Driving test

electric69

Just after "failing" my driving test.I didnt even get to start the engine!The NCT on the car was out of date and she wouldnt allow me to take the test even though i have proof that it is booked in how lame is that? Before anybody says i should have booked in it earlier, ive been out of the country for 6weeks recently and as soon i got back home i applied for the NCT. I just think its so lame that she wouldnt take me out because of that.Even though yesterday i saw her let a guy who had no "L" plates up do his test.So now i have to go to the back of the que (approx 36 weeks) and pay for another test...meh...

Im just going to go over to America and do it there.Irish system sucks balls big time!Fools whoever voted for Bertie & co.

Binomate

Be prepared next time, it's your own fault. Not the systems. You wont be waiting the full time in the queue. You'll be put on a list for first cancellation. After waiting 62 weeks for mine, I cancelled it and got it a week or two after the previous date.

Oh and I almost forgot, ha ha ha you failed your driving test.

Stephen

Them's the rules. If you get a licence in the US you won't be able to swap it for an Irish one when you come back, you'd still have to do the test.

LundiMardi

electric69 wrote:

Just after "failing" my driving test.I didnt even get to start the engine!The NCT on the car was out of date and she wouldnt allow me to take the test even though i have proof that it is booked in how lame is that? Before anybody says i should have booked in it earlier, ive been out of the country for 6weeks recently and as soon i got back home i applied for the NCT. I just think its so lame that she wouldnt take me out because of that.Even though yesterday i saw her let a guy who had no "L" plates up do his test.So now i have to go to the back of the que (approx 36 weeks) and pay for another test...meh...

Im just going to go over to America and do it there.Irish system sucks balls big time!Fools whoever voted for Bertie & co.

Your car is not road worthy, just because it's booked in means nothing..

You're one of the reasons there's such a long waiting list, ever thought someone else could have made use of that time slot?

You can book an NCT online, why didn't you do that and get a friend/relative to bring it to the testing centre?

stipey

Those damn rascals - intercepting the letter informing you of all the pre-requisites for sitting the test (such as valid insurance and NCT) and then sending you out of the country like that. Not to mention having the cheek to prevent you organising your NCT on time.

While I am by no means a fully paid up card carring member of the teflon taoiseach fan club, I'm not sure you can pin this one on him.

Caliden

Just get an employer to write a letter for you saying you need the licence to work and you will be bumped up to the top of the queue and get taken if there is a cancellation.

It's insane even thinking of waiting that long.

electric69

LundiMardi wrote:

You're one of the reasons there's such a long waiting list, ever thought someone else could have made use of that time slot?

You can book an NCT online, why didn't you do that and get a friend/relative to bring it to the testing centre?

Eh...im not one of the reasons there is such a long waiting list....ive waited for 42 weeks for my exam and i have taken approx 10 lessons just to make sure i had everything perfect for it.I asked my instructor would the car be ok if i had proof that i was booked in for a NCT and she said that it would be fine.She also asked another instructor that she knew and he also said that the car would be fine.
There was someone else using the car when i was away and they were supposed to book it in.I was very busy when i was away so i was unable to.Thats not what im giving out about anyway.Just annoyed that she failed me because of that and she let some guy with no "L" plates drive away...even thought that is the most obvious thing that they look for.

olaola

Caliden wrote:

Just get an employer to write a letter for you saying you need the licence to work and you will be bumped up to the top of the queue and get taken if there is a cancellation.

It's insane even thinking of waiting that long.

I'm afraid the employer letter doesn't really cut it these days. They need to actually RING them now!!

GospelGroupie

LundiMardi wrote:

You're one of the reasons there's such a long waiting list, ever thought someone else could have made use of that time slot?

I'm with LundiMardi on this one. It looks like you'll get no sympathy here. The NCT is not entirely just a beaurocratic exercise. It is a measure of the road-worthiness of the car.
I wouldn't get into a car that doesn't have a valid NCT if I were obliged to travel in that vehicle as part of my work. It's all to do with health & safety in the workplace. The worker has a certain responsibility to judge the hazards and to avoid them. The NCT is as good an assessment of hazard or safety as anything.
I don't blame the examiner.
Be ready for the exam or cancel with fair notice.
That's all.

electric69

Caliden wrote:

Just get an employer to write a letter for you saying you need the licence to work and you will be bumped up to the top of the queue and get taken if there is a cancellation.

