes invalid until you retake under exam conditions/at an exam centre (make it a hassle... encourage people to do their research). If you fail again you should have to take a practical test, just like you did to earn your licence in the first place. I expect most people will not fail this many times and those who do REALLY shouldnt be on the road! (ok, I understand some people cant handle exams and tests... but I've seen plenty of drivers who cant handle roads, junctions, other cars... and that scares me more!).

I am also very much with you on driving being a PRIVILEDGE not a right. This attitude is why many people drive unlicenced and uninsured, or even just undereducated (or when they medically/mentally cant cope) because they feel it's their right. It's a culture issue really.

We all can be accused of falling into the trap of 'I'm the best, no-one else can drive', but when I've had people argue with me that it's better not to gravitate to the 'slow lane' because it involves 'manouvering between lanes which is dangerous, and nminimising danger is what people should be doing' (this is in all honesty the argument being used against me) then I have to conclude that times have changed and people havent bothered or dont know to get re-educated.
Roads in general are far more dangerous and congested than they were in the 50s, 60s and 70s when many of our older drivers were taught to drive. Attitudes were relatively relaxed and different styles of driving and types of vehicles were given priority.

People dont like to be told they are wrong, but then people dont like having to negotiate two lanes of traffic out and in again (yes, the risks increase with every lane change.. And more so if one of them is unnecessary... the traffic will build up and cause more problems and smaller gaps to squeeze into when someone's clogging up the middle lane) to continue their journey because you feel unsafe to change lanes... If you cant do that you shouldnt be driving! If there are any basic areas of driving you 'cant' do or 'dont know how' to do, you should not consider yourself a safe and capable driver... And should WANT to educate yourself further to become one. After all, you're in charge of half a ton of lethal machinery... How's your concience doing today?

Oh, and one teeny rant to add... Has anyone noticed how many people push their wing mirrors in (presumeably when parked) and then dont bother pushing them back out again to drive? Does this annoy anyone else? Personally I cant abide not having all my mirrors (I can manage without a rear view because I often drive vans at work) but I still notice the lack of all-round visibility...

My observation has been that these drivers are mainly mid to older drivers (40+ I would say) and the majority are men. And every single one I've seen quite happily sails across the path of other drivers on their left (it's usually the passenger's side mirror that's not in use) OR hangs right over to the right of every lane... I doubt they even notice WHY they arent driving properly, but some part of them must notice they have a blind side right?

Generally very interesting (both the article and conversation) but one thing worries me - the suggestion that one might have to be 21 to be mature enough to learn to drive. This is just my opinion, but I think age has incredibly little to do with maturity - if you can pass the test, you can drive safely regardless of your age. Please think for a moment about what that suggestion is implying; if we use arbitary age measures to define something, at 16 a young person can choose to become self sufficient, rent their own house, have sex, get married (with parental permission) or succumb to a long term, possibly fatal addiction (smoking), 18 guarrentees a say in democratic process, the ability to purchase alcohol, permanantly mark their bodies (tattoo) and marry without parental permission. Are you suggesting that someone is mature enough to vote and make serious life choices and not to drive? Of course driving isn't a right - perhaps young people need to be educated insofaras that - but at seventeen, I think they're mature enough to make that decision if they ever will be. Moreover, the reason that most accidents happen to drivers between 17 and 21 is probably because most people have learned to drive between 17 and 21; when you're new to something, of course you'll make mistakes - although, admittedly, a mistake made in a car is potentially far more dangerous than mistake made in another area, say, cooking. I think, importantly, if you treat people like adults, they'll behave more like them - if we tell 17-21 year olds that they aren't mature enough to drive they'll probably prove us right. Maturity is important, but it is unrelated to chronological age. I have friends who are forty plus who I wouldn't trust to drive, and friends who at seventeen were always conscientious and reliable (and not just in car).

An example, if you will, My partner passed his test shortly before his eighteenth birthday and has since, luckily, had only one minor accident which was not his fault. I chose not to learn to drive - motor skills (no pun intended) aren't my thing, and anyway, I can walk most places. Although we have a license between us we do not own a car; we live in city and don't need one. We're a young couple. Comparitively there are 'mature' people living nearby us on what are small roads of terraced houses where children play in the road, who not only own two automobiles, one of them is a 4x4. Some of these people have small children, who will not only grow up to suffer the effects of climate change caused by that kind of peak oil carelessness, but are also about the right size for the driver of one of those monsters not to see them if they are reversing. As a note, I'd stake my life those cars has never been used offroad. Assess who is more mature and able to make sensible decisions.

