🚀 go-pugleaf

Don't give people a "license to kill," give them OPTIONS!

Driving tests and real-life driving

(snip)

Politically, it is unpopular to suggest somebody who is physically
impaired, who is emotionally unbalanced, or who is just plain stupid
should not drive. But the fact is; bad driving causes lethal accidents
and huge traffic jams every day, all across America.  Bad driving
wastes millions of gallons of fuel and adds tons of pollutants to our
air.

America's urban freeways are no place for the incompetent, and it is
thousands of times less expensive and more effective to get lousy
drivers off the road than it is to build ever-wider freeways and more
elaborate junctions.  A more difficult driving test will accomplish
this.  Driving tests can also reinforce common sense, patience, and
respect for others... things which are increasingly rare on American
roads.

Current driving tests measure rudimentary knowledge of the rules of
the road.  At some point in a driver's life�usually very early� you
must prove your ability to operate a vehicle under minimally difficult
circumstances. Once licensed, many Americans are not road tested again
for dozens of years. Adding cellular phones, babies, fast food,
gigantic Sport Utility Vehicles, and other distractions�on top of a
general increase in traffic and average speeds�only brews more
gridlock and carnage.

(snip)

America must not shrink from hard decisions about where, when and who
is fit to drive. We must get the incompetent, the angry, the
thoughtless and the decrepit off the road. At the same time, we must
provide the opportunity to learn driving skills for people who need to
drive and are able to do it well, regardless of income level.

Giving people options
Increased transportation options for people who cannot drive must
coincide with efforts to weed out lousy drivers.  Forcing people out
of their cars, with no way to get to work, breeds outlaws and
joblessness.  Some ways include:

electric scooter and bicycle programs 
bike-trains 
high-speed rail 

(snip)

***Similarly, driving a 400-horsepower, 8,000 pound vehicle is much
more demanding than driving a small vehicle, and should require
specialized skill testing***.

State motor vehicle departments, with the assistance of the Highway
Patrol, should have flexibility to apply a higher standard in a
high-risk area.  Limitations could be based on geography, population
density, average speed, vehicle types etc.  A test for the Los Angeles
commuter might emphasize high-speed merging, traffic jams, and anger
management.  The privilege of driving in the wilds of Wyoming might
require mastering snow and the effects of elevation.  Pilot different
tests in many cities. European counties with higher driving standards
may be able to help.

One reader asked, "how can we enforce such a plan?" Good question.  A
gradual transition seems best. Here are four sensible steps which
could be taken over, say, five or seven years.

1. Automatically refer people cited for breaking existing traffic laws
to a new, more difficult test.  If they fail, they are downgraded to a
new, limited-class license.  They are excluded from driving in major
metropolitan areas during high-use hours.  They get one free retest
and access to training. They must pass the new test within one year or
lose their license.  (This will be a great deterrent for those who are
competent, but sometimes misbehave.)

2. Create a new traffic infraction: incompetence.  The ticket has no
fine, but the driver must take the new test.   If they fail, they are
downgraded to the new, limited-class license.  They get one free
retest and access to training. They must pass the new test within one
year or lose their license.

3.  Start going through the drivers rolls.  Those motorists with the
worst records and longest time since their last road test should be
first for upgraded testing.

4.  Limited drivers who receive a citation in the restricted areas
during restricted times are considered to be driving without a
license, and are prosecuted under existing laws.

Clearly, this will require money to train more driving instructors and
examiners, and to modernize licensing systems. This is money well
spent; it will recycle through the community many times, while making
our roads safer and our air cleaner, and while reducing demand for
expensive fossil fuels.

Response to this web page from the Sustainable Enterprises community:

(snip)

"I couldn't agree more that the licensing requirements in the United
States needs to be changed. I lived in Germany for 20 years. Even
though they have some 80 Million people crammed into the area of
Washington and Oregon combined, they really can drive. They drive
AWARE of what is going on around them. I returned to the Pacific
Northwest a little over two years ago, and have never before seen so
many incompetent and incapable drivers. People, just because it is big
and has all the "safety" features, does not release you from being a
RESPONSIBLE driver! If you can't drive it - park it and milk it."

(snip)

"Whenever possible ride a bicycle don't drive! Use transit." 

"Uncle George" is over 92 and still driving... fortunately in his
neighborhood, which is not around here. I guess I'd better not tell
you where he lives."

more... 

http://www.sustainableenterprises.com/Community/drivtest.htm