Foreign drivers in Ireland

MarkN

I will do my upmost to keep this post non racist as it is not what I am trying to achieve.

But can anyone tell me do Africans, Chinese, Polish nationals get any sort of training when they arrive here or do they just buy a car and hit the road?

I am just gobsmacked at the disgraceful display of what some of these people dare call 'driving'!?

Some are worse than others, same as Irish people but one of the groups above (you decide!) just seem to be so wreckless and have no problem with endangering life with the method they control a car on the road.

Someone very close to me was almost seriously injured or killed by one of these idiots this evening and I'd just love to know does our government do anything to screen these people before handing them a licence/allowing them to drive using their own licence which may not be worth the paper it is written on.

:mad:

Anan1

MarkN wrote:

But can anyone tell me do Africans, Chinese, Polish nationals get any sort of training when they arrive here or do they just buy a car and hit the road?

Is there a legal requirement for any sort of training in this country? I thought it was just a matter of applying for a provisional license and off you go?

MrPudding

MarkN wrote:

I will do my upmost to keep this post non racist as it is not what I am trying to achieve.

But can anyone tell me do Africans, Chinese, Polish nationals get any sort of training when they arrive here or do they just buy a car and hit the road?

I am just gobsmacked at the disgraceful display of what some of these people dare call 'driving'!?

Some are worse than others, same as Irish people but one of the groups above (you decide!) just seem to be so wreckless and have no problem with endangering life with the method they control a car on the road.

Someone very close to me was almost seriously injured or killed by one of these idiots this evening and I'd just love to know does our government do anything to screen these people before handing them a licence/allowing them to drive using their own licence which may not be worth the paper it is written on.

:mad:

I hear where you are coming from but any of my near misses have come from home gown drivers, well, they looked irish and drove irish reg cars.

Aside from that, do you think a government that can't sort out the driving of its own population will be able to do anything people from other countries?

How would you do it? Irish drivers can hit the roads with no training, under what basis do you require other nationalities to sit a test of competancy or training?

MrP

zilog_jones

Anyone with an EU license can drive here. People coming from outside the EU have to get a license here.

peasant

I'd be happy enough if all the Irish drivers had received some training ...not all foreign licences are given away, you know.
Some people actually had to work hard, sweat lots and pay loads for theirs (me for example:D )

Yet I pay more insurance than my wife (who hasn't the first idea about driving) would on a "provisional" license.

Sort that out first and then come back to me about "them foreigners"

nialler

As was stated, there is absolutely no requirements to getting a provisional licence other than age, so government hands you a licence and allows you to drive a one tonne lump of metal around at speed regardless of nationality.

Pherekydes

MarkN wrote:

I will do my upmost to keep this post non racist as it is not what I am trying to achieve.

But can anyone tell me do Africans, Chinese, Polish nationals get any sort of training when they arrive here or do they just buy a car and hit the road?

I've driven in France and the UK without anyone vetting me, my licence or my driving. I got no training for their roads. It's up to the individual driver to acquaint themselves with the relevant laws of the country they are driving in.

I'm guessing you'd be the first to complain if you flew to some foreign part and was met at the airport and given 40 hours of instruction* before you were allowed to take your hire car on their roads.



*Some random number. Fill in the number of hours training you expect foreigners to get when they get here, full licence or not.

wingnut

nialler wrote:

there is absolutely no requirements to getting a provisional licence

Not strictly true, you do need an eyetest

I am pretty neutral to the recent influx of immigrants. I agree there are a lot of bad foreign drivers, but no worse than the home grown examples. Equally uninsured drivers come from both home and abroad.

I see two problems: one is that people are inclined to give more leeway to our own. The second is the lack of traceability. Its easier for a foreign driver to disappear in the event of something happing. In relation to this it is the EU that need to sort out some traceability based on licenses.

Brillo_pad

i live in an area that has a lot of immigrants and while a lot of them seem to be very inexperienced drivers and do stupid things like forgetting to indicate they tend not speed so i would not classify them as more dangerous than some of our own drivers

zilog_jones

wingnut wrote:

Not strictly true, you do need an eyetest

Uhh, theory test? Technically you should at least have half a clue about the rules of the road from doing that, but I guess some people can't relate that book to the real world... or something...

Tabnabs

I really think that until we sort out our own sorry provisional licence system, that complaining about the standards of "foreign" drivers is a bit like the kettle calling the pot black.

