Safety considerations

[daveallgood]

Bearing in mind that a Minor has none of the safety features of a modern car would it be remiss of me as a parent to allow my inexperienced son to drive one? I'm undecided although I learnt to drive in one and owned nothing else for many years, but driving conditions have changed a lot since then. There's obviously no definitive answer but some other opinions would be helpful.

[MColes]

Well as a young driver I'd say let him, I learnt a lot more about driving after I passed my test and started driving my Minor than I did when learning in a Corsa. You're much more in touch with the outside world when you're driving a Minor than a modern car. I'd say that driving an older car has made me a better driver.

I sometimes wish my friends who are my age had some experience of driving older cars, then maybe they'd have more respect for their vehicles and other road users instead of driving like nutters 'just because they can'.

[ferret76]

I learnt to drive in a Mog many years ago. It certainly taught me the value of maintaining a safe driving distance from the car in front, anticipating the need for braking and driving to road and weather conditions. I also learnt alot about car maintenance. ABS, airbags, power steering etc make for lazy (therefore unsafe) driving I think.

[MColes]

It certainly taught me the value of maintaining a safe driving distance from the car in front

That's what worries me when I'm a passenger in the car with friends my age, I find myself pressing an invisible brake pedal on the passenger side of the car

[chickenjohn]

Whether it is remiss of you to allow your inexperienced son to drive your Minor is a decision only you can make. However, it is not true that the Minor lacks all the safety features of a modern car. This is a type of safety versus risk decision along the lines of do you wrap your kids in cotton wool or do you allow them a certain amount of risk and adventure in their lives. Only you as a parent can decide that.

It does for example (certainly later Minors) come fitted with front seat belts, and if the Minor has passed an MOT then the Government does not consider a Minor to be a "dangerous" car and is considered fit for use on the public road.

Yes, true, the Minor does not come with air bags and passenger safety cells etc etc, but neither do most cheap cars from the mid-late 1990's that the typical teenager might otherwise drive. The Minor is made of thicker steel than most 80's/ 90's cars so makes up, to some extent, for the difference of deliberate safety design by solidity of construction (provided the structure of the Minor is sound or properly repaired, of course!)

Classic cars tend to attract lower insurance premiums for a very good reason- the owners care about their cars much more and maintain them to a far better standard than the owner of the average 1990's Eurobox banger. Therefore a classic is much less likely to have an accident in the first place!

Yes, the brakes aren't as powerful as modern disc brakes, but as the Minor itself is slower then your son is likely to be going a bit slower in the first place! He must be made aware, though that driving a Minor is very different to driving the modern Euro/Jap box he had his driving lessons in. It also depends on his character- if he is a careful, considerate person and driver (the vast majority of Minor owners are) then the car will suit him, if a bit of a "boy racer" then probably not.
Also, the good handling- you can feel what the car is doing, unlike with a modern- of the Minor compared with low grip means he will find the limits in the rain much more easily than in a modern car and will be driving slower under those conditions. If not, then a Minor will not suit him.

The decision is yours, but I hope I have given you a few points to think about!

[MColes]

There was an article in last Saturday's Motoring section in the Telegraph (I managed to get a piece in there about the Young Owner's Registry ) It was titled "why young drivers need old bangers" and was promoting the fact that young drivers should buy Minors, Ford Anlgias and the like.

[dp]

Hmm tricky one this, although it's a different thing, your son could legally be riding a 125cc motorbike solo with a minimum of instruction, no safety equipment and which would be quicker than and as fast a Minor. At the other extreme, he could just never use a car at all and eliminate all risk of accidents in a car. I think that in this spread of extremes, the Minor and the modern would be fairly close together safety-wise. Of course the modern would be a safer bet, driver awareness might well make up the difference.

I heard something once, an engineer designing a car for safety adds seatbelts, airbags and soft fittings. A psychologist adds a spike sticking out of the steering wheel pointing at the driver's head. If your son has the character to accept the invisible spike pointing at his head from a Minor and any other car, it would make a huge difference to his driver safety. If he's a boy racer, as said above, better add in as much in-car safety as possible

[LouiseM]

There was an article in last Saturday's Motoring section in the Telegraph (I managed to get a piece in there about the Young Owner's Registry ) It was titled "why young drivers need old bangers" and was promoting the fact that young drivers should buy Minors, Ford Anlgias and the like.

Here's the article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/cla ... dents.html

Well done Matt

[mike.perry]

I once inspected the remains of a Minor van which had had an arguement with the side of a Land Rover and it was re assuring to see that the engine and gearbox had gone under the van and not into the passenger compartment.

[beero]

Most youngsters will have an accident by showing off and losing control.
Overdoing it in a Minor will be at a much lower speed than a Corsa, so, in my opinion, Minors are just as safe.

[Gaynor H]

I acquired my Minor this year and have been pootling about the Isle of Man with it. The first time I drove it I became instantly aware of the differences between an older car and those on the road today; even the differences from the age of car I learned to drive in (early 80's) and my first car. For me, the experience of driving the Minor was one of greater road awareness, speed reduction, reading the road ahead and consideration of others on the road (even though their consideration could be lacking towards me!).

So, in my opinion, it would good experience for him to drive both modern and a minor....but with a big caveat. You dent it, you pay for it, whichever one you're driving! There speaks wise words from someone who hasn't got kids!!!

[woodiesenfrance]

A decent Minor is a solid safe car, and learning to drive in one is a great experience. You feel the road, you have to work harder than in a modern car and you are much more concerned if anyone hits your precious motor so I reckon you take more care!

[MarkyB]

A Minor will definately make him a better driver and won't encourage him to race his mates, not for long anyway.

Also it will mark him out as an individual, not just someone who follows the crowd.
No bad thing I think.

[hotrodder13]

i agree fully with what markyb said

i was the same i learned in my moggy when it was standard