to think that when my partner, who has managed 4 "write off" crashes in two years, comes home and says "Dear God - I almost killed myself on the way home!"

[Catnao]

...it's not unreasonable that I am nervy when getting in the car with him, and don't allow him to take our son out with him by himself? (I can't drive, by the way).

i think you should just hide his keys.

I'd fucking take them out.. seriously. Little else infuriates me more than someone who can't be fucking ARSED to learn to drive his 1.5 ton of accident properly!

I am intending to do the advanced course as soon as I can afford it..

Not sure if you mean me Jareth, but believe me if I knew the reg the bastard wouldn't have got away with it. It was dark, raining and I was in shock.

Goblinchild - yes it was the M62, junction 12 as it happens. That place still fills me with fear to this day. The best bit was when the police abandoned me to wait on my own for the AA.

noooo I wasnt aiming my comment at you GS!! :)

I hate these cunts.. I'm sorry to use this language, and I reserve it strictly for people who really deserve it.

These twats make me shake with anger... the 'don't care' attitude is why people die on the road.

The reason I want to do an Advanced Motorists course is so I know better how to avoid the twats. I'm good (Have been driving long journeys for 15 years) but everybody can do with a refresher.

The rule I lived by when I was a relatively new driver was: 'if in doubt, don't' (with regards to pulling out on a roundabout, etc.

The best piece of advice I've ever been given on driving is (and I hate to credit my Dad with this but):

"Assume every other car on the road is piloted by an utter moron, and you will be safe"

It's true....

I share your Dad's philosophy Jareth! Trouble is, it makes me too scared to drive half the time.

Have confidence in your own driving. The only way is to drive more.

As an (invincible) teenager I drove all over the country visiting friends at Uni. I learnt a LOT on the M25... :) Was scary as hell.

I'm a bloody good driver now though
(seriously)

I'm up, can't sleep.
Was hoping for an early night but have been rolling around my bed for the last two hours going over the details of this morning - the van that ran into the back of me and the aggressive driver who pulled open my door a couple of times to shout at me because he drove into the back of me.
YANBU

Lets start a mumsnet campaign to get the dangerous drivers off the road.

I'm so tired I feel sick. Bleaurgh. [benvy]

Oh Cain :(

If he ran into the back of you then it was HIS fault.

(unless you hammered on the brakes for an invisible squirrel :) )

He will be going on advanced driver's course... agreed this was necessary last night.

Cat I have seen first hand what happens when someone drive carelessly and it is a nightmare I wouldn't wish on anyone. A friend dd was crossing the road on her bike and got knocked over, thrown through the air. I was with her parents when they were told and drove them to the seen of the accident I watched as they ran to their child in the middle of the road. I drove the dad to hospital where they stayed for two days till the life support was turned off. Was the dd at fault? Witnesses disagreed at the corners court. There were many visits to court watching to see if the man who had done this would be convicted. Then there is life without our child.

My mum always said to me that it's not you yo need to worry about on the road it's everyone else, what if your dh meets another him or someone is crossing the road as he goes to change his cd?

their

Hideous story and there are so many of them around...we did have a long talk last night and he is going to go on an advanced skills course. He hasn't crashed for a long ish while (the four times were when he was a very new driver and inexperience may have been part of it) - but last night nearly coming off the road, and showing him this thread....well, I think this will have worked (hence slightly emotive language in OP - "4 small prangs" might not have got a good enough response to shock him?)

I hope so cat, it is really a change in attitude he needs.

Catnao. My DH is the same. 2 write offs in 2 years. Not serious accidents but cheap cars so insurance wrote them off.

Technically DH is a good driver but he drives over 60,000 a year and sometimes gets complacent. Last year he had a crash on motorway because he was changing radio and didn't see slowing traffic in time.

Police were going to prosecute for DWDC but instead have sent him on a dangerous driving course.

He hasnt been on it yet but the accident did give him a real wake up call and frightened him a good deal. He agreed he had to change his driving.

I crashed my car within a few months of passing my test because I changed the radio. Didn't go down well with parents but taught me a valuable lesson very early on.

I didn't have music in my car for the first year, and my family didn't talk when I was reversing, joining a motorway or doing something tricky, so I could concentrate.
Just until I knew what I was doing, and becoming a skilled driver.

Well done to him for doing the Advanced Driving Course.

When our son started driving he had 4 or 5 accidents mostly only involving himself.

But one was when he was waved over a junction by a "helpful" motorist . DS wrote off a van(and his own car ) that was driving along the main road.

At THAT point we took the car keys away and said he could have them back after another block of driving lessons.

His driving instructor was at how bad DS's road awareness had become since passing his test.

I started the advanced drivers course a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a monthly meet up / drive on sunday mornings and everyone was allocated a personal tutor for extra drives in the week.

My teacher mainly took me on scary as hell single lane country roads (plus some motorways as I wasn't very confident). Even if the roads are full of morons the advanced course teaches you to keep you distance and be aware of what's going on so you shouldn't get involved in anyone elses nonsense.

Really glad to hear that Catnao :)

glad to hear it ca, and that he has acknowledged he is a twat needs some extra training

cat