I never learned to drive. When I was about four or five I was taken for a ride on the dodgems at the local fair by a very keen and determined to get his money’s worth family member. The lights and screams and shouts and jolts and swerves and crashes put me off it for life. I still hate getting into a car, even now.
I like driving and it's an essential skill round here with no public transport. No shops in walking or cycling distance either. Generally speaking, driving standards aren't too bad here but I've seen some crackers doing daft things and OH had one of our cars re-arranged and condemned when he was in a queue coming off a motorway and a car transporter was looking at his phone instead of looking in front and pranged him with enough force to wipe out the 2 cars in front too. When we first moved here there was a lot of publicity about youthful deaths on the roads so more and more roundabouts are being installed in place of lights or just priority junctions and they parked totalled cars on them with signs warning abiut the dangers of driving under the influence or alcohol, drugs and mobiles. I haven't seen any unattached children or over cramming either, tho there was plenty in Belgium when Possum was little. They're getting a bit better now and the Flemish Belgian, like the Dutch, are really quite strict about speed limits now. Not so much the Walloons.
Have just read that two young men have had their cars and licenses confiscated for doing double the legal limit of 110 kph on a dual carriageway in the Vendée. 3 yrs with no license, 6 points on them when they do get them back and fines of 1500€. Seems light to me in terms of fine.
Always makes me laugh when courts impose driving bans or take away licences of those that break the law. Do they care? Most were not driving legally anyway, or the vehicle was stolen. Those kinds of penalties only hurt the law abiding, like most of the stupid penalties courts hand out these days. We have kids on motorbikes hurting around the streets and on green spaces, what do they do, they confiscate the bikes, they steal another one the next day are are back at it before the end of the day.
When I was little my uncle worked on a local farm and I spent most of my time with him and used to be driving tractors and the land rover on the roads in the small town from about the age of 10, this was around 55 years ago
Banning drivers makes no difference to many, judging by the number of repeat offenders. There was a case recently where a driver left court after being banned, got straight back into their car, and was nicked again by the police officers leaving court after giving evidence.
In France, if you're caught driving whilst banned you can go to prison for 2 years and receive a fine of 4500€. Dunno how often they're caught tho. We were stopped last year in a routine license and vehicle ownership check.
I always think it's stupid when people are vastly over the 12 point limit but are let off because they have to drive for a living. The fact they have so many penalty points should tell the courts they aren't safe to drive at all.
Strange thing is that after all these years I still go back to the farm every summer and drive the combine
We always carry our ID card, driving licence, carte vitalité (access to health care) and at least 10€ @shiney as well as a bank card. Never know when they'll be needed.
Here's a goody. Possum tells me Kim Whatshisface in North Korea has passed a new law banning suicide. The penalty for anyone trying and failing is to be executed. Maybe this should go on the joke thread.