It's insane even thinking of waiting that long.

I dont work.
Im going over to America for 2years pretty soon and i wanted it before i headed over.No NCT's over in America!I can make time inbetween my training in America to take their driving test.none of this irrivelent B.S like there is here.

homah_7ft

Surely your gripe should be with the instructor who told you it would be fine.

electric69

homah_7ft wrote:

Surely your gripe should be with the instructor who told you it would be fine.

Hmm.....she did ask for a second opinion and she is a pretty experienced instructor so i cant really say too much to her.Just hope someone else doesnt make the same mistake.Its messed up my plans anyway because i needed to rent out a car when i got over there but i cant do that without a driving licence.
I find it a bit ironic that i have a licence that its 100times more difficult to get but i cant get something as stupid as a licence to drive a car

LundiMardi

Man, you have no one to blame but yourself, it's just common sense.

Nickibaby*

It should be your instructor you take the issue up with. Anyway I don't know why you didn't contact the centre direct to ask them. If the car isn't classified as road worthy then of course you wouldn't be able to use it for the test, I think that is just common sense.

Anyway it is a pity and you should be annoyed, at yourself more than anyone else I should think.......

Oh and what are you on about another licence for..... I have a television licence - that has nothing to do with my ability to be able to drive my car :rolleyes:

homah_7ft

Fair enough but in my opinion she was acting as a paid adviser. Her advice was factually incorrect and you made a decision not to make sure you had the NCT cert first based on what she said. The government sent you a form saying what you needed to have for the test. You didn't have everything needed yet you blame the government and not the instructor.

Floppybits

Why dont they just introduce a rule that says " that tests must be done in recognised instructors car?". That way it rules out problems like the NCT is out of date, No L plates, lights out of order and all those sort of problems. When I did my test I booked the instructors car for 2 hours, I did a lesson before the test and then did the test in the instructors car. I didn't have to worry about this been broken or out of date.

Guy:Incognito

Floppybits wrote:

Why dont they just introduce a rule that says " that tests must be done in recognised instructors car?". That way it rules out problems like the NCT is out of date, No L plates, lights out of order and all those sort of problems. When I did my test I booked the instructors car for 2 hours, I did a lesson before the test and then did the test in the instructors car. I didn't have to worry about this been broken or out of date.

Or people who are in charge of a very fast and dangerous piece of machinery should be able to be at least responsible enough to make sure it meets the fairly simple and documented rules for taking the test.

Whos fault is it if you turn up to do your leaving without a pen/ruler/calculator etc?

DonJose

You are lucky we have a flawed driving system here, at least you can drive home after failing your driving test, how ironic is that!!!

Wishbone Ash

Floppybits wrote:

Why dont they just introduce a rule that says " that tests must be done in recognised instructors car?"

A person doing a category B test could wish to do it in an a car with automatic transmission. The instructor could not be expected to have different models available.

Mods - This should be in the Learning to Drive Forum

_feedback_

electric69 wrote:

Hmm.....she did ask for a second opinion and she is a pretty experienced instructor so i cant really say too much to her.Just hope someone else doesnt make the same mistake.

In fairness, If you have a full license and are pulled by the guards with no NCT cert. You are done for driving an un-worthy car. Don't see why it should be any different if you're driving and happen to be doing the test. It's common sense really.

electric69 wrote:

Its messed up my plans anyway because i needed to rent out a car when i got over there but i cant do that without a driving licence.

So you were a cert (excuse the pun) to pass then?!

electric69

im not learning how to drive.Im giving out about the fact that i got failed for not having a valid NCT even though the car is booked in.The fact that, in my eyes, someone got away with a far bigger offence, makes it even worse

electric69

Wishbone Ash wrote:

He/she didn't fail the test. It just didn't procede.

Didnt even start the engine

Wishbone Ash

DonJose wrote:

you can drive home after failing your driving test, how ironic is that!!!

He/she didn't fail the test. It didn't go ahead.

Caliden

She probably let the guy without L plates go because you need to take the L-plates off before an NCT test.

DonJose

Wishbone Ash wrote:

He/she didn't fail the test. It didn't go ahead.