I dont believe raising the age for learning to drive is the answer either, I honestly feel that looking at accident rates (it's a symptom, not the whole problem in itself) is not the way to go. WATCH drivers on roundabouts, on main roads, on small roads... It tends to be lax, complacent drivers who havent had a good refresher in a while who have the bad habits that affect our overall travel around the country and cause frustration... cutting through instead of going around roundabouts, sitting in outside lanes, doing 40 on A roads whether you're in a 30 section or a national speed limit... we've all been frustrated by it and yet nobody seems to want to EDUCATE anyone anymore. Not unless you're young enough to have to accept it and not be offended!

I've been driving for nearly 30 years and consider motorways to be the safest of any of our roads.One gets traffic clogging up all 3 lanes at once on busy London Mways often and it's inevitable.Makes it hard for out of towners to spot their junction sometimes.On busy north western Mways,where there are a lot of big trucks,(M6,M62 ),one has to negotiate 2lanes of heavy freight before settling back in inside lane.I find on long journeys, that overtaking and getting back in lane overcomes the tedium of driving in a straight line all the time and can therefore be safer.I am surprised the Government hasn't introduced compulsory Motorway driving skills as part of the regular driving test .One hazard i've noticed recently is being regularly blinded by headlights undipped,(or perhaps they have an elephant in the rear seat.)Older drivers should consider swapping their geared cars for automatic models if arthritis ,or other such conditions make it hard to change gear-one has enough to concentrate on without struggling with gears on a major road.I enjoy driving and hope I am still a good one.No accidents or tickets so far!Patience and consideration are essential when driving ,but I enjoy having a powerful motor to get me out of the path of a trucker who wanders over the lines!

With regard to younger drivers - I think they are usually able to pass their test without difficulty. What they don't have is sufficient experience to guage weather and/or traffic conditions - that only comes by doing more driving. I believe the greatest number of drivers killed or injured is actually up to 25 (or more)- wasn't there something in the news yesterday about it becoming a global issue in which Michael Schumaker has become involved?

I agree about the motorway Jolly - I too find it keeps you alert to constantly reassess and change position - nothing worse than travelling up the M6 late evening when it's empty!

I'm in agreement on the changing lanes keeps you busy! I would far rather be a busy, aware and observant driver than a zoned out static one... But then there's those who go too far and weave in and out barely checking mirrors, let alone blind spots and hoping the gap they saw is still there... Way to cause accidents people!

I love listening to radio four when I'm driving. I find it keeps me pretty calm and passes the time (essential for motorways) but isn't so engaging Im not concentrating. It also helps me relax when the roads get a little busy... instead of getting caught up in the stress and the adrenaline, if you can relax in your seat, loosen your shoulders and allow the flow of traffic, not holding it up, not pressing to the front, you get there in the end... Same as we all do if we have respect, patience and tolerance for people who may never have been there before (and those who just take the and cant wait like everyone else...).

I guess I'm just all peace and love, me

lol
I'm very conscious of my 'go faster' music

Ooh, dont get me wrong, some cheesy sleazy metal or getting on with some Metallica or Pantera will get me driving nicely, but I prefer those for nice open A roads where you can enjoy yourself a little (I drive a 1.1 so I'm hardly breaking the speed of sound when I push her ) Motorways I prefer to listen to talking... It's nice

'Today' on the way in, 'PM' on the way home... perfect!



The Apprentice

I also love the comedy and listen to the late night stuff when I'm dropping off to sleep... I'll listen to whatever's on... I really enjoyed Melvin Bragg's article on Mathematic Symmetry... I could feel my mind expanding. It almost gave me a headache but it was great! I like to absorb information, relevant or not. I even quite enjoy stuff like Gardener's question time on the odd occasion...

nah, sorry Robyn,it's got to be something to sing along to on those dark nights on the M'ways(especially those without streetlamps).I favour Bob Marley or Maria Callas ,with the windows down a bit to get the oxygen!I'd send a smiley,but ain't got the hang of 'em yet....

Ooh, if you hover over a smiley, the word you have to use comes up, just put that word inside a pair of <>s and it'll do all the hard work itself (or you can type the classic smileys, colon, dash, close bracket for instance)

I can feel the Marley with the window down, yeah... This is also why I like stuff like Guns N Roses and am not into the harsher 'cookie monster' metal so much... If you cant have a good belt along to it then what's the fun?

Thank you for the help on using smileys,Robyn!<>

I only figured it out cos I cant be bothered going to the smileys page all the time, so I steal them and that way I actually remember some of them