Quote:

My God! They actually ask you Scots to demonstrate that you know how to drive in order to get a license!



We aren't talking about the normal driving test here. This is the Institute of Advanced Motorists training and test. They base their training on the Roadcraft driving system, as tought to police drivers here in the UK.

Roadcraft emphasises things like looking out for signs that there might be a hazard coming up, not using the gears to slow down, only changing gear when you have finished breaking etc

Quote:

I wonder what the statistics are on number of traffic deaths per 100,000 miles are, comparing U.S. to Britain or Scotland? Probably an apples and oragnes comparison, though, given differences in roads, speed limits, and vehicles. Nonetheless, the idea of actually driving someplace surrounded by competent drivers is intriguing.



The death rate per 100,000 miles is lower in the UK than in the US. The UK has one of the lowest death rates per miles covered, compared to other countries.

There are still plenty of lousy drivers on the roads though, even though the driving is noticably better than the driving I saw in the US (I couldn't get over the number of single vehicle accidents we saw happen on the freeways around Seattle in just three weeks).

The worst driving that I have seen so far was in Spain. I couldn't cope with the idea that people were sounding their horns at me when I stopped for red lights or because there were pedestrians in the road...
_________________________
Remind me to change my signature to something more interesting someday