Provisional licence fun revisited

Chris_533976

I dont get this.

I downloaded the Rules of the Road booklet from www.rsa.ie out of interest, and saw this.

This booklet is being distributed countrywide later this year, and look at this on p22. Read this and see what you make of it.



Now correct me if I'm being totally stupid, but the way I read this is that if you have a provisional license, the following applies.

First provisional - You must have a qualified driver with you in the car when you're driving.
Second provisional - YOU CAN DRIVE ON YOUR OWN
Third and subsequent provisional - You must have a qualified driver with you in the car when you're driving.

Is this just me being incredibly dumb or is this what the Rules of the Road say??? If so, then damn, this is stupidity at an all time height.

Victor

Thats the law.

Hal1

Yep, tis the backwards rule they invented. Sure it allows me to drive :rolleyes:

corktina

i think the idea is that if you cant pass your test within two years then you must be incompetant as a driver and need supervision.....personlly i think the "second year on your own" bit should be revoked and all L drivers required to take at least 10 lessons from a Professional before being let on the road in their own cars at all

Wishbone Ash

The reason that a provisional licensed driver is not required to be accompanied on their second license is to encourage them to apply for and pass the driving test rather than continuing to avoid doing it. It's supposed to act as a sort of negative consequence to being unsuccessful. Under current regulations, a person is only required to apply for a test to be granted another license. They don't have to actually do the test. I think that they should introduce a deposit system - the test costs €500 and you get €450 back if you show up. Otherwise you forfeit the money.

The rule about being unaccompanied on the second license only applies to category B holders. Provisional license holders in buses, trucks etc. are required to be accompanied at all times.

Category B license holders who have held the provisional license prior to the 12th of August 1985 are exempt from the accompanied rule.

Hal1

corktina wrote:

i think the idea is that if you cant pass your test within two years then you must be incompetant as a driver and need supervision.....personlly i think the "second year on your own" bit should be revoked and all L drivers required to take at least 10 lessons from a Professional before being let on the road in their own cars at all

Your lucky if you can sit your test within 2 years, the system is a joke. My drivings fine and been told that by driving schools too. :rolleyes:

MrPudding

Hal1 wrote:

Your lucky if you can sit your test within 2 years, the system is a joke. My drivings fine and been told that by driving schools too. :rolleyes:

So go and do the crappy test and then come back and tell us.:rolleyes:

I am fed up with the "test? why would I need to do a test I am a legend driver....." attitude.

Where is the waiting list 2 years?

MrP

Hal1

MrPudding wrote:

So go and do the crappy test and then come back and tell us.:rolleyes:

I am fed up with the "test? why would I need to do a test I am a legend driver....." attitude.

Where is the waiting list 2 years?

MrP

There is no attitude. I sat the test last november but failed by two grade 2 faults. I reaplied and got the employers letter so hopefully I will be called soon.

Simon201

Doesn't make any difference does it? Has anyone heard or seen of a provisional driver driving with a full licence holder unless it's an instructor!

Niall1234

The whole licencing system has to be completely overhauled.

I read this before from another poster here but

1. You can either fail, semi-pass or pass your driving.
2. If you fail, you are still on a provisional licence.
3. If you semi-fail, you can still drive on your own, but with restrictions until your next scheduled test.
4. If you pass you get your licence straight away.

This would mean that complete fools who can't drive, don't go on the road without being supervised.
It would also mean that safe drivers, who might have barely passed a test due to a technicality like not looking in your rear view mirror enough, don't get over penalised.

Being forced to get say 2 or 3 lessons with a driving instructor before being left on the road wouldn't be a bad idea either.

talkingclock

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Provisional license holders in buses, trucks etc. are required to be accompanied at all times.

You can drive a bus with passengers while holding a provisional license??? :eek:
With a bit of luck one of your passengers has a full license...

Wishbone Ash

Hal1 wrote:

Your lucky if you can sit your test within 2 years

The current longest waiting time is 35 weeks.

Niall1234

Wishbone Ash wrote:

The current longest waiting time is 35 weeks.

Rubbish. Cork was running at over 40 weeks around Christmas. Ignore what that website tells you.

Hal1

Wishbone Ash wrote:

The current longest waiting time is 35 weeks.

Thats was an [SIZE=-1]exaderation. The wait time for me was about 48 weeks at tallaght. [/SIZE]

Stark

Simon201 wrote:

Doesn't make any difference does it? Has anyone heard or seen of a provisional driver driving with a full licence holder unless it's an instructor!

I never drove unaccompanied for even a few mins during the term of my first provisional.

Wishbone Ash

Niall1234 wrote:

Rubbish. Cork was running at over 40 weeks around Christmas. Ignore what that website tells you.

If you read my post again you may notice the word "current". What relevance has the waiting time in Cork at Christmas got to do with current waiting times?

And what do you mean by "ignore what that website tells you"? I didn't mention any website!

Niall1234

Sorry, I thought you were taking figures from the driving test website.

Here are the present figures according to the website: http://www.drivingtest.ie/frameset.html

In Navan there is a current waiting time of 59 weeks. To be honest I'd say that those figures are actually understated.

On the Cork figures. Those figures were in December. The waiting time has grown since then no matter what the website tells you.

Victor

Niall1234 wrote:

Here are the present figures according to the website: http://www.drivingtest.ie/frameset.html

In Navan there is a current waiting time of 59 weeks.

