Safe Speed Forums

http://www.dft.gov.uk/drivingchallenge/

You need flash 10.

I was 1 point short and I apparently missed all 8 questions I think i was too fast with the space bar but I saw it

I didn't really see the usefulness of this test. I stop when I see any obstacle in the road, I don't care what that obstacle is; surely that's what should have been tested?

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

Same score here. But I did hit the space bar seven times so I guess the timing is very critical. Didn't see the rabbit though.

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

I found myself watching the road/pedestrians and not listening to what the woman on the phone was saying.

Interestingly I realised I wasn't paying attention to the colour of the T-shirts, simply that there were pedestrians about to step out in the road.

As someone else said, I fail to see the point of this test. If someone's about to walk out in front of me the last thing I'm going to be interested in is what colour T-shirt they're wearing. And if I've got 'er indoors rambling on at me on hands-free about "what are we having for dinner tonight" I'll just tell her to call back later.

I don't mind having a quick chat on hands-free whilst driving along a nice wide A-road or motorway with no pedestrians but I don't like having a long conversation on the mobile (hands-free of course) whilst driving.

Now if the test was slightly redesigned to "press one key when you hear a question, press another one when you see a hazard" it might prove a point.

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Magistrates rule #1: "Never let justice get in the way of a conviction."

This test seems to give you 3 tasks to do simultaneously:

1. Process and respond to driving hazards
2. Listen and respond to a phone conversation
3. Count coloured T-shirts.

I'm not sure if 3 is supposed to be a proxy for 1. but I gave up on counting T-shirts and failed back to observing hazards. I saw the 'unusual hazard' and I missed 5 questions.

The previous poster is correct that there should only be 2 tasks, and one of those is always hazard perception, the other responding to a conversation. The test should be more 'real-world'.

Perhaps the results should be published to those other halves who think they should discuss something involved and/or contentious whilst they are not doing anything (passenger) with the driver who is "not doing anything either, obviously".

Note: It seems irrelevant to me whether a phone is used given the number and type of questions asked requiring thought to respond to in this 'test'.

My mind tends to block out things like mobile phones and radios when I am dealing with hazards. If I try to listen to a play or a serious discussion on the radio I usually loose track of it because of having to deal with driving situations.

Phones seem to a matter of your attitude. To me phones are an intrusive nuisance and easy to ignore. To the younger generation they are the very core of their being and talking on them is far more important than trivia like concentrating on driving [/GOM]

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

I agree, it is a pointless exercise which proves nothing. It's supposed to prove that talking on a mobile detracts from your attention and stops you seeing the rabbit and counting coloured shirts...well I've got news for them, my sound failed on my computer so I couldn't hear anything....I still couldn't count the shirts correctly or see the rabbit so listening to the phone is a red herring. Its strange that when I actually drive country roads (which i do frequently) I see and avoid (where safe to do so) real rabbits and real people in t shirts.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

Ist the same as the dancing bear for the cyclists . By the way I scored on the shirts - but managed to ignore the phone .. but I do that when I drive anyway So I flunked on the phone bit.

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Nicht ganz im Lot!
Ich setze mich immer wieder in die Nesseln! Der Mad Doc ist mein Mann! Und ich benutzte seinen PC!

UND OUR SMILEYS? Smile ... und the the world smiles with you.
Smiley guy seen when you read
Fine me for Safe Speed
(& other good causes..)

Greatest love & Greatest Achievements Require Greatest Risk
But if you lose the driving plan - don't lose the COAST lesson.
Me?
Je ne regrette rien!

In fact .. playing again . the phone's a red herring. I just played three times concentrating on the phone. It never the same ringy dingy. If I am not imagining things as a bit sore after the needles from hell (und am a big girly's blouse . aw diddums to me.. these are very naughty words as I found out once Und I think I have got aways with it here.. I am getting into practice for the triple dog dare I have been landed with .. to use each smiley guy in ONE post ARGGGGHHHH NNOOOOOHHHHHH!!

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Nicht ganz im Lot!
Ich setze mich immer wieder in die Nesseln! Der Mad Doc ist mein Mann! Und ich benutzte seinen PC!

UND OUR SMILEYS? Smile ... und the the world smiles with you.
Smiley guy seen when you read
Fine me for Safe Speed
(& other good causes..)

Greatest love & Greatest Achievements Require Greatest Risk
But if you lose the driving plan - don't lose the COAST lesson.
Me?
Je ne regrette rien!

1) There were eight questions. Should I be counting how many questions someone asks me during a cellphone conversation, regardless of whether or not I'm driving? I don't even count the number of comely ladies I see while I'm walking around; why would I bother counting anything, when I'm busy driving?

Most ladies will, as a test of attention, ask their man, "what did I just say?". Does ANY woman ask, "how many questions have I asked?" ?

2) Who cares what color T-shirts they were wearing?
Most were moving along the crosswalk somewhat slowly, which is a bit rude, but increasingly common where I'm from.

Since when would I ignore someone because they are wearing the wrong color, or attend to someone because they were wearing the right color?

Is it important to your drive to notice that someone in a rabbit suit waved at you from in the middle of the crosswalk? I suppose if I feared I were being followed or something, then yes, otherwise, it might be strange enough to be noteworthy, but it's perfectly OK to dismiss it during the drive.

By the way: despite the fact that my job entails using the phone from time to time, I would have either terminated this conversation within twenty to thirty seconds, or pulled over somewhere within the same timeframe, as this conversation contained no driving instructions.

I have a much more important question: How many did not look before crossing the street?
I did not come up with a number, but the answer is most of them.

Should drivers be on the lookout for bounce passes, moonwalking bears, 'bloods' or 'cowards', or people dressed as bunnies who seem to know you for some reason? Or should they just worry about Rules #1 & #2?

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The Rules for ALL ROAD USERS:
1) No one gets hurt
2) Nothing gets hit, except to protect others; see Rule#1
3) The Laws of Physics are invincible and immutable - so-called 'laws' of men are not
4) You are always immediately and ultimately responsible for your safety first, then proximately responsible for everyone's
Do not let other road users' mistakes become yours, nor yours become others
5) The rest, including laws of the land, is thoughtful observation, prescience, etiquette, decorum, and cooperation