BBC3 'Barely Legal Drivers'

[MrsJonT]

I've been watching the programme because as a secondary school teacher I've wanted to discuss it with the students. Haven't had the opportunity to yet, but I'm sure it will come up. There is definitely an element of not thinking bad things will happen to them. I often discuss with my students an accident I was in when I was 16, so we often discuss driving. I expect next week when I take Jont's car to work driving will come up in conversation.

I think that there are three main issues with young people and driving.
-they want the fun element
-peer pressure (and for them driving is a social activity)
-not really understanding the risks and the consequences.

I did think about putting in an official complaint about the programme as I think it will promote bad driving as fun for young people. I also think the programme makers should have explained why something is illegal and how should they be driving e.g. giving braking distances, following distances etc. It might seem obvious to us but I think young people need it spelled out to them more than once!

And of course as someone who promotes AD in school I was fuming at this idea of it being a punishment. I hope that the BBC gets taken to task with this!.. Maybe I'll get off my **** and put that complaint in!

[Hiijinx]

However, at the end of the episode she was judged to have learned her lesson, and producers gave her father enough money to buy her a brand new car.

Right, I'm applying - will drive like an ass but show some responsibility by pressing my ear against my shoulder to hold my phone rather than actually have it in my hands, get my car, sell it and use that money to cover my IAM Masters course!

[waremark]

Excellent post from Mrs JonT. If more secondary school teachers discussed road safety with their students in the sort of way she describes I think it could save lives.

I am pretty shocked by the role of the ex-police lady - at least as we are shown it on screen. She should have been talking to the young people in the way Mrs JT suggests. I only watched the first episode, not the second - but how could she not be clearer in condemning bad driving and bad attitudes? I was left the impression (perhaps unfair) that nothing much matters except talking on the phone and drink driving.

[MrsJonT]

Thanks waremark for the positive comments. I also talk on a young drivers course run by our local driving instructors association (at least one of whom is on here!), talking through the realities of being in an accident and the 'it will never happen to me' attitude (the session I attend is on decisions drivers make -mobile phones, inappropriate speed, drinking, seat belts etc).

I am planning my complaint at the moment to the BBC and came across this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/complai ... s_content/

doesn't mention advanced driving as a punishment, so I will add that.

I have to say that I was pleased in the second episode that they breathilised the lad the morning after a night out and he was double the limit. However, a bit of how that would impair his driving would have been helpful. I don't think young people respond to laws, but they will respond to reason (that's the teacher in me!).

[martine]

For those that can access the IAM members forum, there is a great thread here

Including a BBC complaints link and the discovery found on BBC3's own facebook page of them trying to justify the camera crew going through a red light!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...it was a split second health and safety error where the crew made a duty of care call to follow the driver once they checked there were no cars or pedestrians in the vicinity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Duty of Care?

Unbelievable they decided to broadcast blatant law breaking by both the young drivers and their own production staff - I would expect better from the BBC and I really hope the police get involved on both counts...it can't be ignored.

[TripleS]

I have to say that I was pleased in the second episode that they breathilised the lad the morning after a night out and he was double the limit. However, a bit of how that would impair his driving would have been helpful. I don't think young people respond to laws, but they will respond to reason (that's the teacher in me!).

Thank you also, Mrs Jont, for correctly describing the lad as being double the limit, i.e. he scored 70 against the legal limit of 35. He was not, as they often say, two times over the limit.

I'm also often interested to know to what extent (and in what ways) a person's ability to maintain safe driving is jeopardised by being over the DD limit. No doubt it varies with each case, not least by virtue of a driver's inherent driving capability when in an alcohol-free state.

[TripleS]

For those that can access the IAM members forum, there is a great thread here

Including a BBC complaints link and the discovery found on BBC3's own facebook page of them trying to justify the camera crew going through a red light!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...it was a split second health and safety error where the crew made a duty of care call to follow the driver once they checked there were no cars or pedestrians in the vicinity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Duty of Care?

Unbelievable they decided to broadcast blatant law breaking by both the young drivers and their own production staff - I would expect better from the BBC and I really hope the police get involved on both counts...it can't be ignored.

The ex-Traffic Officer noted it, and the other instances, but seemed less agitated about it. In my view it could well be left alone.

[MrsJonT]

Thank you also, Mrs Jont, for correctly describing the lad as being double the limit, i.e. he scored 70 against the legal limit of 35. He was not, as they often say, two times over the limit.

I am a Maths teacher

I'm also often interested to know to what extent (and in what ways) a person's ability to maintain safe driving is jeopardised by being over the DD limit. No doubt it varies with each case, not least by virtue of a driver's inherent driving capability when in an alcohol-free state

Yes, I'm sure it will vary from person to person. From what I understand the DD limit was decided because that was where statistics showed more accidents happening (but I'm not a statistician and I may be wrong on that). There is lots of stuff all over the web about drink-driving (but some with it's own agenda!), which states things like eye to brain processing being slower. I read somewhere about some pilots who in a study after the alcohol had left their bodies were still not able to perform some of their tasks (in a simulator). Of course driving whilst talking on a mobile phone can be worse than DD too.

[fungus]

Not only drink diving, but driving whilst under the influence of drugs, legal or not. This is a problem that has been on the increase over the last couple of decades.

As a headache sufferer, I know only too well the effects of some analgesics, and I certainly wouldn't drive after taking them. The effects can remain well into the next day with some tablets. In fact, the effect of some drugs can still be present after 72 hours, and IIAC, it is possible to have flash backs up to three months after taking some hallucinogenic mushrooms such as the Magic Mushroom, Psilicybe Semilanceata.

PS. No I have not tried them.