MarkN

Slow coach wrote:

I'm guessing you'd be the first to complain if you flew to some foreign part and was met at the airport and given 40 hours of instruction* before you were allowed to take your hire car on their roads.

The difference is, I've proved myself, many years ago and have the NCB to prove it. I've driven in places like NZ and Oz because it was like hopping into your car at home but I have to say despite my experience, if I was somewhere that they drove on the right, I would think twice about getting behind the wheel.

If the people I'm talking about were up to full licence standard then they wouldn't do things like swerve onto a slip road on the M50 at the very last minute forcing an artic two cars behind to narrowly miss plouging through a load of cars in front.

Of course there are plenty of rubbish Irish drivers but there's a lot more bad foreign drivers from places where I named above per head.

MrPudding

MarkN wrote:

The difference is, I've proved myself, many years ago and have the NCB to prove it.

Very good. That is something you should be proud of, and I am not being sarcastic here. Unfortunatly we have over 400k drivers that have not proved themselves, how about we sort them out?

MarkN wrote:

Of course there are plenty of rubbish Irish drivers but there's a lot more bad foreign drivers from places where I named above per head.

For a start we have over 400k that have either not sat a test of competency ro have sat one and failed. Add to this the 20 odd thousand that woke up one mornign to find a spanky new license had arrived in the post. And then add to that the fact that even for those that have passed the standard of driving is, for the most part, fcuking awful verging on downright dangerous.

Lets sort out our own affairs, then we might be in a position to hold visitors to some kind of standard. I really don't see how we can try to enforce a minimun standard on visitors when we can't even do for our own citizens.

It would be great fo rthe anti immigration lot though..." fcuking asylum seekers, coming over here stealing our wimmin, our jobs, our dole and our driving test slots...."

MrP

Pherekydes

MarkN wrote:

The difference is, I've proved myself, many years ago and have the NCB to prove it. I've driven in places like NZ and Oz because it was like hopping into your car at home but I have to say despite my experience, if I was somewhere that they drove on the right, I would think twice about getting behind the wheel.

Proved? How? By driving in NZ and Oz you've proved EVERY Irish driver competent to drive abroad, so long as it's on the left?

So all we need is ONE driver for EACH foreign nation to drive competently here to PROVE ALL foreign drivers competent?

MarkN

Listen Slowcoach, I'm not in this thread to have a tit for tat with you or anyone else.

My point on driving in those countries was that they drive on the same bloody side of the road as us and it was something you could do without blinking, nothing else.

You seem to have this notion that I or every other full licenced driver in this country is a danger to everyone around them once they leave the country.

If you wanna fight for foreigners rights in this country do it somewhere else, you can't escape from the fact that a lot of the drivers I mention are a disgrace and I won't get away from the fact that we have lots of brutal Irish drivers too.

Owen

MarkN wrote:

The difference is, I've proved myself, many years ago and have the NCB to prove it.

Am, how do you know the people you're slandering don't have full NCB in their countries too? You're making stupid sweeping generalisations with little or no statistics to back them up.

MarkN wrote:

I've driven in places like NZ and Oz because it was like hopping into your car at home but I have to say despite my experience, if I was somewhere that they drove on the right, I would think twice about getting behind the wheel.

I regularly drive in Poland, France and Italy. In fact, I'm off to Poland next week again, and spending a week in a hire drive car. All you have to remember is that the middle of the road is next to the driver, and you generally don't make mistakes when turning at junctions. For someone who's 'proved themselves', you have a fear of driving on the other side of the road? Doesn't say much for your confidence in yourself as a driver. Perhaps you should train some more before making assumptions about other people's abilities to be ambidexterous on the roads?

MarkN wrote:

If the people I'm talking about were up to full licence standard then they wouldn't do things like swerve onto a slip road on the M50 at the very last minute forcing an artic two cars behind to narrowly miss plouging through a load of cars in front.

Full License Standard? I'm sorry, is there sarcasm intended here? Most Full License Irish drivers I know are appauling. And most European drivers I know would leave us for dead in terms of hazard awareness and anticipation.

MarkN wrote:

Of course there are plenty of rubbish Irish drivers but there's a lot more bad foreign drivers from places where I named above per head.

Have you statistics to prove this, or are you presenting your opinion as fact?

Pherekydes

MarkN wrote:

You seem to have this notion that I or every other full licenced driver in this country is a danger to everyone around them once they leave the country.

