Hi mate. Your videos have really helped me get a grip of driving progressively to the system prior to doing further training. I only passed my car test in January after being bike-only for years waiting on an Army driving course. Spent a couple of months practicing the system, long observations, planning, balancing the car, eliminating BGO, rev matching etc which made life a lot smoother when I went on to do advanced driver training with the Army with blue lights and exemptions at the end of April-start of May and last week recieved my full membership to IAM. Although, bit of a challange applying system to driving the old Land Rovers when the gear boxes are like stiring a pot of soup!
The EMERGENCY AMBULANCE RESPONSE DRIVER HANDBOOK by the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives has informative chapters on Legal Exemptions and Non-Exemptions. They also use it here in Oz, even though exemptions cover all rules here.
For a civilian I have never understood why the test is to read a number plate. If you can see cars and people and obstructions and objects, what does that have to do with a number plate?
Basic test of visual acuity. 6/6 is the average good level. Human Aspects of Police Driving suggests that many police drivers have 6/4 vision (at 69 I now have that unaided after cataract surgery and now don't need glasses).. Probably 6/12 is the minimum for the UK for car drivers.
It’s because they’re a standardised size. We know that if you can read a UK number plate from 20 metres, you have whatever the equivalent is on the Snellen chart in the opticians. It could be bananas at 5 metres or Road signs at 100, whatever so long as it’s a standard that can be applied anywhere for everybody.
Number plates are handy - bound to be some cars with plates near a government driving test center or on a road when a constable wishes to conduct a test on a driver whom they suspect is driving with defective vision (they have legal authority to carry this out). And so allied to the replies given above, it's simply a convenience thing.
If police officers are waiting that long for a starters driving course then how can they drive police vehicles before then., or are they limited to foot patrols only. In the 60's one took an afternoon for a simple driving assessment and that qualified one to drive certain police cars only ie panda cars or general vehicle ie station car. Not traffic, no white hats.
Driving course refers to using exemptions - basic still an afternoon's assessment then can use on enquiries and local patrol but no blues and twos just as it was back in't day (some forces also allow compliment vehicle stops but no pursuit). Officers can still foot patrol and be passenger seat observer on an response car crew. Once upon a time driving school would teach young officers to drive and gain a license if at present they had never driven before joining - not sure that would happen today?
@@aztimms Following that half day assessment many police officers, which I was eventually went on a standard driving course . The duration was for two weeks. One became classified as class 3 driver. Then if one wanted to go onto traffic proper one would apply and if successful one eventually would go onto a traffic course again for several more weeks and if successful one could drive more powerful traffic patrol vehicles etc and wear a white hat. One could exceed the speed limits to a degree and use both horns and lights to help one make progress and stop vehicle and drivers for various traffic offences. Then if considered suitable after that 2nd driving course, a further advanced course one would be undertaken and one would be further trained for a week or two learning other skills such as pursuit tactics and emergency use of the full speed capacity of whatever vehicle one was driving at the time. The lawful exemptions of speeding , left laneing at bollards and driving through red lights etc. applied only as and when required to be used for policing purposes only. . Those two types of traffic officers mentioned were consider to be class 1 or class 2 drivers.
Does this police or rather emergency services blue light driving course include how to drive one handed, like perhaps a disabled driver would. It appears to happen a lot on you videos. Can you not speak at all without gesticulating with your hand off the wheel. Surely that could be at least considered a bad practice and a fail on any test. .
Any worse than all those police drivers that drove while using their Pye Bernadette/Pocket Phone UHF radio's back in't day - as they aren't cellular phones that wouldn't be illegal even now!
Taking one hand off the wheel isn't bad practice if you aren't making a turn... How do you expect people to change gears. Stop being so boring. This man is one of the best drivers you can find. Very experienced and knowledgeable.
@@OpvectorUK I did day 'could be considered a bad practise' and really if one applies what may be considered as reasonable, ie. such as changing gear, but not changing radio channels. They do in a court case. The taking of one's hand off as he is doing for no apparent reason may not be considered to be reasonable and therefore could be considered to be bad practice and and maybe an offence in law of driving without due care and attention and that may be an offence under S. 3 RTA. .
@rcraven1013 You have no idea, do you? Driving without due care and attention "when your driving falls below the minimum standard expected of a competent and careful driver" Taking one hand off the wheel would not be prosecuted anywhere if all of your other driving skills and abilities are at the minimum or better standard. You would have to prove beyond all resonable doubt that the driving as a whole fell below that standard. Normally, statements, dash cam, cctv of the vehicle in motion, and how it is being driven on a road.
I do not disagree with the first paragraph as regards failing to drive in a reasonable manner etc. but disagree that constantly taking ones hand off the wheel for no reasonable reason such as said changing gear, indicating operating washers etc. can be deemed to be reasonable expected and anticipated as being necessary. The DVSA says that we should at all times drive with our hands on the steering wheel unless operating other necessary controls. Even then to return our hands to the wheel at the soonest possible moment in order to maintain steering control. Waving ones hand for no apparent reason as seen on your video could never be considered to be reasonable and falls well below the standard required of a competent and safe driver. It matters not that all other respects ones driving was without question. For example the same would apply to riders of motorcycles who are seen to ride one handed and with the other hand off the handlebars and being waved in the air and for no apparent reason. That would be looked upon as being unreasonable and dangerous as would a car driver who was continually doing the same thing.