If you mean http://www.drivingtest.ie/passrates.html those figures are out of date - "**Longest weeks waiting on 13th November 2006. Waiting times are approximated and indicative only."

Padraig Mor

Hal1 wrote:

There is no attitude. I sat the test last november but failed by two grade 2 faults. I reaplied and got the employers letter so hopefully I will be called soon.

Thought you had to have nine Grade 2s to fail? Was it Grade 3s (automatic fail for potentially dangerous driving) by any chance?

Stark

He said he failed by two grade 2 faults. ie: he got 10 grade 2 faults in total. (or 86in a category or 4 of the same fault etc.)

MDTyKe

I think in NI the waiting time is <2 weeks.


Matt

Moonbeam

Wishbone Ash wrote:

The current longest waiting time is 35 weeks.

Do you know the situation is so bad that if that was true it would be a massive improvment.

www.drivingtest.ie has info on the waiting times,it isn't always 100% accurate but is a good guidline.

Stark

The best way to find out the current waiting times is to ring the number on the website. It's updated fairly regularly. Rang it the other day out of curiosity. Cork's looking okay, back down to 28 weeks when it was 33 weeks and growing. I heard a fair few 50 week+ figures called out though and the odd 60+. I think Tallaght is between 50 and 60 weeks, when it was half that figure a few months ago.

Niall1234

One has to wonder if the testers are being pushed and proded to pass drivers who would have ordinarily failed to get the testing times down. Less people needing to be retested etc.

MrPudding

Niall1234 wrote:

The whole licencing system has to be completely overhauled.

I read this before from another poster here but

1. You can either fail, semi-pass or pass your driving.
2. If you fail, you are still on a provisional licence.
3. If you semi-fail, you can still drive on your own, but with restrictions until your next scheduled test.
4. If you pass you get your licence straight away.

This would mean that complete fools who can't drive, don't go on the road without being supervised.
It would also mean that safe drivers, who might have barely passed a test due to a technicality like not looking in your rear view mirror enough, don't get over penalised.

Being forced to get say 2 or 3 lessons with a driving instructor before being left on the road wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Balls. Pass it or fail it, no semi pass, thatis just stupid. Most of the people on this board reckon the test is rubbish, even so more than half the testees fail it.

No learner should be driving unaccompanied, full stop.

Fcuks sake, pass, semi pass & fail. Fcuking stupid Irish solution that...

MrP

Easy Rider

I'm on my third now and don't drive with a fully licensed passenger. With my first provisional I never drove at all and only started lessons on my second license with a year to go on it.....I got my first prov. license but decided to go back to college and could not afford a car/insurance....But now I am meant to be all of a sudden a **** driver and be sitting with a licensed drive as I have to wait 40+ weeks for a test which fell over onto my third license....???

I believe the rules about 1st, 2nd, 3rd prov. license are valid but only IF we could get a test within 2 weeks...but this is not the case so this rule should only apply once the waiting times are sorted......

Out of interest has anyone ever being stopped by the Gardai on a 1st and 3rd prov. license and been prosecuted etc...? Do you reckon they turn a blind eye....

I believe the rule of not being allowed onto a Motorway if you are an L driver is silly, how does one learn.... as you are not thought anything about driving on a Motorway....you pass your test on non-motorway roads, then given your license and suddenly you are capable of being able to drive on Motorways without even been tested on one???

corktina

silly or not.....thats the law...you are breaking it and your insurance is probably invalid....
no doubt you are a fine driver but there are loads of incompetant drivers ,who have no intention of ever taking a test, on the road every day...they are a hazard, they probably are uninsured and they need putting off the road..(along with old-fogies who are mediclally unfit and drink/drug users....) whoops...narly fell off me soap-box...#


PS i'm not perfect...i do stuff wrong too....

Victor

Niall1234 wrote:

One has to wonder if the testers are being pushed and proded to pass drivers who would have ordinarily failed to get the testing times down. Less people needing to be retested etc.

Testers are paid to test, not pass.

Capt'n Midnight

Don't forget the waiting times are only for those drivers who bother to apply for the optional test. It would take about three times longer to test all the provisional holders, longer if you consider that people who are less likely to pass it are probably amongst those who haven't applied.

Remove the loopholes.

Prosecute those driving without necessary acompanyment and those without L plates the same way as on speeding and drink driving. At a normal checkpoint the Guard asks to see your license, if you don't have a valid one or you are breaking the conditions - gotcha.

Implement the Zero alcohol level for those on provisionals ( too much talk on this, do it already )

Terrontress

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Don't forget the waiting times are only for those drivers who bother to apply for the optional test. It would take about three times longer to test all the provisional holders, longer if you consider that people who are less likely to pass it are probably amongst those who haven't applied.

Remove the loopholes.

Prosecute those driving without necessary acompanyment and those without L plates the same way as on speeding and drink driving. At a normal checkpoint the Guard asks to see your license, if you don't have a valid one or you are breaking the conditions - gotcha.

Implement the Zero alcohol level for those on provisionals ( too much talk on this, do it already )

Is zero alcohol an expression or is it actually zero alcohol?

If someone were to have chicken in a white wine sauce, for example, I appreciate that there is not enough alcohol to impair driving but if a provisional driver had 1mg per 100ml would he be branded a drunk driver?

I am sure the rest of Europe finds the situation here with provisional drivers comical.

Every traffic jam I am in, I believe there is a provisional driver up the front, unsure of how to drive a car properly, holding things up!