Text 7273, 56 rader
Skriven 2007-10-17 11:24:05 av Michiel van der Vlist (2:280/5555)
     Kommentar till en text av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
Ärende: Bicycles
================
Hello Bob,

On Tuesday October 16 2007 13:17, you wrote to me:

 MV>> It isn't always the fault of the car driver you know...

 RB> I know, and I know there are quite reckless motorcycle riders. It's
 RB> just the stereotype I object to.

I see two stereotypes. On the on hand, the careless care driver, too lazy to
check his rear mirror, who overlooks the motor cycle and on the other hand the
recklless motor cycle driver who scares the shit out of car drivers by jumping
on them from out of nowhere and scraping their side mirror when ovetaking. Both
exist, but fortunately both are the exception rather then the rule.

 MV>> Hmmm. Over here they want to tighten up the license requirements
 MV>> for light scooters as there are so many accidents. And most of
 MV>> them are the fault of the young aggressive scooter driver...

 RB> Quite possibly, but making licenses even more expensive and increasing
 RB> already tight regulations even more will not change much except to
 RB> limit the use of such vehicles to the financially better situated. The
 RB> only real answer to that kind of problem is to give younger drivers
 RB> more opportunity to gain experience.

While I agree that it is ridiculously expensive - as are many other things - I
fail to see how the problem of experience or lack thereof can be solved by
making it cheaper. New drivers will be unexperienced. Period. It does not help
to shift the age limit either way or make it more or less expensive. There will
always be a moment when they make the transition from not being allowed to
drive from being allowed and after that moment there will be a period in which
they drive while not having gained the experience yet.

 RB> That's the one main weakness I've seen in German driver education -
 RB> now not talking only about motorcycles, but also cars - that the
 RB> restrictions are so great and the cost so high that new drivers are
 RB> effectively without practical experience.

Hw does making it cheaper solve the problem of lack of experience? Experience
can only be gained by doing. And while they are gaining experience by doing
they will be inexperienced until they have done it often enough to be
experienced.

 RB> This is one of the first things that I noticed when I came to Germany
 RB> in 1966 at age 24, with an American drivers licence and 8 years of
 RB> practical driving behind me. At that age, many Germans don't even have
 RB> a drivers licence or have only been driving for a couple of years.

So they start later. How much practical driving experience did you have when
you were 17?


Cheers, Michiel

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