You seem to have this notion that every other full licenced driver new to this country is a danger to everyone around them.


I don't make any generalisations about drivers from here, there or anywhere. You're the one making them.

nialler

If you're a fully qualified driver then driving on the continent or in the states shouldn't make a difference, the first minute or so is slightly confusing but you tend to be much more careful and remember driver's side is always to the centre of the road, now driving your own car on the continent would be a bit of a mindf*k due to inability to see when overtaking.

And when you're driving regardless, trust nobody, assume they're going to do something utterly ridiculous so give yourself space and time to react in a safe manner, very simple really.

MarkN

Slandering?!!! Ned, you'd want to cop the you know what on. I'm not going to get into a personal thing but my driving ability certainly doesn't need to be questioned by the like of you!!

ned78 wrote:

Am, how do you know the people you're slandering don't have full NCB in their countries too?

Em maybe because they can barely drive.

This has turned into a typical boards thread, with the likes of Ned and Slowcoach's 'I am God' approach to trying to make a point, you must be using different roads to me so.

I'm out of this one lads, good luck.

Owen

MarkN wrote:

Slandering?!!! Ned, you'd want to cop the you know what on. I'm not going to get into a personal thing but my driving ability certainly doesn't need to be questioned by the like of you!!

Well, if you're going to make stupid statements with zero facts to back them up, yes, I will question you, as will other boardsies.

MarkN wrote:

This has turned into a typical boards thread, with the likes of Ned and Slowcoach's 'I am God' approach to trying to make a point, you must be using different roads to me so.

It's not so much of an 'I am God' approach, rather more an approach that we've driven in Europe comfortably, and some of us have advanced driving training under belt too, and you by your own admission would have issues doing the same. So, because of your pre-conceived notion that it's dangerous, you label all "Foreign drivers in Ireland" as dangerous, untrained, and irresponsible. Which is overly simplistic.

Jumpy

I am a foreign driver and I am a damn sight better than most of the irish.
You guys are the worst drivers outside of Indonesia that I have had the pleasure of driving with. Not a single day goes by without me seeing a prime example of road stupidity. If I was to head to dublin you can multiply that by 10.
You dont actually have to do anything to start driving here, and you have a test of such basic simplicity that everyone is super confident that they are fantastic driver when they pass.
Not to mention that there are some serious anger issues.
Seeing irish people complaining about bad drivers from other countries requires a rolleyes smiley of such magnitude that it will be decades before the internet technology exists to display it.

MarkN

ned78 wrote:

So, because of your pre-conceived notion that it's dangerous, you label all "Foreign drivers in Ireland" as dangerous, untrained, and irresponsible.

Yep, I said that.

Ned people like you that twist posts, can't read what it actually says and then post bull which is a complete exaggeration of what was said annoy me no end. Talk about drama.

ambro25

Jumpy, cool it, you're giving the rest of us 'furreiners' a bad name.

The average standard is somewhat lower, but there are many reasons for it, both historical and political, and the "system" thankfully appears to be catching up fast - so let's just cut slack both ways, shall we.

Peace unto you lot

MarkN, I'm verry sorry to have to say it, but you do sound like a Troll.

Jumpy

ambro25 wrote:

Jumpy, cool it, you're giving the rest of us 'furreiners' a bad name.

The average standard is somewhat lower, but there are many reasons for it, both historical and political, and the "system" thankfully appears to be catching up fast - so let's just cut slack both ways, shall we.

Peace unto you lot

MarkN, I'm verry sorry to have to say it, but you do sound like a Troll.

*waves finger out window and spits at ambro25 while undertaking at 180km/h*
"raarrrararageddafarkoutovvit"

MrPudding

Jumpy wrote:

I......and you have a test of such basic simplicity that everyone is super confident that they are fantastic driver when they pass.

Yet over 50% of the people taking this test fail it....

MrP

ambro25

Don't want to that, m8.

(See, unlike MarkN rant suggests, foreign little me has undertaken professional offensive/defensive driver training for VIP chauffeuring, and you'd soon find yourself waving bye bye to your finger, sheared off and laying in the middle of the M50 - in which case, you're quite right, "raarrrararageddafarkoutovvit" indeed does sound like a blood-curling cry of painful agony )

All the same, I guess that makes 2 Trolls on the thread - should make for interesting developments, can't wait...

