To conclude there must be many thousands of people on the roads who have not passed the driving test.

[redange]

I cannot believe the appalling standard of driving i see every day. To 'Legally' pass a driving test today requires a higher standard of competency than 35 years ago. In order to pass today requires an awareness of Hazard perception, correct use of Gears (if in a Manual) understanding of speed and distance and before that a difficult theory test. Therefore, how is it possible that the standard of driving is infinitely worse. The only conclusion can be that many thousands of people are driving illegally and dangerously on the highways of the United Kingdom.

How are the companies getting away with that?

@socialdilemmawhattodo I asked them that, all of these drivers are self-employed and as self employed contractors they are able to contract out their shifts to whoever they like. They think it’s a good thing and a real benefit to their drivers being able to do that.

I think it’s an unregulated nightmare of people driving without insurance, not being registered as workers and probably being exploited through modern slavery.

Because it's not actually true.

All of the apps do face scans to make sure the person registered is the one driving. Just eat can insist on a scan 6 or 7 times a day, the others not quite so o
Often . It's all at random as well so the person with the right documents can't scan of a morning and an illegal work all day.

If you use a substitute then they have to have right to work, insurance etc.

Nah. It’s Audi drivers who appear not to understand signalling, people in giant cars who don’t give a monkeys about anyone else and middle lane hoggers who are mostly oblivious men and timid women. It’s not all older people by any means.

well they’ve changed that in the last few months, I spoke to them about it when someone completely different to the correct driver turned up and they told me it was a good thing.

Yes, driving standards have plummeted in recent years. Undertaking on the motorway, overtaking on blind bends and tailgating seems to be the norm.

Why is that? The test is much harder than when I took it 40 years ago.

With the exception of tailgaters, which is normally young women in Fiat 500s, I’d say it’s more foreign drivers on the roads but apparently that will make me racist.

This thread title made me laugh. I live in Birmingham, we joke that 40% of drivers here probably have no license. It’s like mad max on some nights. I just stick to my local area in the car, and get Ubers if I go out
weekend evenings.

No it hasn't. I have worked for them for 4 years. Yes you can have substitute drivers but they also need to be legal and registered on the app. If found to be breaking the rules then both the substitute and the .ain driver lose the account

My ex had an Audi.
We were on the motorway and he signalled to leave and exit to our home town. Some knob kept cutting us up. Kept speeding up and pulling back to make sure we missed our exit (which we did). They were basically blocking us from leaving the motorway.
He told me that it had happened a few times, and he was convinced it was because he was driving an Audi. BTW, the Audi was a hand me down car from his parents.
I don't get how someone sees a brand of a car and automatically thinks the driver is a cunt. That is simply not the case.

You’ve worked for both companies for four years? Well I am just telling you what one of the two told me when I complained to them about an awful experience within the last 12 months. I am sure there are lots of legitimate drivers but up until recently they thought it was fine and told me it was a benefit and did not check any details of the subcontractors as they had no contract with those individuals. Bit weird of customer services to make that up and make themselves sound appalling, but there we go.

im glad they are making checks now as you say, but it certainly has not always been the case.

I'm certain of it. I mostly walk so see all the red light crossers, mobile phone drivers and speeders.

There was an article in the i weekend paper earlier this month about ghost plates and rogue drivers. There's a spray that scum and criminals use to invisibly coat number plates so they cannot be picked up on ANPR systems. If they're caught doing it it's only a <<drumroll>> £100 fine 😡. It is proving impossible to crack down on them. There needs to be a collosal amount of money thrown at the problem to catch the dangerous drivers and for harsher penalties. To be honest, it's far scarier than I realised. The police and courts don't have the resources to keep on top of it.

Couldn't agree more @redange

It is (as you say) allegedly sooooo hard to pass the driving test now (and includes a written/practical test,) yet drivers are worse than ever. I am a blonde woman, and I drive a sporty looking red car. I get hounded, and tailgated every time I go on the road.

