Why can't we have a graded civilian licence scheme?

Why can't we have a graded civilian licence scheme?

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WHOSEGENERATION

Original Poster:

4,090 posts

213 months

Tuesday 6th March 2007
quotequote all
By which I mean three stages.
1 as now.
2 means the holder can add 20 mph to NSL limits.
3 means the holder can add 30 mph to NSL limits.
Only one chance though.
Any violation and the holder goes back to 1 forever.
Shoot me down.

TripleS

4,294 posts

248 months

Tuesday 6th March 2007
quotequote all
WHOSEGENERATION said:
By which I mean three stages.
1 as now.
2 means the holder can add 20 mph to NSL limits.
3 means the holder can add 30 mph to NSL limits.
Only one chance though.
Any violation and the holder goes back to 1 forever.
Shoot me down.


Good idea, but I think we may need stages 4 and 5 for some people.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

WHOSEGENERATION

Original Poster:

4,090 posts

213 months

Tuesday 6th March 2007
quotequote all
TripleS said:
WHOSEGENERATION said:
By which I mean three stages.
1 as now.
2 means the holder can add 20 mph to NSL limits.
3 means the holder can add 30 mph to NSL limits.
Only one chance though.
Any violation and the holder goes back to 1 forever.
Shoot me down.


Good idea, but I think we may need stages 4 and 5 for some people.

Best wishes all,
Dave.


I am trying to keep this within the realms of possibility.

Major Bloodnok

1,561 posts

221 months

Tuesday 6th March 2007
quotequote all
OK, so here's a car doing 100 down the motorway. How do you know whether it's being driven "legally"?

vonhosen

40,421 posts

223 months

Tuesday 6th March 2007
quotequote all
Major Bloodnok said:
OK, so here's a car doing 100 down the motorway. How do you know whether it's being driven "legally"?


The biometric ignition locks & engine management will sort it.



Edited by vonhosen on Tuesday 6th March 23:31

TripleS

4,294 posts

248 months

Wednesday 7th March 2007
quotequote all
WHOSEGENERATION said:
TripleS said:
WHOSEGENERATION said:
By which I mean three stages.
1 as now.
2 means the holder can add 20 mph to NSL limits.
3 means the holder can add 30 mph to NSL limits.
Only one chance though.
Any violation and the holder goes back to 1 forever.
Shoot me down.


Good idea, but I think we may need stages 4 and 5 for some people.

Best wishes all,
Dave.


I am trying to keep this within the realms of possibility.


Aye OK, but I don't think what I'm suggesting is out of the question if the scheme were to be set up and applied properly. This graded licence proposal has been aired a few times and I like the idea, but not many people seem to be supporting it very well - unfortunately.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

TripleS

4,294 posts

248 months

Wednesday 7th March 2007
quotequote all
Major Bloodnok said:
OK, so here's a car doing 100 down the motorway. How do you know whether it's being driven "legally"?


How do you know any car is being driven by somebody with a licence at all? It seems like a similar problem. If you catch them and all is not in order, you then deal with them suitably.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

TripleS

4,294 posts

248 months

Wednesday 7th March 2007
quotequote all
vonhosen said:
Major Bloodnok said:
OK, so here's a car doing 100 down the motorway. How do you know whether it's being driven "legally"?


The biometric ignition locks & engine management will sort it.

Edited by vonhosen on Tuesday 6th March 23:31


Aaarrgh! Not more technology, please.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

markmullen

15,877 posts

240 months

Wednesday 7th March 2007
quotequote all
The easiest would be some kind of marker which could be placed on the vehicle so that police could spot a different class driver coming through. Obviously there may be issues with borrowed cars but then again I could borrow a 44 tonner tomorrow but thats not to say it'd be legal.

How about tags on the number plates a bit like the German ones, easily spotted.

Of course ANPR would flag the car as being owned by a different classed driver to the police saving them the effort of stopping everyone.

I think its a brilliant idea and would encourage more people (especially high risk groups like young men) to do more training which can only be a good thing.

Timberwolf

5,374 posts

224 months

Wednesday 7th March 2007
quotequote all
I can see a way of selling it as a risk and congestion reduction strategy:

Entry Level: No unsupervised driving between 7am-10am and 4pm-7pm.
Reduced Grade: No unsupervised driving between 8am-9am and 5pm-6pm.
Standard Grade: No restrictions.
Advanced Grade: Allowed to treat certain road rules (e.g. speed limit) as advisory only. Allowed to supervise lower license grades where necessary.

Presumably there would have to be associated stiff penalty for dangerous inappropriate speed under the advanced grade.

Guess who's seen a sudden and unexplained rise in the number of rush hour numpties round his way?

Major Bloodnok

1,561 posts

221 months

Wednesday 7th March 2007
quotequote all
TripleS said:
Major Bloodnok said:
OK, so here's a car doing 100 down the motorway. How do you know whether it's being driven "legally"?


How do you know any car is being driven by somebody with a licence at all? It seems like a similar problem. If you catch them and all is not in order, you then deal with them suitably.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

I think the difference is that you're just going to get more cases of people driving legitimately, getting stopped, and then allowed to proceed. It's going to be a drain on police resources and an increasing irritant to drivers. Not so much a difference of problem as one of scale.

