Experience Points!

[BringOnI2]

Recently a NSW paper was published suggesting car drivers over the age of 80, among other things, be required to display "S" plates (for Senior) not unlike the *L* and *P* plates beginner drivers have.
Personally I think any suggestion they are riskier drivers than anyone else is bogus, and my suggestion is:

Is there a way to put a large numerical display on front of the segway that shows the total hours the segway has been running for? It would be an easy way to tell how experienced someone is, and a good bragging device

[sholloway]

Cool! My newbies on the tour in Asheville would look like pros!! I like it.

[sami]

I have hanged already so many artifacts and accessories on my poor X2, that I am afraid that even an extra match would topple it down... (LOL..)

[gbrandwood]

Perhaps if it could be linked to the mileage done by the rider? Don't quite know how, but like you can reset your trip distance, perhaps it gets reset for every glider? Not too sure about how it would work in practice but with the wireless data floating about, I'm sure it would be technically possible for a sign to pick it up and display it, if Segway INC thought it was worthwhile.

A while ago John Berry had the idea of showing the current key speed so as to prove conformance with any restrictions (i.e. must be on yellow speed, if that was part of any legislation). I know what you're saying is in a different direction, but it was also an interesting idea.

Perhaps we just have a badge with a number of stars, for passing certain proficiency tests? Segway scars might be another way!

[quade]

Originally Posted by BringOnI2

Is there a way to put a large numerical display on front of the segway that shows the total hours the segway has been running for? It would be an easy way to tell how experienced someone is, and a good bragging device

Hmmm . . . operating hours is definitely not the way to go. It would show how "experienced" the Segway is, but not the rider. Same deal with miles.

Further, there's a couple of different types of experience. You can ride a Segway 3000 miles across the country and that's huge (wide variety of terrain and weather conditions), but 3000 miles in your driveway . . . not so much.

Raw numbers such as these rarely give a true indication of anything.

Further still, when the level cap is raised to 80, does that mean all my epics are going to be worthless?

[Macaholic]

Originally Posted by sami

I have hanged already so many artifacts and accessories on my poor X2, that I am afraid that even an extra match would topple it down... (LOL..)

pics of your X2 please
I'm still in planning mode for how to weight mine down

[Desert_Seg]

Since my staff estimates that in the last 3+ years I've done between 16,000 and 17,000 KM (about 10,500 miles) I'd need a real wide sign.

However, I'd say that more miles doesn't equal a better glider (much as it doesn't equal a better driver). It just means that somebody has the opportunity to have more bad gliding habits under their belts!

Steven

[nickyboy]

Riding hours could be logged into the InfoKey. it would mean you need an InfoKey per rider. Much like my car. Using my keyfob to unlock it sets the "memory" positions for me, and likewise for SWMBO. So, your InfoKey would only show your miles.

Having said all that both Steven and Quade are right. Experiance is the key, as well as maintaining the good habits and identifying (and eliminating) the bad ones. Here in the UK we have an organisation called the "Institute of Advanced Motorists". It's designed to make you a better driver or rider. The whole basis is that it is about observation and control. Maybe we need an "Institute of Advanced Gliding".

And funnily enough, this is not far from something I suggested a while back whilst doing some "legislation" work with SUK. In order to assist in getting the legislation I suggested that each dealer carry out some compulsory training with a new rider. Maybe issue a tag or fob to hang on the Seg, just to show you've been trained. More work for dealers, but surely worth it. I admit the systems not perfect, but a whole sight better than nothing, and Government opposition to Segways on safety grounds.

[nickyboy]

Just been thinking about the training issue. As in Scuba Diving, and I'm sure other sports, you would achieve differing levels.

President Bush/Piers Morgan: Blunder Glider
Under training: Learner Glider.
Newly trained: Under Glider
Experianced: Glider Rider
Advanced: Glider Master

Polo standard: Glide Mallet Master
Tour Guides: Glide Tour Master

Dealers: Certified Mad, but in the business because we love it

[KSagal]

I understand the desire to have a better indentifyer for those who can, and those who just think they can, but the amount of miles may not be enough...

Examples:

My mother can drive. She has been doing it for 60+ years, and I am sure she has lots of miles to her credit. She also had a bad neck a few years ago (She lives 3000 miles from me, and while I have visited or she has visited me, I have not witnessed her drive in over a decade) and later told me she could not turn her head. I said that it must be tough not being able to drive, and she told me she still drives... When questioned, about my fear that she may hurt some child just backing out of her driveway, because she could not turn her head, she told me not to worry, because when she got in her car, all the neighborhood kids ran and hid. (This is true, scary but true) We have since taken steps to take her from the road.

My 84 year old neighbor still drives. He is blind in one eye, and nearly deaf, but still drives. My state has no requirement to be retested at any age after you get your liscense, so there are no institutional ways to see what kind of a driver he is. He has taken himself off the road at night, but still drives during the days.

Now, if either of these had issues they overcame when they took their tests, I would have no problem. Lots of people overcome lots of things, and still can drive with no problems.

My sister in law had a severe spinal injury almost 20 years ago, and has been in a wheel chair since. She drives a hand controlled car (and has a unit that just straps into a rental car) and is a fine driver, with what seems to be far greater mobility challenges than the first two. The difference is that she can pass the drivers test with her mods.

I do not see a problem with a multi level system for different kinds of drivers with different kinds of skills. Unfortunately, the only ones who do this is the insurance companies, and it is driven by greed and money, instead of safety. If you run a stop sign, or drive too fast, you have a worse driving score than if you are a nice person who constantly causes accidents and drives too slow or some other problems, but the insurance companies don't care so much... Very unfair.

I believe that the airline or rather the FAA has a slightly better system. You can get a pilot's liscense. Then, with cockpit hours and training, and a signoff by an instructor that says you can do it, and passing a test, you get a better liscense, with more sophisticated ratings for complex planes and multi engines... More time and more tests, and you get commercial liscense. More time and more tests, and you get instructor ratings, etc...

It is a system that works, but there is a heavy overhead. It is really based on safety and the ability to get the job done. If you can prove that you can do it, then you can get the ticket...

I don't know that a segway driver's liscense is the only way to go, but it would offer some advantages, like if you have one that is recognised as valid, and you want to rent a machine at a place that does not know you ....