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I find it ironic that mainly due to insurance reasons young drivers are forced to drive round tin boxes like the 106, AX, Metro etc. All these cars have a high death point score on HJ's used car breakdowns yet are likely to be driven by 18 year olds with no experience.
Does anybody else think there is something wrong here? Hopefully as time passes these old superminis will mostly be scrapped and modern ones (which are safe) will become the bangers.
What are you thoughts?
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My thoughts Rattle just before i toddle off to bed, are that the modern superminis wont become bangers cos like the bigger stuff they are getting too laden down with electronics and will probably be recycled bean tins before they reach bangeration.
I take your point though, but i still agree with my mate's philosophy, remove the drivers airbag from cars and replace with a bayonet...result, impeccable driving.
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I agree :) but my cousin walked away from an accident which was not his fault simple because his airbag saved his life or at least severe brain damage. I must admit there are so many cars like mine (11 year old Fiesta) that still look like new on the outside, there must be some built in time bomb otherwise modern cars would just last for ever.
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see your point. but when they cause the accident they come off worse., which sounds fair enough,
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It is not always their fault though. You can crash through no fault of your own purely through lack of experience as you don't know how to avoid other drivers mistakes. Being rambed into the back is probably a classic example of this.
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This thread reminded me that, like many young drivers, I too crashed my first car and remain thankful that they were perhaps a bit stronger in those days.
My Ford Anglia 105E was written off when I hit a large pig on a wet and rainy night whilst driving into Datchet . The press cutting read ...?after a head-on collision with the car, the pig received injuries which proved fatal?. The farmer was fined 5 Shillings under an 1835 law (for 'allowing a pig to stray on the highway'). Fortunately I was wearing a seat belt in the days before they became compulsory. The pig was last seen being guarded by a gentleman in blue, while my poor car was carted away.
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So the seat belt saved your bacon by the sounds of it.
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I find it ironic that mainly due to insurance reasons young drivers are forced to drive round tin boxes like the 106 AX Metro etc
No we're not. ;-)
Freedom of choice goes both ways.
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Insurance quotes will be based on risk assessments by actuaries, and hence statistically an 18 year old will be safer in a Micra than a Rover 600. It's simply that the Micra being low power will limit the antics of the more enthusiastic drivers. But, you make a good point. Ideally an 18 year old should be driving something underpowered, but with good crash protection, which rules out the Metro and similar cars.
To be honest I don't think the majority of 18 year olds need a car, and it is a luxury most can forego to everyones benefit. (They save money, and the few that are likely to crash will not do so.)
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A friend of mine comes from a family of farmers. When he and his two brothers passed their tests, they were given old Volvo 240s to drive. Their parents attitude was: they might as well be in something safe when (not if) they have a crash.
That was 18+ years ago though, dont know what premiums would be like for a 17 y.o. in something similar today?
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Are there any metros and AX's left!!
I agree though - my first car was a very old rusty micra - I dread to think what would have happened in an accident (my fault or not). Most cars struggle to see their 10th birthday now and therefore arent rotten out, still reliable and probably only need new brake disks to see them to the crusher.
Most new drivers I know get a car on HP now so drive around in clios, corsas, fiestas etc that are probably as safe as anything and cheaper to insure than a banger!
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Most new drivers I know get a car on HP now so drive around in clios, corsas, fiestas etc that are probably as safe as anything and cheaper to insure than a banger!
This is what I did with my first car... Apart from the 2 star NCAP rating I've not done too bad... Not driven into anything except for the bins once (with Police Squad theme playing in my head)
Covered in dents and dings (as per mentioning in the other thread) but I've still got a reliable car now that I'm a more... sensible driver.
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