Failure by default?

Guy:Incognito

electric69 wrote:

im not learning how to drive.Im giving out about the fact that i got failed for not having a valid NCT even though the car is booked in.The fact that, in my eyes, someone got away with a far bigger offence, makes it even worse

Being booked in, just like going for your driving test, is absolutely no guarentee its going to pass, so the fact it was booked in for th eNCT is irrelevant.

Wishbone Ash

electric69 wrote:

im not learning how to drive

If you have a provisional license for the category of vehicle that you are driving, then you are classed as a "Learner" whether you like it or not.

electric69 wrote:

someone got away with a far bigger offence, makes it even worse

If the examiner had continued with the test then they would have committed an offence.

biko

electric69 wrote:

im not learning how to drive. Im giving out about the fact that i got failed for not having a valid NCT even though the car is booked in.The fact that, in my eyes, someone got away with a far bigger offence, makes it even worse

That's up to the authority to decide and this time they deemed your car not safe to drive because it hadn't passed the necessary inspection.

Btw, how would voting for someone else than Bertie change this?

electric69

Caliden wrote:

She probably let the guy without L plates go because you need to take the L-plates off before an NCT test.

No its completley against the rules to do the test without "L" plates...even if you are on a 2nd provisional

If the examiner had continued with the test then they would have committed an offence.

she didnt seem to mind when she took the guy with no "L" plates for his test

Sparky

If its your car is your responsibility to make sure all is correct, all paper work etc are correct.
Even if your NCT was done, would you still be complaining for failing over not being too observant, etc?

My uncle failed his test for being too courteous and he was one of the best drivers in the family.

So as elviscotello pointed out, how can you be certain you would pass?
The instructor was covering themselves. What if you had an accident and it was later found that she knew that you had no current NCT. I would say she would be in hot water over it.

cson

Not your concern. You should focus on your own situation.

Apply to do the test as Gaeilge and afaik the waiting time is really cut down.

Wossack

afaik in the future, having no NCT certificate is down to be a mandatory court appearance (just for a scale of the L-plate vs NCT allowance being argued)

Guy:Incognito

electric69 wrote:

No its completley against the rules to do the test without "L" plates...even if you are on a 2nd provisional





she didnt seem to mind when she took the guy with no "L" plates for his test

I assume by your atittude you feel that you should be allowed to speed because someone else gets away with it?

Wishbone Ash

I don't believe the story about another driver being allowed to do the test without L plates. It's one of the most basic requirements for a test (unless it was in an exempted vehicle).

Sam Vimes

LundiMardi wrote:

You're one of the reasons there's such a long waiting list, ever thought someone else could have made use of that time slot?

ummmm, he didn't know he wouldn't be allowed do the test. why would he cancel if he thought he'd be able to take and pass the test that day.

Caliden wrote:

She probably let the guy without L plates go because you need to take the L-plates off before an NCT test.

why's that?

electric69 wrote:

No its completley against the rules to do the test without "L" plates...even if you are on a 2nd provisional

he said the NCT, not the driving test

the main thing annoying the OP here is the waiting list. some people are saying that he won't have to go to the back of the queue which i suppose would solve the problem but having to wait another year to do the test because the NCT people are backed up is just unfair imo. and he'd probably have to get a few more lessons as a refresher just before the next test which aint cheap. will he definitely not have to go to the back of the queue?

Wishbone Ash

Commander Vimes wrote:

Quote:

Originally Posted by LundiMardi
You're one of the reasons there's such a long waiting list, ever thought someone else could have made use of that time slot?

ummmm, he didn't know he wouldn't be allowed do the test. why would he cancel if he thought he'd be able to take and pass the test that day.

LundiMardi makes a valid point. If the OP was properly prepared , he/she would have known that a valid NCT disc is required when applicable to do a driving test. The test therefore could have been cancelled with 10 days notice thereby not forfeiting the fee and, more importantly, allowing an opportunity to a more deserving candidate.

Plissken1

electric69 wrote:

Just after "failing" my driving test.I didnt even get to start the engine!The NCT on the car was out of date and she wouldnt allow me to take the test even though i have proof that it is booked in how lame is that? Before anybody says i should have booked in it earlier, ive been out of the country for 6weeks recently and as soon i got back home i applied for the NCT. I just think its so lame that she wouldnt take me out because of that.Even though yesterday i saw her let a guy who had no "L" plates up do his test.So now i have to go to the back of the que (approx 36 weeks) and pay for another test...meh...