There are many thousands who have international licences and therefore don't actually know the British rules. It is infuriating.

I agree that the drivers of German cars seem to be the most dangerous and risk-taking on the roads. BMW, Audi, Mercedes. Worst, most dangerous drivers IME. Some of them shouldn't be allowed on the roads. Arrogant bullies, and dickheads some of them.

Not every BMW, Audi, or Mercedes driver is a bad driver, a dickhead, or a bully, but every bad driver/dickhead is a BMW, Audi, or Mercedes driver!

.

Thank you. I agree.

YANBU at all. Just this evening on my way home from work I was sat behind another car at a red light and they were quite literally watching a TV show on their dash mounted phone. Fucking unbelievable behaviour

I met a guy last year, 43 and had passed his driving test 3 months previously but couldn't keep within speed limits. Lost his driving license doing 80 in a 60 and said I don't care I'm still going to dive.
I stopped talking to him shortly after because we had a big row but seen him on tinder with pics in the driving seat of a car.
He inspired me to learn to drive at 43 though and happily I recently passed and hope I'm a better driver

Because you’ve got:

1. a sizeable number who passed their tests a long time ago, with arguably better vehicle knowledge and road craft but zero education on driving appropriately on mutilane roads or in busy traffic.
2. another chunk who passed on driving lesson only (no practise in between) and no skill consolidation, who were taught to pass a modern test rather than life driving skills.
3. some who’ve never done a UK test
4. many who dont care
5. many who are arrogant and see themselves as superior
6. plenty using their phones
7. some negotiating with small children
8. some with eyesight problems
9. some too tired to be driving

Thank you. That's interesting. I live in a rural area so we dont use delivery services, but it is coming closer.

I've worked for Deliveroo and Uber for 5 years and JE for 4. I'm more impressed you got to speak to someone ( at all) who answered phone and possibly could understand what you were saying. Seeing as there is no phone help for the drivers and they never answer the phone or come off script when the restuarants phone them ( I also work restuarant side occasionally and a relative is a manager of a large restaurant that uses the apps)

Or it is just possible that whoever you spoke to just said what they thought you wanted to hear

I passed my test in August, and doing the school run or a trip into town doing the same route I'm OK, but I was hoping to do uber food deliveries during the day before my evening cleaning job and I can't do it without someone helping me. Going to different places has me panicking

I'm very left wing

But I get your point. I think that all drivers should be required to pass a uk driving test if they are going to be driving here long term, ie not on holiday

But with the backlog of driving tests, that will not happen

A famous uk rapper is in court over speeding and killing an international student in Ilford, East london

Having driven there, the standard of driving is insane and it wasnt remotely surprising. Its so bad and so dangerous, with speeding wealthy youngsters and a general carelessness towards driving rules from everyone else 😳😳

When we visit adult DS in Birmingham, we always make sure we drive home in the afternoon and not the evening. The roads in Birmingham in the evenings are genuinely scary, lots of young lads treating the roads as a race track. Engines have been modified to be really noisy, vehicle lights after dark appear to be optional and red lights are frequently ignored. Cars zig zag from lane to lane to get a zillionth of a second advantage and indicators are never used. I’ve had the misfortune to drive in this horrible environment a couple of times and didn’t see a single police vehicle. However, there are signs that say ‘cruising’ ie racing is banned but these signs don’t make a lot of difference! I don’t think these drivers are going anywhere, this driving around like an arrogant knobhead is their night out. I’ve read that the West Midlands has the highest proportion of uninsured drivers in the country, which does not surprise me one bit.

@Thechaseison71 good for you. I don’t think there’s any point continuing conversing about this. It was over email, not the phone and I don’t know why you think I’d want to hear that. You’ve obviously drawn some very dubious conclusions about me, crack on.

My daughter used to work in A and E in Birmingham and told some awful stories about RTAs.