Careful who you run in to.
 

You know how the driving standard in the UK is based on everyone passing a prescribed driving test and having to reach a standard in that test.
Well, I thought I'd investigate further considering the prang I had on my bike last year.
Now then I hope you boys and girls out there are sitting down because this came as a bit of a shock to me.

I was under the impression that certain countries (I presumed commonwealth like NZ, OZ, Canada) could exchange a full licence of the same catagory with a temporary full UK licence of the same. After one year you have to take a UK test. In the mean time you are allowed to drive without instruction from a full UK licence holder.

Not so... Here's an answer from the DSA.

"Thank you for your e-mail of 3 February 2006.
I can confirm that if you hold a full car, motorcycle or moped licence in Zimbabwe you can exchange it for a full British driving licence. To do this you will need to complete a D1 form, which you can obtain from DVLA offices or the Post Office.
You will not have to sit any further tests to obtain your full British licence if you are exchanging your Zimbabwean licence for one of the categories of vehicle mentioned above.

Now then, I've worked in some of these countries, 5 on the African continent and several other 3rd world countries around the globe and one thing they have in common is, if you need a licence it is easy to get one if you are put in to contact with the 'person who knows' and the right amount of inducement is offered. No test necessary!

So, persons immigrating to the UK 'collect' a full licence and then come to the UK and exchange it without needing to take a UK driving test, and are fully entitled to drive on UK roads within the constraints of the licence catagory.

So, the next time you see outrageous driving or complete indifference to normally excepted driving ettiquette it may well be that the driver hasn't even taken a test and is still legally allowed to drive on our roads.

In my prang I was told by the traffic officer I need to take account of drivers of less ability. I wished I'd known what I know now, because that would have been the question I'd fired back at him.

And this govt. are sooo hot on road safety!!! :mad::

Ains. Absolutely bloody fuming :flame:

Can't speak for any other country but I exchanged my full Aus driving license for a UK one and they removed my entitlement to drive a non-articulated truck (lorry for you guys).

I was pished off but they said I would need to attend a school or something and then pass a test to keep it. It didn't mean THAT much to me.

S'pose they think damage limitation with an HGV over here. Those road trains are summat else though, amazing bits of kit. Saw a 5 tanker version pulling up in Dampier a few years back. It would've taken you 5 minutes to walk round it!

NZ, OZ, Canada etc have a hight standard driving test. Some of the less democratic commonwealth countries certainly do not.

Does it also mean you could go on holiday to say Zimbabwe, collect a licence to drive a motocycle and then come back and exchange it for a full UK version :puzzled:

Ains.

Yeah I guess so, it doesn't make sense to me. :puzzled:

Check out my mood Ains, never a truer word has been spoken!! Billy Corgan is an inspired, if slightly strange, individual!!!

As far as I'm aware, any country that issues an international coding photocard licence (perhaps RH drive only) falls in this category. I swapped my SA one for a UK one. Sadly, they removed my equivalent of A1 bike licence, so had to start all over again.....

Anyone know any different about this???

There is a similar arrangement between Senegal & France: One simply buys whatever licence needed in Senegal, and then request French licence on 'return' to Europe: Some of the driving in southern French cities is all the proof needed!

Following on from that, PB, your person can then come to the UK and drive on their French license, as its an E.C. license and we are a member of the E.C., as long as they want and legally. No requirement to take another British driving test or change it for a UK license........! :mad:

moley:rodent:

Makes a mockery out of the system and a lottery out of us on bikes. I'm not going to give up bikes but I'm going to be damn sure I don't go near certain areas where I know I am likely to be more at risk. That's about as politically correct as I can say it. Dunno why I should be bothered about that though.

Ains.

No so sure I'd be worried about his when you hear about the numbers who don't bother with a licence of any sort, not to mention, tax, insurance and MOT.


Cameras can't catch drivers who don't have any of the above unless they are unlucky enough to go past an ANPR camera with the attendant PD mobiles.

The govt have a big fixation on speeding and don't really give a monkeys about all the other mobile offenders on the roads, too difficult to catch unless you put some more officers on the road and that costs money.

Swap some cameras for some PD highway patrollers whose sole task it is to advise or nick the dodge pots that populate our roads, might even reduce the accident rates.

Ray.