Im just going to go over to America and do it there.Irish system sucks balls big time!Fools whoever voted for Bertie & co.

Yes its a complete joke, you wait nearly two years, if you fail the crappy test, and it is a crappy test, its another two years. That is because the union have threatened to strike if they attempt to take on more people to clear the backlog. I know someone who passed the test, and they have been informed that they may have to re-sit, because there is also a backlog in processing the pass forms (which do expire by the way if you dont hand them in) HAHA Brilliant you just couldnt make it up. I am not worried about the amount of L drivers on the roads, because I find its the people who have been driving for years that are the most dangerous.

electric69

Spankeh wrote:

If its your car is your responsibility to make sure all is correct, all paper work etc are correct.
Even if your NCT was done, would you still be complaining for failing over not being too observant, etc?

My uncle failed his test for being too courteous and he was one of the best drivers in the family.

So as elviscotello pointed out, how can you be certain you would pass?
The instructor was covering themselves. What if you had an accident and it was later found that she knew that you had no current NCT. I would say she would be in hot water over it.

No it was not my car.there are 2 of us who use it and someone else bought the car and is the name ont he cars paper work.

Another question....Are the NCT supposed to contact you and let you know when your car is due for a test??

I would have been about 90% certain of passing the test imho.Im not a boy racer and my driving instructor told me that i dont need any more lessons.

LundiMardi makes a valid point. If the OP was properly prepared , he/she would have known that a valid NCT disc is required when applicable to do a driving test. The test therefore could have been cancelled with 10 days notice thereby not forfeiting the fee and, more importantly, allowing an opportunity to a more deserving candidate.

Please take the time to read what i took the time to clearly write. I will repeat myself again.I asked my driving instructor will i be ok to take the test if i have proof that the car has been booked in for the NCT.She told me that it would be fine and that she also asked an different instructor the same question and he also said that it would be fine.
I dont think its too unreasonable to take a driving instructors word for it when asking a question about the driving test.
I would also like to point out that i did take the oral exam before we went out to the car and i did answer every single question corretly so can all the ppl who continue to use the words "more diserving" and other such unhelpful comment to go shove them up their arse

I assume by your atittude you feel that you should be allowed to speed because someone else gets away with it?

Im not going to talk back to ppl who deploy school ground tactics.im sure there are some kids threads for ppl like you

I don't believe the story about another driver being allowed to do the test without L plates. It's one of the most basic requirements for a test (unless it was in an exempted vehicle).

I was there and saw it with my own eyes.My driving instructor was in the car at the time with me and she was as suprised about it as it was.

jhegarty

Commander Vimes wrote:

will he definitely not have to go to the back of the queue?

This is classed the same as a fail or no-show , so you lose your fee and to go the back of the queue....

Wishbone Ash

Plissken1 wrote:

I know someone who passed the test, and they have been informed that they may have to re-sit, because there is also a backlog in processing the pass forms

Complete and utter rubbish.

When a driving test is passed, the successful candidate is awarded a Certificate of Competency. They then have 2 years to make an application for a driving license. The person you refer to probably waited until the time had expired before applying. If the 2 years have lapsed, the motorist is required to resit the test.

electric69 wrote:

Another question....Are the NCT supposed to contact you and let you know when your car is due for a test??

No. The onus is on the registered owner of the vehicle to ensure that it had a valid NCT certificate.

Orange69

To the OP, quit your whining! If you had read the preconditions of the test it clearly states that the car must have a valid NCT badge.. End of story..

And it is that kind of disorganization that adds to the size of the queues.. People showing up with no lessons/idea and failing.. wastes everyones time..

I applied for my test on October 21 and i collected my full license on Feb 9th.. Instead of complaining about a system you cant change learn to adapt and use it as efficiently as possible..

Dr. Seuss

The OP is a dumbass, TBH. There's no excuse for plain textbook stupidity.

Karoma

Dr. Seuss wrote:

The OP is a dumbass, TBH. There's no excuse for plain textbook stupidity.

