Poor little P platers

[kick_ass]

I think it has been said already - It works with Bikes!

I see no problem at all- but then again, I only ever had a 4 cyl car when I got my licence.

I learnt to drive when I was 10 in the country. in my late teens, early 20's I went out and joined a Car club - and had the opportunity to push my car to the limit in a safe environment. - this teaches you more than you would ever realise - It teaches you YOUR limits as a driver and a lot about how a car responds under extreme conditions - with minimal risk of killing yourself or anyone else.

I have also done 2 Advanced driving courses.

A driver goes and gets a licence and then thinks he has the skills to drive any car at high speed - WRONG!

Personally, I do not think that speed is a problem, but experience and skills of a driver. That being said, We all know that the speed limits imposed on the roads in a lot of places are inappropriate - Some are too high, and a hell of a lot are way too low ;)

I have driven a Car on the highway on a trip of 640km in Australia, and done the trip in 3hrs 15 minutes - yeah, average of over 200km/h. Whilst on this trip, there were parts of the highway with a 110 limit that I travelled on and due to the conditions I was doing less than 90km/h

It is all about driver knowledge, driver skill, and having the brains to realise that it is simply not safe to try and drive at 100km/h in a built up area.

I think that by limiting the power of a vehicle that Younger, inexperienced drivers are allowed to drive, that hopefully, they will learn enough common sense by the time they are allowed to drive a performance or high powered vehicle that there is a time and a place.

This absolutly gets a vote of confidence from me, and not before time.

The best advice I could give a younger driver, is to go and join a car Club, flog the **** out of your car, and learn your limits, and have a hell of a lot of fun whilst you are at it- it may just save your life.

[qkslvr]

Hey Oz. I don't really agree. what you suggest puts too much monetary value on the prohibition of such acts and detracts from the focus on the social impact. I agree that legislature would work for other offences but for such an easy to commit and common "crime" such as speeding, you need a different approach.

it's a crim with an intagable subject. you can't stop it the same way you can stop 100kg of heroin at the border. it just doesn't work that way. Road users here (espcially in sydney) are uptight enough as it is. you'll just ad fuel to the fire by imposing more restrictions.

People feel frustrated on the roads most of the time because they are travelling at a speed (i.e 50km/h) that feel way way way way slower than what can be safely handled. Like i said before, go somewhere where there are cr@ppy roads and no speed limits and observe how everyone drive and you will know what i mean.

Advanced driver training and Defensive driving should also be rewarded by savings on rego, CTP, or insurance (or even all 3) and should be recorded by the RTA and noted on your license.

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Sort of the reverse operates in some countries, like the US.

I lived in New York for 3 years, and the motor registration dept. has a computerised system linked to an insurance database that ALL insurance companies can access.

What this means is that any "moving violation" (e.g. speeding, running a red light, drink driving etc.) results in an entry in the insurance database. Then what happens is, in addition to any fines or demerit points on your license, you IMMEDIATELY begin paying more for your insurance.

The logic is that people who commit traffic offences are at greater risk of having more accidents etc and should pay more for insurance. It is a true "user pays" system.

What I would like to see in Australia is not just limits and curfews for P Platers as an incentive not to break the road traffic rules, but also a reward of sorts in terms of lower rego or insurance costs for those who do obey the rules or who seek out advanced training.

Then you have not just a carrot, or a stick, but both. And surely then most who are tempted to consistently speed or otherwise break the rules will learn that it is a costly behaviour?

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[Buddha]

I was looking at reader's letters on www.drive.com.au just now and thought I'd share the link with you:

www.drive.com.au Readers' letters

I found one letter (entitled "All torque and no action") particularly interesting for two reasons, one, it is relevant to this topic and two, the Corolla Sportivo, which is so beloved by many on this forum, gets a mention.

I think this reader makes a very valid point, but have a read then have your opinion!

Edited February 3, 2005 by Buddha

[MR22ZZ]

I don't know where that guy got his figures from but I'd be happy if my stivo had a 1.08 tonne tare mass!!!!! I thought it was 1.22 tonne.

[Buddha]

I don't know where that guy got his figures from but I'd be happy if my stivo had a 1.08 tonne tare mass!!!!! I thought it was 1.22 tonne.

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Ah, poop ... sorry, I didn't see that error ...

Sorry.