But, as we all know, the law abiding middle classes are a large and docile target: 5mph over an arbitrary & often irrelevant speed limit and you receive 3 points & a fine - without the misdemeanor having ever passed infront of a human eye!

The yawning chasm between the law .............. how it upheld (or not...) ............... and actual justice.

Must stop, this will get me back on my soap box....... :flame:

And, of course very few will now stand up in court against Tony B.Liar and his system because it will most likely mean more points and a heavier fine for daring to point out any inconsistency, fault, or worse in the allegation!

so much for innocent until proven guilty..........much more a case of decidedly guilty unless you're a chief constable, government minister or similarly 'above the law' individual!

:flame:

And, .......

No, no, I'll stop now ...... I'm off to calm down :burn:

Oh, and the daft French government are busy praising the UK 'solution' to the society threatening ills of speeding as the solution to be adopted in France (ie the proliferation of speed cameras).

And, to my dismay the French are lying down and taking it ............ well, like Englishmen......

off to get my hard hat, then I'm definately out of here.........

:burn::burn:

[Edited on 10-2-2006 by PB]

Hi Ains

Further to our e-mails, (and with apologies if I misled regarding Zimbabwe):

Having looked further into the vagaries of the UK licensing system, it seems that licence holders from certain 'designated' countries (as well as most of those in the EU) are offered a straight licence swap.

In general, most of the African countries are excluded, but for some reason Zimbabweans are looked upon favourably!

Others 'designated' and so favoured include:

Australia, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Faulkland Islands, Hong Kong, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Singapore, South Africa and Switzerland.

With regard to your accident:
The fact that a Zimbabwean was involved as the third party (and was quite possibly driving on UK roads having had little or no further training) may go some way to explaining its true cause.

Ray makes a good point too. As you know, I'm a driving instructor, and I can say from experience that quite a large percentage of those who come to me for 'beginner's' lessons, are already driving illegally, and are fully capable of handling the car. In fact, some of them (mainly the boys) have been driving some kind of vehicle since they were twelve years old. By the time they're seventeen, they're practically 'old hands' and adept at every manoeuvre including handbrake turns! Moreover, even with those who generally obey the law, after passing their test the high cost of insurance means they are unable to get cover. These, (the boys again, of course), just drive illegally.

So, just be careful out there. It's a jungle..!

Er........have to disagree. I or others like me are persecuting yes persecuting all and sundry with no Ins, vel etc, plus everything else that comes at the same time, regardless of who or where you are from!

Ains, i understand your frustrations, but two wrongs dont necessarily make a right!

Andyb, Yup, I’m pretty frustrated, not too sure what you mean by two rights/wrong ;) but what ticks me off more about it is, on the one hand we are being told the authorities/govt. are serious about road safety.
Then on the other, we find that the citizens of certain countries; countries with absolutely appalling records of corruption, are allowed to circumvent the very basis of the safety of our roads; that being every road user must take and pass a standardised UK driving test.

I'm surprised MCN or the other mags haven't picked up on it.
Sorry for going on people. :rolleye:

I'll get mi coat. ;)

Ains.

Don't worry Ains....It's what us old people do :D:D

friend of mine from the US had to do a test within one year of arriving,

"not too sure what you mean by two rights/wrong"

I take it you were prosecuted regarding the traffic light incident?.....so your a bit psshed at other goings on.........:puzzled:

"not too sure what you mean by two rights/wrong"

I take it you were prosecuted regarding the traffic light incident?.....so your a bit psshed at other goings on.........:puzzled:

No, I wasn't; I was put on a driver improvement course. There was one witness in a car who said I left the lights too early and fast, but I waited until they were green and hit the car at about 20mph (on an 888SP4S, after 40m that is not fast I can tell you). I was knocked out for 3 1/2 hours and can't remember much at all.
Consequence of this was the Police went with the witness but said driver improvement for you matey, then said I might not learn very much from it. :puzzled:
Meanwhile the other driver gets a blame free card and continues on, thinking that she can drive through traffic lights and turn right up to 8 seconds after she lost priority and get away with it. Next time I hope she does it to a 44 tonne HGV and not a bike.
I've proved to myself through vid's of the lights and driving through at her speed to see how far back she would have been, and I'm happy that I was not fully to blame. So that is good enough for me.
I do feel I was the easy target; apparently there has to be a party that the blame must be pinned on for RTC's regardless of circumstances.

All I want now is my bike back in one bit. ;)

Ains.