Mumsnet Talk

*too

One of my friends at school failed her driving test for driving to far under the speed limit.

Still got MN 'L' plates on - sorry to be ignorant - what does 'bumped' mean please?

I feel pissed off for your op

unless it was exceptionally windy with heavy rain why was she driving so slowly if she is not confident driving on roads you are not used to in the dark then you should not be driving

Not meaning to be nasty, or anything, but avuncular, by my memory this is the second zombie thread about driving you've bumped in a few days - what's the appeal?!

"it was rainy, dark, hilly and winding"

all good reasons to slow down

A trainee Driving Instructor is expected on his/her 'Part 2' [advanced driving test] to drive in a 'brisk and businesslike manner'.

That's perhaps a bit too much to expect of a learner driver on test, but that's what I aim for when presenting candidates for test.

I agree this business of what is too slow can be a bit subjective (I've seen it first hand while sitting in the back on tests), but the learner is expected to make 'reasonable progress'.

So, for instance (as I understand it: I'm not an Examiner and it's not easy to get them to commit themselves anyway), driving at 50 on a dual carriageway with a 70 limit, just because the car in front is only doing 50, could well attract at least a 'driving fault'. The learner would be expected to demonstrate a safe overtake if circumstances allow.

Driving so slowly that most other drivers (i.e. you and me probably) would be a bit put out would be likely to result in a major fault.

If there is no-one else about to be inconvenienced then I think the situation is less certain, but I advise my pupils to at least show they know what the speed limit is (e.g. in a 40, do noticeably over 30, or even comment 'I know it's a 40, but I'm driving more cautiously because ...... <insert valid reason>'. (Driving noticeably over 30 in a 30 limit is not a good idea .....)

Any DSA driving examiners out there prepared to illuminate the debate?

Lazy Girl Blog That can't have been his only mistake, as he would not have got a major for it. It was either one in a long list of minors, or he was driving drastically under the posted speed limit. I think he may have made a really stupid error, and not wanted to tell you, but perhaps he just misunderstood.

Unless it was your mum or grandma?

YANBU people who drive like that are total twats and often the cause of more accidents. Someone should've run the bitch off the road!

Yes but better work out the frustration on MN than on the road << see link

Yes, a Zombie Thread.

What a wonderful thread!

Gentleness

From your post at Mon 01-Oct-12 19:21:48 it does now sound as if YWNBU at all (apart from your irritated toot at the other driver).

WanderingWhistle its exactly what happened. Perhaps you were lucky and had a reasonable examiner. Sadly, that would account for the nature of certain idiot drivers on the road.

He was told it "angers drivers on the road" as the reason he failed. He made no other errors. I wanted to complain but DP was so angry (and upset) that he wouldn't let me. Using that as an excuse is disgusting, frankly if someone going a slight bit under a speed limit, who is less likely to hurt someone, makes you angry, you shouldn't be on the road as you clearly have issues.

The next examiner he had was much nicer, more reasonable and realised my partner was a safe enough driver to pass him, not like the twat above that used such a crap excuse for failing him.

YAB MASSIVELY U

The road was in a worse state when it was a 70mph, Mittens.

Without wishing to drip-feeding or add something spurious just to reinforce my point, the road was resurfaced about 2 years before the lower limit was introduced. I honestly don't think it's anything to do with the surface.

Until very recently the dual carriageway was a deristricted road, so 70mph limit. Now, it's been changed to a 40mph limit. Nothing else has changed; there are no new developments, there are still no pavements on this road (and no pedestrians) and it's definitely not a built up area.

Roads degrade; it's cheaper for councils to re-sign the road than to perform proper repairs, so we get left with unsafe road surfaces and lowered speed limits.

Rainy, dark, hilly, windy? 40 mph sounds quite appropriate to me.

Incidently,travelling 20 miles at 40 mph would take 30 mins. The same distance at 60 mph would take 20 mins. So you got all hot, bothered and aggresive over a 10 minute difference.

This. In addition, it would be unlikely you would average 60mph over that distance, so unless you would have exceeded the limit, it would have been less than 10 minutes difference.

Don't get me wrong, I hate being stuck behind these drivers, but given these conditions and the possibility they don't know the road, 40 would be acceptable.

My dad only drives over 40 on the motorway. And so would I.

Are you one of the people suckered into the "Speed Kills" mentality? Speed does not kill; speed differential kills - 40mph on a 70mph road is dangerous, and anyone incapable or unwilling to drive at an appropriate limit for the road and conditions should not have a licence (you can fail a driving test for driving too slowly).

Yanbu. There was a line of traffic so she should have slowed down to let you pass. i used to stay in very rural place and twunts like this, usually in tourist season would do my nut in.

Its under the figures for last year.

Really? Check a copy of 2012 highway code then

Road rage causes 65% of crashes you know...

Yuu've made that up.

TheLazyGirlBlog - "driving under the speed limit now will get you an instant fail on a driving test"
Not true.

My test was this year and I remember doing 25 in a 30 and worried I'd fail on it.
I passed, it was urban back streets and I went between 25 and 30 on these roads on thA part of the test.

I passed so t not a given. The things you do add up, hesitant once does not a hesitant driver make, etc

Just because the max speed was national limit does not mean the poor thing had to do that speed and anyway it should be judged on weather conditions.
Sounding your horn at her is totally not on you could tell she was abit unsure of the darkness or weather thats why she was taking it slow.
Road rage causes 65% of crashes you know lets hope you never cause one which you could of done tonight How horrid!