Crackdown on Prov License Drivers - Will it stick?

[Sammee]

Why not, if you've paid for the car, paid for tax, insurance & petrol. Why doesnt it give you the right to drive it? (taking into account that lessons have been taking & theory test passed etc)

I have read a book about heart surgery, and now I have my own knife, mask, gloves, and little dressing gowny thingy......lie down whilst I open you up.........

 

[z103]

- Custer's last stand
- Margaret Thatcher and the Poll tax
- Hitler and Stalingrad
- Tony Blair and the gulf war

All bad decisions, but the leaders stuck by their decision.
This shows good leadership.

Dempsey's doing a U-turn
[broken link removed]

 

[Mely]

I have read a book about heart surgery, and now I have my own knife, mask, gloves, and little dressing gowny thingy......lie down whilst I open you up.........

oh but you have to pass your theory first & stand in on a few operations lol

 

[Slaphead]

I have read a book about heart surgery, and now I have my own knife, mask, gloves, and little dressing gowny thingy......lie down whilst I open you up.........

To liken driving a car to feckin cardiac surgery is a bit rich. The holier than though attitude of some ppl continues.

 

[Mely]

Just heard on the Radio an elderly man in his late 60's has to get up at 6am in the morning, just so he can be in 2 cars so his children can drive to work. Isnt that just awful.

Those people could have been driving for months waiting for there test dates & may have been driving perfect all this time.

Does anyone feel that all L plate drivers are been put down & there is not much trust in us as drivers. I'm driving only a few months & not once have i caused any harm or obstruction to anyone. Abiding all the rules of the road except for having an experienced driver in the car. But i have no one.

 

[redchariot]

I know that there are plenty of good L-drivers out there, but there is no way to separate them from the inexperienced and/or bad ones. So unfortunately until you pass your test, you are going to have to be all tarred with the same brush and persumed to have not reached the required standard until you have proven otherwise by passing the test.

Do you not think it would be better to assume that all L-drivers are not to the required standard and enforce these rules and good drivers get caught up in this rather than assuming that they are probably fine because they have a provisional licence for 2 years and letting some poor drivers loose on the roads.

I know that there are plenty of qualified drivers out there who are not exactly perfect either, but the bottom line is that they have proven at some point or other that they have the minimum level of competency to drive on their own

 

[redchariot]

I couldn't agree more with Snakebite - what an idiotic post from redchariot!

Don't know how you could say that I am being idiotic. I am just stating the obvious and and how it should and is going to be. The L-drivers in this country have been getting away with breaking the law for too long. It is about time it was put to a stop.

It is not like this came totally out of the blue, it has been talked about by the Road Safety Authority for at least the last year and it was only a matter of time before it came into play.

 

[Mely]

The L-drivers in this country have been getting away with breaking the law for too long. It is about time it was put to a stop

As a Learner Driver I find this very insulting. I think alot of so called experienced drivers need also look at there own rule breaking.
I find because i have an L plate on my car alot of people seem to take advantage of that.
Only last week I was entering the roundabout because i had right of way & no one was coming from my right, i was half way around & cars waiting to enter could see me clearly. I was indicating correctly & in my correct lane & all of a sudden a big lorry pulled out in front from the left. He just looked straight at me & smiled & blew me a kiss. I was absolutely fuming, i had to stop just in time before i would have crashed into him, i just hope that the car behind me didnt think it was my fault. No one beeped behind so hopefully they saw this maniac.

Another time a truck broke down at the entrance to a roundabout. There was no hazzard warning lights on. & the driver was nowhere to be seen. I was turning left. I couldnt see the oncoming traffic from the right, so i was waiting as you would until they moved off. It was only for a guy the in right lane beeped at me to let me go in front of him in order to go around the truck & go left on the roundabout.

 

[shanegl]

What's insulting about it? You are knowingly breaking the law.

 

[Diziet]

As a Learner Driver I find this very insulting. I think alot of so called experienced drivers need also look at there own rule breaking.
I find because i have an L plate on my car alot of people seem to take advantage of that.

Oh come on, you are an unqualified driver. Your driving ability, and that of all learner drivers, is completely unproven. That's what tests are for, and the fact that a test takes a while to arrange is no excuse to let anyone with a provisional license go out driving by themselves. The fact that there are examples of poor driving does not makes you a qualified driver I am afraid.

The numbers unfortunately show that inexperienced drivers have a lot of accidents.

 

[Mely]

What's insulting about it? You are knowingly breaking the law.

I dont think sensible people like myself or others are a concern because we drive alone, and dont think we ever have been. i think its the younger people who are driving the pimp my ride type cars with loud music with there pink playboy dice & covers or those drink drivers.

I have never said that i was a qualified driver, by god i'm only driving 3 months, but i certainly seem more qualified with the experience i have had so far compared to alot of drivers that are supposed to be qualified & making the right decisions on the road. I had 20 lessons before i even set foot in my own car & then had more lessons in my first car. If i'm forking out 30 euros an hour to an instructor, i'm depending on there judgement also & surely they would make the decision if your ready or not to drive on the roads. You only learn & experience more when your out & about in the car.

