From time to time rumours will circulate that the driving test is going to be changed......that the age for a provisional licence is being changed......that Drivers over 60 will be forced to re-test or lose their licence.
Like the regular appearance of stories such as "Worst Winter for 50 Years!" They usually prove to be false. But should it be made harder for people to pass their test? And should we all be regularly re-tested?
Driving along any local route to our shops or schools or places of work provides plenty of opportunity for us to be judgemental of other people's driving. Rather like watching the Jeremy Kyle Show, we all like to feel that we are so much better than other people. It gives us at best reassurance and at worst a feeling of smug superiority! But if we were judged by the same standards we apply to other drivers......would we pass our own test? Do we judge other people's simple mistakes or errors of judgement as carelessness? Do we resort to angry shouting, swearing and 'sign language' in response to other people's errors?
In driving – as in life – have we lost all patience, courtesy and forbearance with each other? Can any of us forget the case of the driver in a supermarket car park who deliberately ran over a fellow shopper who attempted to cross in front of their vehicle? Does our defence that others have done the wrong thing exhonerate us if we behave discourteously or downright dangerously behind the wheel?
There is currently no test to assess how we react to stressful situations. Should there be? Or should we all be self-regulating?
Like the regular appearance of stories such as "Worst Winter for 50 Years!" They usually prove to be false. But should it be made harder for people to pass their test? And should we all be regularly re-tested?
Driving along any local route to our shops or schools or places of work provides plenty of opportunity for us to be judgemental of other people's driving. Rather like watching the Jeremy Kyle Show, we all like to feel that we are so much better than other people. It gives us at best reassurance and at worst a feeling of smug superiority! But if we were judged by the same standards we apply to other drivers......would we pass our own test? Do we judge other people's simple mistakes or errors of judgement as carelessness? Do we resort to angry shouting, swearing and 'sign language' in response to other people's errors?
In driving – as in life – have we lost all patience, courtesy and forbearance with each other? Can any of us forget the case of the driver in a supermarket car park who deliberately ran over a fellow shopper who attempted to cross in front of their vehicle? Does our defence that others have done the wrong thing exhonerate us if we behave discourteously or downright dangerously behind the wheel?
There is currently no test to assess how we react to stressful situations. Should there be? Or should we all be self-regulating?