Driving Test

22/11

Steve B

22 & 11

22 and 10

Test #1

If you scored less than 15 you tend to agree with the statements

If you scored between 15 and 21 you are generally neutral on average.

If you scored more than 21 you tend to disagree with the statements.

Drivers who tend to disagree with these statements turn out to have approximately five times the accident risk of those who agree.

This test examines your attitudes to driving, and if you scored more than 21 you should thnk seriously about the attitudes that put you at risk. For example, your attitude to speed which is examined in the second test.

Test #2

Less than 7 = tend to speed infrequently

Between 7 and 12 = tend to speed a little more frequently

More than 12 = tend to speed often

Drivers who indicate on this questionaire that they speed often have about three times the accident risk of those who speed infrequently.

If you scored more than do you agree that you have a greater risk of causing an accident? Or do you think there are mitigating circumstances in your case?

If you do think there are mitigating circumstances, make a list of these and then decide if they are genuinely mitigating or whether they spring from a reluctance to change.

Note: Surveys provided for entertainment purposes only, and the usual simplistic pop-psychology test warnings apply.

Matthew

PS I have made a note where those of you with high scores live and will be advising my lovely niece Chloe to stay well clear.

[This message was edited by matthewr on Fri 22 October 2004 at 15:51.]

Is that it?



Regards


NB

You've just been told that your attitudes to driving indicate you might have a five-fold increase in accident risk. But yes, that is it.

Matthew

Based on what?

and I don't mean the scores themselves, I mean the methodology on which the test is based.

Oh, and what's to stop us choosing to drive where your loved ones live?

cheers

Nigel

looks like I had better sell both cars and start using a bicycle!



Regards


NB

....or you could lay the MF9's flat and...


oh alright let's not go there

My definition of appropriate speed is that if I can stop safely in the distance that I know to be clear in front of me then my speed is safe (this includes factoring in children etc who might run out into the road). Sometimes this is above the speed limit, sometimes it is below. For example, on a clear, empty Motorway with good visibility I do not consider 100mph to be excessive. In a housing estate 20mph may be excessive.

Lets keep my supertweeters out of this one Jon



Regards


NB

I wouldn't let anyone who posts here near your niece, whether they are driving or not.

I shall now go and bask in the self-righteousness of my score.

Mr Robinson

I hope you asked your neice's permission before posting a great big mug-shot of her on the Forum.

Regards,

JonR (who is also feeling a little self-righteous about his score)

especially when we all know where she lives



Regards


NB

Nigel -- The test come from "Roadcraft", the police driving manual published by The Police Federation. It does not provide references to the original research.

JonR -- My portrait of my niece is not a "mug shot". And yes, since you ask, both my niece and her parents are aware that I have some pictures of her on my website.

Matthew

These tests are always interesting and the recomendations worth considering. It's very wide ranging though. I think some of the questions skew the results - attitude to high speed on motorways vs attitude to speed in urban streets for example. Ideally you'd have a weighting on each of the questions ie x1 for high speeds on m-ways, x10 for speeding in towns where there are a lot of pedestrians.

It's also difficult to quantify the effects of mitigating circumstances and one's own attitude.

Could be interesting to go into further depth wrt each specific question and our answers.

It looks difficult to compose a test which is respected by the participants. There is a problem of the test falling into disrepute if certain questions are asked eg passing on the inside is legal in USA, high M-way speeds are legal in Germany, what is the scientific opposition to the same thing in the UK ?

How about expanding on the results of previous tests ?

Brian

Ah, Roadcraft.

The manual read by all those police drivers who mow down pedestrians and kill those they are in "hot pursuit" of with impunity - how can one argue.

cheers

Nigel

AG,

In all the years I have been driving I have never caused an accident whist I have been driving. I have been hit three times while I have been stationery (once when I wasn't even in the car). Neither of these were my fault! Sods law I suppose.

I don't use the bus that often but I have been on a coach which ploughed head first into the side of a lorry, luckily no-one was hurt.

As for cycling my sister was very lucky not to have been killed while cycling, a car just pulled out and hit her side on. Fortunately loads of cuts and bruises but nothing worse.

Yes I openly admit that I drive too fast but I always make sure that if anything happens I can pull up or have a way out of it. Not to have caused an accident in 25 years must show I have some basic level of compitent driving.

Resorting to a bike would scare the hell out of me!



Regards


NB

quote:

---

Originally posted by matthewr:
JonR -- My portrait of my niece is not a "mug shot". And yes, since you ask, both my niece and her parents are aware that I have some pictures of her on my website.

---

OK, your 'portrait' - pardon me. However I did not ask about your website. I asked if your neice was aware that her picture is now on a public forum where it can viewed by several thousand (mostly male) members and if so whether that's ok with her?

Regards,

JonR

Brain said "It's also difficult to quantify the effects of mitigating circumstances and one's own attitude"

A point noted in the book and they suggest discussing such things others can help one form a more objective view.

The broad point they make -- which I think is a good one -- is that it's very important to understand our own attitudes to driving as this, rather than some magical technique or training, is at the core of becoming a better driver. They talk about maintaining a sort of "critical self-awareness" while driving.

Nigel said "Ah, Roadcraft. The manual read by all those police drivers who mow down pedestrians and kill those they are in "hot pursuit" of with impunity - how can one argue."

I tend to think of it as the book which often gets cited here as a respected reference manaul by the people who consider themselves better than average drivers or have undertaken some form of advanced driving course.

Matthew

Don't worry Alex, I never thought you would



Regards


NB

Ooooooooooh dear, I suppose I could redeem myself by throwing the car keys away,although there does seem to be something strange here,as from memory all those, who in another thread argued against excessive speed[ in our opinion] have scored high scores, myself included. I think I now should join the "confused" thread.
oldie.

JonR -- As I said my niece and her parents are aware that her picture is publically avaiable on the internet. Quite frankly, though, it's none of your business.

FWIW I am more than somewhat surprised that you see potential sexual connotations in that photograph and that you think the Naim forum might be full of sweaty palmed paedophiles cruising the padded cell looking for (non-sexual) photographs of (fully clothed) 11 year old girls. In fact your comments rather creeped me out so I have removed the link to the photograph.

Matthew

I concentrate whilst driving. I have quite fast reactions. I enjoy driving. I've been driving a long time. I also ride a bicycle. My car has good brakes. I have about 200X less chance of having an accident than my wife who drives very slowly.

To be serious, speed is no particular indicator of risk, although, as a father of three small children almost as angelic as Matthew's niece I am fully aware that hitting a small child at 35mph is much more perilous than doing the same at 20mph.

quote:

---

Roadcraft
I tend to think of it as the book which often gets cited here as a respected reference manaul by the people who consider themselves better than average drivers or have undertaken some form of advanced driving course.

Matthew

---

Never cited by me; I am not so arrogant as to consider myself better. Nor have I had any advanced training. Nor have I been involved in any accident for 25+ years - just lucky.

Probably get killed by a cop on the way home.

cheers

Nigel