General Chat

All this has made me dig out my licence to take another look at it.

It was renewed more than a year ago for a photo licence and I have on mine

AM. A. B1. B. BE. and in small letters fklnpq

Funnily enough in front of the dates alongside B, BE and the small letters is the sign < which, quite rightly, indicates that I held the licence before the date shown. Wonder why they simply did not enter the date on which I passed my test? Was the computer unable to operate to this instruction I wonder?

You were quite lucky to keep the entitlement to a full size bike on yr driving licence. After the introduction of the EU format driving licence DVLC destroyed all the old archived paperwork AND some sort of "bug" removed bike license entitlements. Many of those affected did not realise 'cos they hadn't ridden ab bike for years and thought they never would.

Then for one reason and another they decided they did want to ride a proper bike and found that the entitlement had vanished. DVLC's only response has been that they would restore the entitlement on production of the test pass certificate ( who keeps them ? ) otherwise retest.

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2009/december/dec0809-mcn-ends-lost-licence-chaos/

Precisely, IGP

I didn't know about that bit Rollo, edited

on mine,

AM,A,B1,B,BE,f,k,i,n,p,k

my green(previous to photocard) licence says A,D,E

my red book licence showed Group 7, 11, 12,

then from 4/970..........1a 1b 2,3,7,11,12,13

then from '71......a.b.c,e,f,k,L

I passed my bike test a couple of weeks after my 16th birthday, nearly 50 years ago, which today entitles me to drive a motor bicycle of any power without restriction.

My entire lifetime motor bike experience consists of driving a 125cc Vespa Scooter which I owned for around 18 months.

Scary or what.....!

My brother drives a car, drives a local community bus and rides a motorbike, actually, he's one of the branch leaders of the Moto Guzzi club.
Over two years, he had both his knees replaced with metal. One of these knees joins the titanium plate he 'acquired' through 2 ' accidents' he had, on the same bit of local SERVICE ROAD (max speed 30 mph) - where cars came off the main road at speed and didn't 'notice' him. He's not a small chap. Moto Guzzi's are rather bigger than a child's scooter - but, apparently, he wasn't seen.......

He's now an 'elderly' driver (65), but has his eyes tested every year, and, as he drives a community bus, regularly has a full medical. He is very happy with having to do that.
He would give up driving like a shot if he was deemed unfit, as he's fully aware of the danger he could pose to others.

I used to have a triumph speedtwin and often hanker after lost youth........a colleague(retired) of mine turned up last Saturday,on a modern Bonneville ,I sat on it and was amazed at how scared I might be to ride it, main thing, If I "dropped it",
I'd never be able to pick it up..........

I know many young riders are limited to what power of bike they can ride
but what annoys me is, they ride on the crown of the road so no one can pass them..............

Bob

my Dad had a small motorbike - it was his passport to every A & E Department in the vicinity - fractured skull and broken legs :-D

It's the figures for injuries in the bus and coach industry, Claire. Seems right to me.

Good idea Bobtanian.

My Dad rode his bike on the roads until three months before he died. His brother also had a bike. I'll admit I have not been on mine for about five years and even then it was on the old tracks and bridle paths. (I am getting on a bit though - years beyond retirement age. Also I don't live in a village like uncle did.)

I've always enjoyed a bike though, from a very young age.

Just thinking ..... might dust it down and give it a go. Nah! Next summer maybe.

I too dispute the figures given by the BBC, who to be fair, are usually reliable.

According to the government, there were 194,477 casualties in the year 2014 and they admit that the figures given are lower than the actual.

Given that in some cases there numerous people injured but also in the majority of incidents, no one is hurt, I would say that there were a lot more road accidents than the BBC report.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/438040/reported-road-casualties-in-great-britain-main-results-2014-release.pdf

I think that everyone should have two wheeled driving experience........
for one it would offer consideration for different road/ weather conditions, awareness of how many drivers perceive two wheelers......

*Guinevere - that article is a little biased to say the least*

I don't think so, the BBC didn't grasp figures from fresh air.

Plus they talked to organisations in a position to know more than your average person on a forum.

I was 34 when I passed my driving test

Well what about 27 ? Surely if you haven't learned to drive by then you never will. How many old fogeys go in for street racing?

http://goo.gl/fLsKmy

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2013

Guinevere - that article is a little biased to say the least.

The statistics aren't exactly realistic either - of course statistically fewer motorists aged over 70 are involved in accidents because, amongst a number of other things, they drive less.

It would be interesting and more meaningful to see figures showing an accident/mile ratio.

Also, my implication is not that older drivers are necessarily involved in more accidents. Of course, there are probably no meaningful statistics concerning accidents caused by third parties who may have carried on travelling away from the scene.

When you are 23 and going "a but quickly" ?

MOTORISTS were caught in heavy delays on Thursday morning after a crash closed Matchams Lane. Traffic was particularly heavy on the A338 and A31, with Matchams Lane closed at Hurn Road and Boundary Lane. Police were called to the collision outside Avon Castle Drive just after 7.10am.

The collision caused a lot of debris and broken glass on the road. A white Volkswagen Transporter van and a silver Hyundai coupé both suffered damage. They had to be recovered from the scene.

Hyundai driver, Dan Noble, 23, who lives in the area, said: "I just came around the corner a bit quickly".

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said traffic was at a standstill at Ashley Heath, with queues back to Ringwood on the A31.

Interesting article from the BBC -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-34453910

I am what some might class as "Elderly"
today I joined a roundabout and slotted in behind a small(ish) car that was still indicating right, and it then veered left, and seemingly, as an after thought, then indicated left , however after straightening up, and 50 yds further on, she then indicated right to turn into Sainsburys, although by now she was in a dedicated right turn lane..........
indicate BEFORE you turn left, missis......
yeah mirror signal manoeuvre was'nt in HER vocabulary...takes all sorts, as you say....

You're right there, Errol.