Jumpy

ambro25 wrote:

Don't want to that, m8.

(See, unlike MarkN rant suggests, I've undertaken professional offensive/defensive driver training for VIP chauffeuring, and you'd soon find yourself waving bye bye to your finger, sheared off and laying in the middle of the M50 - in which case, you're quite right, "raarrrararageddafarkoutovvit" indeed does sound like a blood-curling cry of painful agony )

All the same, I guess that makes 2 Trolls on the thread - should make for interesting developments, can't wait...

Its actually derived from the archives of my memory while driving to Bray along the M50.
The guy actually undertook me while I was changing lanes from the outside lane to the inside after passing a truck. We actually shared lanes for the split second it took to get over the shock of what he was attempting to do.
P.S - Spit does not tend to go in a straight line at 180. What didnt end up on his car, was smeared on his cheek.

MarkN

Lads, you two have me in stitches.

You should sign up here, I hear they are looking for some acts to fill.

http://www.bulmerscomedy.ie/

ambro25

You're still here?

MarkN wrote:

I'm out of this one lads, good luck.

I thought you'd gone home

mmm... still look like a Troll, from here - sorry!

Quatre Mains

MarkN, I'm verry sorry to have to say it, but you do sound like a Troll.

And Jumpy Doesn't? That aside ambro25, thanks for bringing a bit of measured opinion to this. You are correct, our system is and has been sh1te for years. If that was tightened up and more roads policed then a lot of our problems would be fixed. However, your point about driving standards being lower here is very generalistic. I believe that very much depends on where you are from yourself.Call me racist all you like, but the standard amongst many of the African drivers here is pure sh1t. Eastern European drivers DO drink and drive a lot, and overtake while driving LHD cars. Nordies think they're doing the circuit of Ireland. Just like we Irish tailgate, speed thru estates full of kids, and mash ourselves into ditches every weekend.
My point? Driving styles and shortcomings ARE often unique
to a person's origin. To deny that is PC in extremis. I can often tell if a poor driver is of foreign origin because I know an Irish driver wouldnt generally make that mistake. Those particular mistakes weren't being made here 10 years ago. Likewise you will have frequently seen errors here that you didnt at home. Thats probably why you see the standard as lower here.

ambro25

Johnnycabs wrote:

And Jumpy Doesn't?

'Course he does - read my 2nd post again

But I have a niggling feeling Jumpy is Irish and just out to take the p*ss (just as I am, tbh ).

Johnnycabs wrote:

However, your point about driving standards being lower here is very generalistic.

[correction]Relative to the rest of 'Western' Europe[/correction]

How is that?

Quatre Mains

Sorry ambro25 I was writing that post before you posted that. As for the specifically western European comparsion, I cannot argue with you either. TBH, outside of Ireland I have only driven a car extensively (10k km+) in the UK and US as opposed to being a passenger, so am not in a position to pontificate. The only WE country I visited that the driving alarmed me at times was Italy -especially the roundabouts lol. Generally other WE countries have a far more visible police prescence than Ireland which is a massive help. I'm from Dublin originally but am a rare visitor there these days - I was up yesterday tho and definitely saw an improvement on that front. It will be a few years before the traffic core get their act together properly but at least things are moving along a bit. Hopefully the rest of the country will see those improvements soon.

Jumpy

ambro25 wrote:

'Course he does - read my 2nd post again

But I have a niggling feeling Jumpy is Irish and just out to take the p*ss (just as I am, tbh ).



[correction]Relative to the rest of 'Western' Europe[/correction]

How is that?

Nope, I am Australian.

ambro25

Ah well, this explains that then, Jumpy

No worries Johnnycabs
I'm not one lent to broad-brush (I mean, when debating seriously), and I'll not yet again post the whole list of where I've driven squillions of miles by now, as it's pointless - suffice to say, I have a fair few miles under the belt over the last 18 years or so on practically all continents, and would [IMHO] deem myself reasonably well travelled and experienced to make comparisons (up to a point of course).

As said (time & again when these threads pop up - as they regularly do ), generalising the behaviour of one, to all without discrimination, is immature and borderline xenophobic.

Many drivers of one particular country may compare poorly to many drivers of another particular country - and it will be down to so many known and unknown factors (e.g. whether there's any form of legal framework for owning and operating a vehicle in the country of origin or not, what the road network is like, how long the driver has been driving irrespective of the country of origin, etc.) - but at the end of day, there's good and bad everywhere. I see about as much good driving as bad driving in Ireland.

