i believe motorists up the age of 25 should have their engine size restricted, inline with motorcyclists.
this would open up a new market for the car industry, just because the engines small, it doesnt have to look good, the idea being to keep immature drivers off the roads and hopefully save lives
Whilst in theory it should work in practice it doesn't
I spent years doing research into speed, engine size, training etc. One of the largest groups of casualties on the roads are moped riders whom have their vehicles restricted to 30mph and aren't allowed to take passengers until they have passed their tests.
The next biggest group for accidents are mature motorcycle riders (so called born again) who are in their 40's & 50 and return to motorcycling as they get more affluent in their later years.
Education doesn't have much of impact as many people whom take "speed awareness" courses then go to resume speeding within a very short timescale of taking the course.
Speed enforcement devices (e..g. Gatso) also do very little to curb overall driving behaviour apart from accident black spots.
The only means to reduce accidents and speed is to employ telematic devices which record speed, braking and cornering forces and then impose insurance levies or directly report breaches to the Police authorities.
sospan as far a the born again bikers are concerned i agree with you there.
back in the 70s you could buy and ride a 200cc bike, the test comprised of going round the test route and somewhere the examiner would jump out to check your emergency stop was under control, bingo youd passed your test.
different skills involved,so if not used should be taken off the licence and if they decide they want to ride again, they retake the test.
mopeds....riders believe it or not do under take a period of training, which they have to pass before 1 they can put L plates up 2 ride on the
Well aware of the CBT - I used to teach it and also motorcycling at Hendon for the Met, Thames Valley. I have a class 1 for both cars and bikes.
You have will have also seen a number of the speed awareness films and Police stop series I was involved in during the late 80's early 90s
I also used to write for MCN and Autoexpress, I also used to test at the TRRL and the BSI.
As a strange coincidence I used to work with the Snell foundation on the prevention of Head injuries for cyclists, motorcyclists and horse riders.
Believe me I have so much practical and research experience into the subject of road safety, driver training and education, restricting engine size is not the answer.
And before you say I quit from this - I was side swiped into the crash barrier of the M4 on my job bike and because of the injuries couldn't continue
I'd agree with Sospan quite apart from anything else even quite small engined cars can reach high and potentially dangerous speeds.
There is a possible tech fix to the dangers on the road, in that automnous cars in some shape or form are coming.
restrict the cc restrict the speed.
as i said to lcd already got the technology............truck drivers have been using it for years.............its called a govenor which restricts the lorries speed.
no just reduce the cc............read what i said lcd
even the cheapest and smallest of cars will manage or get close to, 100mph because of the way power and resistance scales, think of older cars like 2CV that can reach Motorway speeds, with tiny incredibly low powered engines.
30mph can be way too fast, depending on the situation, I think that autonomous car is the key really since modern cars are so much safer than they used to be, but the system behind the wheel is far from perfect.
Agree with the previous comments. It seems to make sense. But in practice I doubt it would do much good. What would be better in my opinion is for cars to have automatic speed restrictors like some lorries do. Speeding motorists are a real menace as their speeds mean they might also make poor judgments (eg stopping or slowing down in good time, overtaking where dangerous to do so etc). Anyone who needed to use higher speeds (for going abroad) would have to apply to be unrestricted. This would also put an end to 'boy racers'.
It would be easy to restrict the appropriate classes of vehicles to 70 which is the highest limit in the UK. However, the biggest problem is speed which is inappropriate for the location, time or weather. A car that is limited to 70 could still drive at it is maximum speed past a school at going home time.
What we need is greater use of telematics which will report inappropriate speed based on geographic information - i.e. reporting drivers whom exceed a 30 mph limit or even drive erratically within the speed limit.
Obviously then repeat offenders will be taken off the road by a combination of points and increased insurance costs.
Linking telematics to a driving licence and car databases will also eliminate uninsured, non mot'd and non taxed cars. If you are banned or your car is illegal the telematics should disable the ignition system.
All this isn't difficult and is well within the capability of current technology. The only thing that stops its implementation at the moment is public opinion.
One of the things, we used to say at the end of road safety lectures was - "how safe would the roads be, if we removed air bags and replaced them with spikes"
lcd its called a govenor, it restricts you from going above a certain speed and by reducing the cc of the vehicle youre doing the same thing.
you mention boy racers, so you did pick up on a point i was trying to make, you would graduate as you do as a motorcyclist until the age of 25 when you get your full driving licence...............sospan will not agrre with this, but people have been saved, hes learnt to drive safetly and his and our insurance is going down.
the idea sospan is restricted cc thereby restricting speed. so for a 17 year old it would be like a 125 closed in scooter max speed 30mph.
at the end of the day its got to be worth a go stop not only young drivers being killed or seriously injured but members of the public and children simply walking along the road.
Size of engine does not make a difference, neither does restricting overall speed. To make any relevance the speed would have to be below 20 mph.
Restricting speeds below the maximum speed limit for a road is also inherently dangerous for both the people in the restricted vehicle and other road users.
If a young person is hell bent on driving like a lunatic he/she has the capability to cause death or serious damage at 30 MPH. But also, attempting to join fast flowing traffic with an underpowered engine can be hazardous so in my view power isn't the issue.
As mentioned already, the only solution to irresponsible driving is telematic technology and severe penalties.
anyone remember the invalid cars of 60s /70s
They sort of exist already, in quadricycles particle electric ones, most common being the Renault Twizy, but they are quite limiting they also are not legally a car.
The problem with these sort of things is they have most of the hassle of a car, but are limited in range and speed.
Lots of young would be drivers in cities don't bother since largely a car isn't of interest. For kids out in the sticks the range and lack of speed too safely drive on big A roads isn't there. A Car people will expect to be travelling at car speeds, not tractor speeds.
at last thats the idea, they graduate gradually instead of some some 20 year old prat driving his dad beemer at 90mph in a 30mph zone on a wet road and loses control............leave the picture to your imagination.....
dont care how its done but it needs to be done
What kids want is freedom to travel, a car that can't reach motorway speeds would be of little use.
While youngsters do have higher risks is it at high motorway speeds or as I suspect inappropriate speed i.e. 50 in a 30 zone etc
roger this this is the problem with kids today i want i want i want i want. its time they were told youll have to wait wait wait wait wait until youre competent enough to drive a mans car
I used to drive a reliant 3 wheeler on a bike licence which could touch 80
I was one of the very few who took driving lessons in a 4 wheeler before getting a reliant it amazed me how many 17 yr old lads passed their bike test and bought a three wheeler with no car driving experience and turned them over
What does it feel like to you?
does anyone have a maddening cupboard?
TBI brain Bank does exisit 
Does dizziness eventually disappear for good
