Surreal conversation

[Albannach]

I overheard a wierd conversation the other day.

I was sitting in Burger King in Stirling, behind me were 4 spotty 17 or 18 year olds discussing their driving antics. They had all crashed at least once, one had apparently written off 3 cars this year.

The strangest part of the conversation was when they announced Steve as the best driver, because he'd crashed the least! It was apparently a pitty about Bob (we'll call him that to protect him), they'll never know how good he was because he was killed the first time he crashed. Apparently that hardly ever happens...

Feckin idiots!!!

[Hazzo]

I reckon they should all have to do at least five years as a biker before being allowed in a car, this will kill off the ones who shouldn't be on the roads at all and possibly improve the habits of the ones who get through these first five years of roadcraft. H

[Albannach]

Close to where I live, there's a tightish S bend. I'm always wary of it when I'm on the bike, because it seems to scare some folk into the centre of the road and I don't want to meet them coming my way.

Last summer, a lad (with 3 mates) in a Green Pugeot 105 overtook me on the wrong side of the road in the midle of those corners. He got away with it, but by christ he (and me) was lucky. If anything, at any point, had been coming the other way, he, and probably me, would have been toast.

[andycook]

i heard a very similar conversation with same age lads on a train home from work 2 years ago, i nearly recorded it on my mp3 player.
these kids were "boasting" how many cars they had written off or crashed, they seemed to think it was a badge of honour to have crashed,
i was shocked, dont mind them crashing, but it aint good for our insurance premiums and awfull when they take out someone driving the opposite direction.
and teenagers are often killed up here in NE scotland usually late on a weekend night and only one vehicle involved, and usually on a bend...

[Rustinho]

I reckon they should all have to do at least five years as a biker before being allowed in a car, this will kill off the ones who shouldn't be on the roads at all and possibly improve the habits of the ones who get through these first five years of roadcraft. H

I've been saying that myself for years.

Just to add to it I'll put my little story into the equation.

I started off on 2 wheels on a Kawasaki AR50 when I was 16, way back in 1989. A year later I got myself a 125 and passed my test shortly afterwards. I've been lucky enough to have avoided ever having a major crash on a bike (had a minor one which I almost avoided about 10 years ago when someone did a U-turn in stationary traffic while I was filtering past - to cut a long story short I swerved just about enough to avoid anything major but they ended up with a dent in the drivers side passenger door from the engine bars on the bike - I stayed upright on the bike and both me and bike were undamaged).

I finally got around to doing my test on 4 wheels in January 2004. I learnt to drive with BSM and I generally thought that they did a reasonable job with me at the time.

In 2007 I was driving a Toyota Celica (2 litre non-turbo, alas - not a GT4!), went slightly too fast into a corner that was too slippery (outside farm entrance, slurry on road, etc) and ended up in a head on. My fault completely.

Thankfully there were no serious injuries to anyone even though both cars were write offs and the garden wall to a house was demolished on impact. The road has actually been altered since the accident (extra warning signs put up, warning paint on road, etc) cos it was a bit of an accident blackspot according to the owners of the house.

As an upshot of this accident I was given the threat of the police persuing a driving without due care & attention charge unless I went on a 2 day "driver improvement course" organised by the police, at my own expense.

I didn't fancy going to court and thought I would definitely benefit from the driving course so I went on it.

My instructor for the 2 days was a police trained driving instructor (he had actually been a police persuit driver trainer so he was pretty damn good). During those 2 days I learnt more about how I should be driving on 4 wheels than I had learnt from BSM and since passing my test combined.

I had all the general roadcraft down to a tee - nearly 20 years on motorcycles drums that into you - but I learnt so much more about correct road positioning in a car, setting the car up before corners, etc.

I used to help out a wee bit at a motorcycle training organisation once upon a time and if learning to drive a car was treated more like motorcycle training I guarantee I wouldn't have had the crash that I did. Basically, BSM taught me how to pass the driving test. They didn't teach me how to drive.

I wish the crash I caused had never happened - my knees & ankles are still pretty well knackered - but the consequences of it have stuck with me. The driving course I went on has vastly improved the standard of my driving. The other people on the course were a mix of teenagers similar to those mentioned in the original post, a couple of pensioners who probably shouldnt really still have their licences and a few middle aged folks that had been caught speeding/using a mobile phone/reading a map when they should have been watching the road...

I'm a firm believer that people should be compelled to go on a similar course before they're given a full licence.

[KERRSURF]

The moral of this story is.


Don't eat junk food in fast food places. It will always make your day worse.

[Albannach]

The moral of this story is.


Don't eat junk food in fast food places. It will always make your day worse.

XL Bacon Double Cheeseburger always makes my day better...

[KERRSURF]

XL Bacon Double Cheeseburger always makes my day better...

And your waistline larger, but calories aside....it tastes horrible

[KERRSURF]

Oh, while your here....fancy doing a timing belt for me?

[Albannach]

When?

[KERRSURF]

Friday night? saturday morning?

[Albannach]

Friday night? saturday morning?

What's a morning?

We'll have a go after tea tomorrow? Unless giggles has other plans!

[KERRSURF]

What's a morning?

We'll have a go after tea tomorrow? Unless giggles has other plans!

I'll be at brians around 6.30.