But since it's entirely perceptual, I likewise see about as much good driving as bad driving in France when I'm there - it's just that I don't necessarily equate 'good driving' in one country with 'good driving' in the other.

opeldave

MarkN wrote:

I will do my upmost to keep this post non racist as it is not what I am trying to achieve.

But can anyone tell me do Africans, Chinese, Polish nationals get any sort of training when they arrive here or do they just buy a car and hit the road?

I am just gobsmacked at the disgraceful display of what some of these people dare call 'driving'!?

Some are worse than others, same as Irish people but one of the groups above (you decide!) just seem to be so wreckless and have no problem with endangering life with the method they control a car on the road.

Someone very close to me was almost seriously injured or killed by one of these idiots this evening and I'd just love to know does our government do anything to screen these people before handing them a licence/allowing them to drive using their own licence which may not be worth the paper it is written on.

:mad:

Go On ya big racist ted-is it cos im black????????????

mc_makon

MarkN

can u tell me please something more about that training u are writing about ?

how do u think it should look like ? as far as I know it makes no difference for u on which side of road u are driving as long as u are responsible, take care about yourself and other drivers and don't believe other users of roads.

have u ever been driving in any of lhd countries?


lads u wrote many words about drivers, competency etc.
Just to let u know that in Poland for example u can't get provinsional DL
u can get only full DL. but to get it and to be able to drive u must have 30 hours driving lessons, then 20 hours of theory lessons. Theory contains everything from junctions to info how the engine is built. After that u pass theory and practice exam. Usually about 40% of new drivers fail their first exam

I won't ask question what u need to know about car to drive here....

Tea drinker

Swopping sides of a car (LHD for RHD) is difficult at the start, at least for me. I don't have as much concentration for other things as if I was in my normal seat. Couple that with being in a foreign country where "stuff" is different, language, signs, driving culture, I wouldn't be as good as the native drivers. So yeah I agree that the foreign drivers here are worse (all else being equal) than Irish. At least when they come here first.

Should they have a course if they intend to stay here. Yes, what harm?
We all should have a road safety course every couple of years.
All road users. Cyclists , bikers, truckers car drivers etc. Maybe even pedestrians, as they often perform suicidal manoevers.

Terrontress

I think part of the problem is a mixture of the two issues here.

I have seen a neighbour from overseas teach herself to drive. With no instruction whatsoever!

She used to go out, up and down the road a few times. Could hardly make the car move. But she had her L plate up so we must presume she is legal to do so under the Irish system!

She is driving in an unfamiliar environment with only a provisional in a system which allows her to do so.

2 years later, she still has her L plate and her driving confidence seems to have come on leaps and bounds.

Esel

MarkN wrote:

I will do my upmost to keep this post non racist as it is not what I am trying to achieve.

But can anyone tell me do Africans, Chinese, Polish nationals ...

I am just gobsmacked at the disgraceful display of what some of these people dare call 'driving'!?

... one of the groups above (you decide!) ....

... one of these idiots......

Your upmost (sic) is not good enough, brother. Why did you single out the three 'nationalities' above? Then call them idiots... Sounds (a teeny bit racist) to me.

I might agree if you had questioned the ability/behaviour of foreign drivers (or more correctly, people you assume are foreign). I also understand you posted while angry. But would you have posted about the incident/issue here if the bad driver in question gave no appearance of being 'foreign'?

MarkN

esel wrote:

But would you have posted about the incident/issue here if the bad driver in question gave no appearance of being 'foreign'?

This is a REALLY old thread but no I probably wouldn't as I'm not in the habit of coming on moaning everytime someone cuts me up in traffic.

The topic of the thread was foreign drivers so why wouldn't it be about them?

Fact is, there's a lot of crap Irish drivers out there, there's a lot of immigrants in this country who are crap drivers - I witness both cases making silly mistakes on the roads day in day out. If you want to believe that every car packed full of Africans for example are all living here 20 years and are called Paddy then that's your own business. I'm not that naive.