As for marking the car, the number plate's out, because you'd likely have to change it whenever you bought a new car, but also we seem reluctant to require new drivers to display "P" plates, so why would there be a push for extra "driver ability" information? And, if we're going to add that marking, I'd much rather see a scheme where a disc (like the tax disc) is put in the window showing that the car has valid insurance - from when, to when and who with. Is it telling that we have to display proof at all times that we've paid the Govt. the money they demand, but we don't have to display proof that we've taken steps to cover others for loss due to our actions?

TripleS

4,294 posts

248 months

Wednesday 7th March 2007
quotequote all
Major Bloodnok said:
TripleS said:
Major Bloodnok said:
OK, so here's a car doing 100 down the motorway. How do you know whether it's being driven "legally"?


How do you know any car is being driven by somebody with a licence at all? It seems like a similar problem. If you catch them and all is not in order, you then deal with them suitably.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

I think the difference is that you're just going to get more cases of people driving legitimately, getting stopped, and then allowed to proceed. It's going to be a drain on police resources and an increasing irritant to drivers. Not so much a difference of problem as one of scale.

As for marking the car, the number plate's out, because you'd likely have to change it whenever you bought a new car, but also we seem reluctant to require new drivers to display "P" plates, so why would there be a push for extra "driver ability" information? And, if we're going to add that marking, I'd much rather see a scheme where a disc (like the tax disc) is put in the window showing that the car has valid insurance - from when, to when and who with. Is it telling that we have to display proof at all times that we've paid the Govt. the money they demand, but we don't have to display proof that we've taken steps to cover others for loss due to our actions?


OK, fair enough Denis. It would indeed be an added burden on police if they were to keep stopping people to check their licence grade.

The best answer seems to be to have something displayed on the car to indicate driver grade. I don't think we should give up on this. It does at least represent some incentive to achieve better driving standards; a bit of carrot rather than stick, and that would make a pleasant change.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

andy_s

19,519 posts

265 months

Wednesday 7th March 2007
quotequote all
Maybe have compulsary car colours:

Entry: Beige with travel sweets on parcel shelf
Reduced: White with 'No Fear' stickers
Standard: Silver
Advanced: Red/Black
Advanced Advanced: Lime Green or Day Glow Orange.


C'mon, we're nearly there already...

JonRB

75,693 posts

278 months

Wednesday 7th March 2007
quotequote all
Major flaw in the licence plate or tax disc, or indeed any permanently-afixed indication on the car - it presupposes that only one person ever drives the car, which in a majority of cases is not true.

The motorbike idea has more merit - you can't legally drive or insure a car above a certain power-to-weight ratio without an advanced licence.

Edit: Or perhaps (and I shudder at this idea) cars are electronically limited to a certain speed unless the driver has an advanced licence. But then we are getting into the worrying realms of smart-card driving licences (like in the film The Fifth Element) and an electronic Big Brother overseer of every car.

Edited by JonRB on Wednesday 7th March 16:57

AL666

2,679 posts

224 months

Wednesday 7th March 2007
quotequote all
JonRB said:

Edit: Or perhaps (and I shudder at this idea) cars are electronically limited to a certain speed unless the driver has an advanced licence. But then we are getting into the worrying realms of smart-card driving licences (like in the film The Fifth Element) and an electronic Big Brother overseer of every car.

Edited by JonRB on Wednesday 7th March 16:57



If it meant that I could take a test to show that I can drive properly, which would in turn allow me to exceed the current speed limit; I'd favour it.

Vaux

1,557 posts

222 months

Wednesday 7th March 2007
quotequote all
Timberwolf said:
Advanced Grade: Allowed to treat certain road rules (e.g. speed limit) as advisory only. Allowed to supervise lower license grades where necessary.

How do you define advanced?

JonRB

75,693 posts

278 months

Wednesday 7th March 2007
quotequote all
Vaux said:
How do you define advanced?

Well, Rospa Silver / IAM pass might be a good start.

Dr Jekyll

23,820 posts

267 months

Wednesday 7th March 2007
quotequote all
How about this:

After having a licence for a year you have to have a supervised drive to keep your licence.

Make a total Horlicks and you have to retake your test within a certain period or you are off the road.

Test pass standard, another assessment after 1 year.

IAM standard, 3 years.

HPC standard, 5 years.

Instead of toll roads have roads reserved for top 1 or 2 grades with 100 MPH limit.

markmullen

15,877 posts

240 months

Wednesday 7th March 2007
quotequote all
Dr Jekyll said:
How about this:
Instead of toll roads have roads reserved for top 1 or 2 grades with 100 MPH limit.


A superfast lane lick

I reckon it would be wiser to allow speeds to be decided upon by the driver, using the judgement of being trained to a higher level rather than just another number on a stick.

Vaux

1,557 posts

222 months

Wednesday 7th March 2007
quotequote all
JonRB said:
Vaux said:
How do you define advanced?

Well, Rospa Silver / IAM pass might be a good start.

Based on Timberwolf's post - you'd allow an IAM pass driver full NSL privilege?
It's possible, but I think IAM needs to toughen up a bit.
Maybe just a session at Millbrook (etc.) to do some >100 mph stuff.