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

Back in the days before Sunday opening driving instructors in my area used to take learners to Sainsbury's car park to practice reversing and parking on a Sunday. After a time the management complained and the instructors had to go back to using local roads. As my instructor said, isn't it better to practice in an empty car park than to get it wrong when there are other cars around?

Of course, nowadays you can't find an empty car park to practice in.

PP must have the ear of government - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30249249

Clearly we're in the presence of someone with power and influence

Not learn how to do a three-point-turn? Not learn how to reverse around a corner? Yeah, that'll make our roads safer

Links to links to links.. I get a feed on my phone to twitter and other social media stories. When I click on a story of interest, it takes me to the social media summary page of the same article, which I then have to click on to take me to the main place it was posted on the same site, which then requires *another* click to take me to the actual website that has the full article.. or maybe not; sometimes that's just a summary page too which requires a further click... then you discover the story is behind a paywall...

Rather than take OUT 3 pt turns and reversing round corners, they need to ADD motorway driving and night-time driving.

(Stands back and waits for the government to do what I tell them....... A bit like Cnut I suspect).

PP.

University websites are diabolical for those never-ending link chains. "To find out more about this course, click here" - which leads you to another page with a sentence of a description, followed by "to find out more, click here".

I've spent half an hour sometimes and never actually got to the "more".

definitely they need to add motorway driving. I explained to a German once that nobody in the UK is allowed on the motorway without a full licence and he went white and said "that explains it"

I did an advanced driving course which gave me some motorway experience. How else can anyone bear to join a motorway, it must be terrifying the first time.

Reversing round a corner, however - I don't believe I've ever done that since passing my test. And the three point turn - if you can go forwards & backwards I would have thought it would be fairly obvious how to turn round in the road.

Deb

I learned to drive round Redditch where there are plenty of dual carriageways. These are fine as a stand-in for motorways before a learner takes their test, giving them experience of joining fast-flowing traffic and driving at 70mph. However, there are many areas without these roads, never mind motorways. You could take your test with no experience of driving over 30mph and drive on a motorway the day after passing it. Madness!

I'd disagree with the motorway driving - I know quite a few people who've never driven on the mainland and would never need to know how to drive on a motorway. If you make motorway driving compulsory, you either have to arrange for a different instructor and/or car to who you are used to on the mainland or you'll be expected to pay up to £100 additional fee to take a car over to the mainland to drive on the motorway for a bit.
But perhaps make it illegal to drive on a motorway unaccompanied unless you have passed an additional motorway test.

Night driving, yes, that's a useful skill - and cycle awareness.

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Where I learned to drive (in the Fens) it was one of the very few driving test centres in the UK where you didn't have the potential of being tested on a hill starts (there were no hills).

We did have lots of dual carriageways though.


I have said for years though, that if they really wanted to change the way that the driving tests work, they should start testing by car size. They do it for lorries, they should do it for cars.

So for instance, when you first pass your test you're limited to a small engined, small sized car for the first year. This gives you that extra year of getting used to driving, of being out on your own and being around other road users, while your car is restricted enough to discourage you from racing or intimidating other drivers.

Then, for each engine size and/or car size, there should be an additional, short test that proves you're both capable and responsible enough to drive that type of vehicle. This would stop people passing their test in a small hatchback, and then getting straight into a turbo-charge estate or van and not understanding that longer cars have wider turning circles, and need longer gaps to pass other traffic, and that having a big engine just means you can accelerate safely quicker when used right, and is better for fuel consumption on longer journeys, not that you can thrash around side streets.

Doing multiple tests like this would mean an extra income for the DVLA, and whilst people might initially complain about that, I believe that in general we'd see a lot of people not take those extra tests and stay with smaller cars leading to less perceived traffic, and because of the tests, they'd become better drivers, leading to less accidents and cheaper insurance.

The other thing I'd do is make people sit a short top-up test every five years. Only a quick drive around with an examiner to make sure they understand anything new that might have been brought in since their last test. I swear most drivers don't know what the Advanced Stop Lines are at lights. This also would lead to better drivers, and lower insurance costs.

Better drivers, maybe. Lower insurance costs? In your dreams. Back in the 1980s there were courses for people who rode motorbikes. The theory was that completing the course would lower the rider's insurance. I knew a number of men who took the courses and then had devil of a game finding an insurer who would offer lower premiums.

You get lower rates having sat the advanced drivers training. Also for having one of those accident cameras fitted.

You also get lower rates for smaller cars.

1. Shoe shopping.

2. New shoes.

PP.

I so rarely go shoe shopping I don't know that one.

The sort of shoe I buy most often is running shoes, and I kinda enjoy getting on the treadmill in the shop to try them out and see how they feel.

With work shoes I've usually gone to the same shop I went last time and bought a newer, but otherwise identical, pair once the old ones have worn out. That way I know they'll be comfortable, fit my feet, be waterproof, provide good ankle support and that, should I ever need to, I can actually run 5k in them (I once overslept one Saturday, got dressed in a hurry on automatic and turned up to ParkRun in my work shoes).

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PH Lack of respect for restaurant conversation privacy. A short while ago, I went for a meal in a restaurant with my ladyfriend, and was seated close to another couple. That couple quickly decided they would simply join in with what had been our private conversation, which put us in an awkward situation; should we acknowledge them but then ignore their unwanted intrusion? Naturally we found our conversation stifled and I even considered moving away, but how can a polite couple like us do such a thing?

When another couple is intrusive/rude, I see no need to continue to be polite. Either point out to them that the conversation was private and ask them to respect that, or make loud pointed remarks about people joining in a private conversation, or move away, making it obvious why you are doing so.

I'm with you in principle CD, but there were practical complications. For a start, whilst I had ignored the intrusive couple, my less misanthropic ladyfriend had already politely spoken to them and smiled, so it wasn't quite clear at the time how she felt about it. How would she feel if I unilaterally told them to shut up? What's more, how would the rest of the meal have gone, still sharing a room with the couple you've snubbed; a couple who have already behaved in a manner I disapprove of?

If I knew that my wife felt the same way I did about the interruption, I might've tried something like saying 'Thanks for telling me that, you've made a very interesting point which I'd love to talk about further with you, however it's our anniversary today and I promised my wife my full undivided attention' and see if they get the subtle hint.

Probably not a good idea to try this excuse in McDonalds (other fast food restaurants are available) as you'd look like a cheapskate. (You could try adding '...and this is where we first met' to get away with it)

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