I think it's stupid that an Irish person can pay for a green licence and drive without anyone (law isn't enforced) and I think it's silly that someone who might never have driven in a modern Western European can just hit the road in the same way.

joseph101

Irish, foreigner are the same when it comes to driving. both makes mistakes, both need to have a license of some sort. the problem is the system.

take my Indian friend for example.. driving also at the left side of the road in their country for 15 years then gain international license from Dubai for 8years, but, will then take the exam for Irish PROBATIONAL license while the EU nationals who just bought their license from their country of origin can drive here with just an exchange for full clean driving license and not even read or study the rules of the road.

another thing is getting the full license.. it's like a good business, why? once you take the driving course the tester will fail you for some reason.. after you made the adjustment and book again different tester will fail you for other reason, again and again.. good business..

why don't they just implement one type of system wherein every body will go through the theory test then everyone will take driving course then after completing the course and prove themselves to the instructor they will have their certificate of competency..

the problem with practical exam is tht you need to satisfy the tester and if he is a racist and you're from other country automatically you need to book again for the test..

just my observation cause my indian friend who have international license took him 4takes to pass.. another friend from africa took him 3takes.. and another filipino 4takes even they have international license already. and btw, 1 of my irish friend also 3rd taker.

Marcus.Aurelius

Until we sort out our driving system here, which teaches cowardice and bad driving, we have no right to question these incoming illegal immigrants, no matter how crap their driving is. (And yes, I've seen them, they make me cringe!!)

ambro25

+1

MarkN wrote:

I think it's stupid that an Irish person can pay for a green licence and drive without anyone (law isn't enforced) and I think it's silly that someone who might never have driven in a modern Western European can just hit the road in the same way.

Note that the problem is the same in both instances, whereby fix the system itself = problem solved at source.

After all, the system is non-discriminatory and therefore being abused by both nationals and immigrants in equal measure, so why complain about some abusers and not the others (in your OP)?

At Joseph101, I'd be interested to learn in which EU countries of origin can nationals "just buy their license" (moreover, note that EU driving licensees do not have to exchange their license at all!)

wil

joseph101, while I agree with you that the system is at fault, most if not all EU countries have a more strict driver training and testing regime than Ireland so exchanging their licence for an Irish one is in fact trading down. I have no intention of exchanging my UK licence because the Irish one has lower merit. While I am not not familiar with Indias driving requirements and test other than heresay and anecdotally, I know a little about some other Asian countries (from family members) and not all have as rigorous testing as most EU countries.
I agree the Irish system is sorely lacking, but it is not only foreign learners that have to retake tests several times. The biggest problem here is poor preparation with lots of poor practice. Driving around forever on a provisional only compounds your bad driving habits.

So far nobody seems to have posted the facts about foreigners eligibilty to drive here, so I'll post them as they are to the best of my knowledge.
1 - Drivers from EU/EEA countries + 8 other countries may exchange their full licence for an Irish one. I dont think they are obliged to change their licence. UK licence holders certainly are under no obligation to exchange their licence.
2 - Drivers from other countries not in that list may drive on their own full licence for a period of one year from entry into Ireland, effectively immune to penalty points, but not fines.
After 1 year they then have to apply for an Irish licence same as any other Irish person, do test etc. AFAIK any points accrued then go on to that licence. So they can drive without question for a year then after a years driving go back to being a learner. Thats the bizarre part, but no less bizarre than Irish drivers driving on provisionals without supervision or mandatory training. In fact having already passed a test in their own country most are probably more eligible to be on the road than their Irish counterparts. There are some countries whose driving requirements and statistics make Irelands look positively glowing. These are in the minority. Their driving tests may be minimal. However even this is more than was required by the thousands of Irish who got lucky bag licences in the great amnesty licence fiasco.

There is also something of a scam among some foreign licence holders. It involves a so-called international driving licence/permit. If you have ever driven abroad on your licence, you will know this is basically just a paper translation of your own licence relevent for the countries you are visiting. It means nothing if your licence is not valid for driving in that country.
However some foreign licence holders are paying 80 to 200 to conmen for a plastic ID version of this here under the impression it makes them legal to drive here for years. A genuine one is only available in your own country (the Irish one costs about €7) and lasts for a year. Most gardai probably wouldnt know the difference. They look pretty genuine.
In some countries, insurance is an option, not a requirement, so when coming here, they may think this is the case here too, especially with the cost involved.
At the end of the day, our own driving safety and regulation leave a lot to be desired, it is a stretch to expect anyone coming here to act any better than they see around them. On the other hand some find our driving behaviour appalling to them.

warthog_76

bottom line for me is that NO ONE should be able to just sit into a car and drive it off without first passing their driving test