Sensible L Plate drivers are not the cause of the problem here, we may be breaking the law by driving alone but were not the cause of accidents or cause of obstructions.

 

[rmelly]

Does anyone the current status of this? From listening to news reports I have heard that there would be discretion, then there wouldn't be, that there would be a few months delay in implementing it, then this seems to have disappeared.

I'm also concerned that the suggestion seems to be that the Gardai will treat 2nd provisional drivers the same as 1st and 3rd...As far as I can see they currently make no attempt to detect (and prosecute) any unaccompanied provisional drivers - will this continue? Are the responses from the Garda Siochana basically a fob off to the RSA? I heard on one radio report that prosecutions for driving unaccompanied on provisional licence is not in the top 4000 offences before the District court. Will it remain so?

 

[rmelly]

i certainly seem more qualified with the experience i have had so far compared to alot of drivers

Out of curiosity, what makes you think you are qualified to make judgment on your own driving skills or skills of other road users?

Are you a driving instructor or tester? Have you sat and passed a driving test?

not the cause of accidents or cause of obstructions.

I'd be interested in seeing the statistics that you base this assertion on.

 

[Slaphead]

Out of curiosity, what makes you think you are qualified to make judgment on your own driving skills or skills of other road users?

My brother passed his driving test 6 or 7 yrs ago, since then he's never owned a car and i'd say driven a few thousand miles in all. How he passed the test in the first was a mystery to me and himself to be fair. Im sure the above poster is a better driver than my fully qualified brother, and no im not an instructor etc.

Which is not the point either way, the majority agree with the law, problem is that in Ireland you literally cant get by without a licence. I've just moved back from sweden and there it wasnt a problem, until you got a licence (if you indeed bothered) there were other means.

 

[collie]

I would.

Are you for real or just here to act the clown?

What cloud do you live on?

 

[z103]

Do you suggest that those people "complaining" about not being able to take kids to school simply keep them at home while they wait 6 months for a test?

Most kids could probably walk to school, especially in cities. It's a disgrace to see so many of these obese kids being driven to school, clogging up the roads for normal people.

The exercise would do them some good.

 

[Mely]

Out of curiosity, what makes you think you are qualified to make judgment on your own driving skills

I have passed my Theory, i have done 20 + driving lessons. I know the rules of the road & whats right or wrong. I have not had any accidents or cause obstruction. I drive in the correct lanes at all times, i indicate in plenty of time. I actually stop at zebra crossing, i stop at red lights. Knowing what i have to do & when to do. Its just not signed off on the paper yet. I waiting for the test.

or skills of other road users?

From seeing it right in front of my eyes. Guys thinking they can take advantage by blowing kisses & pulling out in front of you. People not indicating correctly, people not in correct lanes coming around roundabouts.

I'd be interested in seeing the statistics that you base this assertion on.

I didnt say all Learner drivers, I said sensible learning drivers.

 

[Mely]

Most kids could probably walk to school, especially in cities. It's a disgrace to see so many of these obese kids being driven to school, clogging up the roads for normal people.

The exercise would do them some good.

I agree with your point of walking. We all had to do it. Not once was i ever driven to school. It was a 15min walk.

But are roads & streets safe anymore for young kids to walk to. We all know how scummy Ireland has got.

 

[Sunny]

This thread is getting stupid. I don't think anyone argues against the change in law but the way it was implemented is a joke. Appears nobody even told the guards about the changes.

As I mentioned in another post, I have a full license for ten years. When I was learning to drive, I drove on my own on my first provisional license. I am willing to bet that the vast majority of full license drivers posting on this thread did so as well but now that the law doesn't affect them, they are all for changing it on 5 days notice.

Also, people seem to think that because they have a certain colour license makes them better drivers than alot of the provisional license holders out there. And they think this because they did a test that contains exercises in reversing around corners and three point turns. There is no conclusive eveidence that provisional drivers are responsible for most of the accidents. There is evidence that young drivers are responsible for alot of them. So why do we allow teenagers to have full licenses and drive around in the early hours of the morning?

I say implement the new laws but the government better be in a position to provide tests on demand for exisiting provisonal license holders. Otherwise it is unfair.

I would also support every driver on this thread being made sit a driving test again. Wonder how many of us would pass? I probably wouldn't after picking up 10 years bad habbits so maybe people can stop be so condesending in their attitude.

 

[rmelly]

Its just not signed off on the paper yet. I waiting for the test.

no offence intended, but I don't consider you qualified. Come back to me when you have sat the test and have signoff based on a professional assessment of your abilities.

I didnt say all Learner drivers, I said sensible learning drivers.

I didn't say you did and would still like to see the stats and a definition on what constitutes a 'sensible' learning driver.

Also, I don't regard someone who knowingly and repeatedly breaks the law as sensible (assuming you're on first provisional)

I actually stop at zebra crossing

Since you raised it, can you explain you understanding of a zebra crossing: right of way, when to stop etc? This comment if taken literally would suggest you always stop at zebra crossings? Is that correct? Regardless of whether there is a pedestrian at it or using it?