Banned from AH. Moving to Learning to Drive as per previous suggestion.

electric69

What im planning on doing now is to ring up the NCT and tell them that i have my driving test next week (i dont really have my test, but im just going to tell them that) and give them the date in July when i have my car booked in for the NCT.Im going to ask them if there is something that they can give me that will be exceptable for the driving test.If they say yes, im just going to ask for it to be emailed to me and then i can appeal the test decision.
I know it may be somewhat of a long shot, but theres no hard in trying eh?

Will post back here on Monday when i talk to them and let everyone know.:)

jhegarty

electric69 wrote:

If they say yes, im just going to ask for it to be emailed to me and then i can appeal the test decision.

How does that make any sense ? Do you not mean if they won't move the date of the NCT you will appeal ?

Btw appealing the driving test mean going to court... and if you win you get a free test.... so the most you can win is €38 (or what ever is costs these days) ....

Mr. Presentable

OP. The NCT Cert shows your vehicle is roadworthy. It cannot be tested in absentia - so no emails from the NCT are going to happen. It clearly states in the rules of the road that you must have a valid NCT cert when you go for your test. Don't you know the rules of the road? At that rate you'd have failed anyway.

TBH, no one to blame but yourself - regardless of your perceived ill treatment because someone else got away with something (in your opinion).

BTW, they have mandatory vehicle testing in most states of the USA - so yes, NCT does exist there too

Capt'n Midnight

Floppybits wrote:

Why dont they just introduce a rule that says " that tests must be done in recognised instructors car?". That way it rules out problems like the NCT is out of date, No L plates, lights out of order and all those sort of problems.

The NCT is a health and safety issue.

Even if you have one or don't need one the tester can refuse to go if they feel the car isn't safe/roadworthy/legal. And because it's health and safety they can.

Wishbone Ash

electric69 wrote:

What im planning on doing now is to ring up the NCT and tell them that i have my driving test next week (i dont really have my test, but im just going to tell them that) and give them the date in July when i have my car booked in for the NCT.Im going to ask them if there is something that they can give me that will be exceptable for the driving test.If they say yes, im just going to ask for it to be emailed to me and then i can appeal the test decision.

You can only appeal if you've failed a test and believe that you were treated unfairly and should have passed. Your test didn't go ahead as you didn't meet the clearly defined criteria required. Therefore you HAVEN'T FAILED. The fact that you had the vehicle booked in for the NCT is irrevelant. Similarly, if your tax disc had been delayed/lost in the post, even though you may have posted it in good time, you wouldn't have been tested either.

You make two very important assumptions:

1. That the car would have passed the NCT.
2. That you would have passed the driving test.

electric69 wrote:

Will post back here on Monday when i talk to them and let everyone know

We already know!

Shelly23

Hi,

Just wondering if someone can help point me in the right direction on this one..?I went to sit my driving test recently and failed due to lack of NCT disk. Sounds fairly obvious that I should have one of those as my car is 02 reg. I received a letter recently saying my NCT wasnt due until 2008 so i thought i was grand. I got the car just under a year ago and the many times i've gone through police points its never been mentioned i had to have one so it never occured to me.
My problem here is that I had been receiving lessons for four weeks prior to the test and had one that morning before i went in and she checked my car from top to bottom to make sure i was ready. NOTHING was mentioned about my nct disc. When i told my tester the problem, he said legally my instructor cant take me out on the road unless i have the valid paperwork and L plates (i had only bought them that morning of the test) and that i should apply to her to get a full refund for the lessons and the cost of my test.

Should i go ahead and do this? Fair enough i should have had the discs but her job was to get me ready and i didnt get past the door because of her not giving me this crucial information. I rang her after the test to discuss it and her response was that it wasnt her fault if she didnt notice and to try again.

Any suggestions- do i go to her for refund, or does blame lie with the garage for selling me the car without the paperwork, or equally does the blame lie with me for not knowing?

Wishbone Ash

Threads merged.

dudara

A letter comes with the test notice outlining the requirements that must be met in order for the test to be conducted. A valid NCT disc must be present. An expired disc is not a valid disc (even if you have the car booked in for testing). I can't say it any plainer than that.

You should not have taken the advice of your instructors for granted. The driving centres administer the tests, they are the people you should contact if you have any queries.