A Very Scary Mix

[tmac450]

Agreed, you will never completely fix the problem, but propper training will give them a much better chance of avoiding disaster when they go into brain fade and show-off mode. Many drivers will learn through propper trainingm but you will always get some who can't be taught. This doesn't mean we should not help the good majority because of a few empty heads.

At the moment absoloutly noting real is being done to improve road safety. In some Eurpoean countries where compulsory driver training is being introduced, young driver accidents and deaths are being dramatically reduced.

[nang3]

The problem with young driver training is that ;

1.) its not cheap and a lot of young people are not in a situation to afford $x hundred bucks on top of paying $x hundred just for their license

2.) young driver training if organised by the gov't will bring in a pittance compared to speeding fine/hoon linked revenue, which unfortunately is the main target in gov't agendas, not saving lives.

[tmac450]

It should be a user pay system.

If someone can't afford to do the test they can:

a) Buy a cheaper car

b) Walk

c) Use public transport

IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE. If it costs a little more to get a licence to make it safer for everyone, then so be it. If a few people can't afford to drive, then it will help reduce traffic congestion.

[AzMahoony]

Amen to that.

[45T-XR]

I'm not going to put any numbers to that. As always, there will be exceptions to the rule. There'll be very sensible and considerate 18 year olds and there'll be some very irresponsible and dangerous 40 year olds. But, if you're to go by what most insurance companies do, it would certainly appear that males in the 18-25 (or even 30?) category pose a greater risk than average.

Im 21y/o and know the capabilites of theses kind of cars, and also the capabilites (or lack there of, of myself) Your concern is justified though and I will not argue with that, as there are many immature and dangerous drivers my age, and as you conceed, alot older as well. The only reason insurance companies can categorise us high/low risk but our age is purely because of statistics and there is no other guage on driving mentallity. Someone mentioned that experience is the only option, this is true and unfortunately the only way to get experience is to push things. This is where driver mentallity comes into play, are you responsible and push these limits in a controlled environment or on public roads. However its not that simple and I know for a fact where is live there isn't any facilites to accomodate this experimentation, accept for a drag strip, the nearest circuit is over 700km away.

The government need to provide the necessary facilites. And also make changes to the licensing laws, and restricting the types of cars isn't the answer. Again, experience is the answer and todays youth needs to be put in dangerous situation ina controlled environment and teach the necessary skills to control the vehicle. But in the same token I have participated in a defensive driving course (due to the fact that the track day type course arent available in my are), it was pretty patheitc apart from two aspects, and that was actually seeing for my own two eyes what the difference in stopping distance verses different speeds, and gives you a visual of the multiplying factor involved. The second is the education and acknowledgement that the course wasn't to enhance your ability to control the car but to change that attitude to prevent that is causes young drivers to end up in the dangerous situations.

Cheers

[F6 RAPID]

What honestly concerns me is that there is going to come a time when I sell my car.

I believe I have to take some responsibility as to who I sell my car to especially if I sell it 'as is' with all the mods on it. Sure, someone in their early 20's could even raise the money to purchase it, but by geezus, I also believe that it wouldn't be long before they probably wrapped it around something somewhere. If they killed themselves, my worry is that the family will come and sue me for selling them a verifiable weapon.................

This could also be done by someone older, no doubt, but the difference in age (in my opinion) is probably just the appreciation of what could potentially happen, not just the ability to control a car and that appreciation alone puts a brake on some of the things we might otherwise contemplate doing. For example, I gave one of my mates a drive and he couldn't wait to give it back to me. One squeeze of the throttle (when all hell broke loose and it just instantly spun up straight to the limiter in second) and it was like "holy crapp, here, have it back. I don't feel like dying"

[JimmyXR6T04]

a common theme I see in these types of threads is the amount of people who say they know the capabilities of their car, and of their ability.. Knowing your abilities, and the cars ability is all well and good on a race track, however, on the street there are simply far too many variables which I believe cancel out most peoples ability.. Even a super car driver, who knows his stuff, and races on a street isn't safe.. no matter how well they know the car and their abilities. Unfortunately it's not necessarily YOUR ability, or your cars ability, but other road users ability too. Not to mention roo's, potholes, and other unforeseen dangers on the road. I know it's slightly off topic, but it's something I thought was worth mentioning.

[SCRIBR]

ask that bloke with the octane ute that was written off by some bloke!

mr. schmarker couldnt avoid that 1

[dule]

Im 21y/o and know the capabilites of theses kind of cars, and also the capabilites (or lack there of, of myself) Your concern is justified though and I will not argue with that, as there are many immature and dangerous drivers my age, and as you conceed, alot older as well. The only reason insurance companies can categorise us high/low risk but our age is purely because of statistics and there is no other guage on driving mentallity. Someone mentioned that experience is the only option, this is true and unfortunately the only way to get experience is to push things. This is where driver mentallity comes into play, are you responsible and push these limits in a controlled environment or on public roads. However its not that simple and I know for a fact where is live there isn't any facilites to accomodate this experimentation, accept for a drag strip, the nearest circuit is over 700km away.

The government need to provide the necessary facilites. And also make changes to the licensing laws, and restricting the types of cars isn't the answer. Again, experience is the answer and todays youth needs to be put in dangerous situation ina controlled environment and teach the necessary skills to control the vehicle. But in the same token I have participated in a defensive driving course (due to the fact that the track day type course arent available in my are), it was pretty patheitc apart from two aspects, and that was actually seeing for my own two eyes what the difference in stopping distance verses different speeds, and gives you a visual of the multiplying factor involved. The second is the education and acknowledgement that the course wasn't to enhance your ability to control the car but to change that attitude to prevent that is causes young drivers to end up in the dangerous situations.

Cheers

I agree with that. The best way to learn is from your own mistakes. When you have a near miss or you're not so lucky and manage to hit something it really makes you think hard. Providing a controlled environment would help greatly, which brings us back to what most people here agree on, Driver Training.

Here is one I prepared earlier, not too proud of it but it sure did teach me a lesson.

Too Close

People need to get out there (not on the street please) and see for themselves what happens when they do certain things.

[Laner]

HOLY sh*t!!........that wouldve taken the polish off