Demonstration for learner drivers?

pete4130

Just a thought for learner drivers and others to show support at the badly thought out goverment plans to introduce the new drivers permit. To show your strength in numbers and to show how much this affects alot of Irish lives, would something like a huge demonstration with all learner drivers descending on their respective city and town centres and any supporters to show the goverment that they havent thought things through thoroughly and not given the general public enough time to deal with the situation and havent made any considerable efforts to reduce waiting lists for driving tests.

The taxi drivers caused mayhem when they went on strick in Dublin city centre choking the main thoroughfares to get their point across. If learner drivers feel so strongly about this why not organise these rally's to show your anger and frustration.
Sunday, the last day before the new legislation is brought in would be a good day to do this.

For the record, I do agree with the government plans for a drivers permit but believe that they have not resolved the driving test waiting list times before implimenting these changes. I do currently have a full licence too.

wet-paint

I would be for some kind of public display of dissatisfaction, and hold a provo.

inertiaman

It sounds like a good idea but it would be potentially risky. All it would take to *uck the whole thing up would be for a few boy racers to show up wheels spinning and caps at 45 degree angles. A crash could mess it up too... basically anything negative would screw it all up.

I think a marching protest would be a bit safer.

Full license by the way

will_c

inertiaman wrote: »

I think a marching protest would be a bit safer.

i agree.

provo license..

pete4130

Inertiaman,

Totally agree, a crash would totally highlight any "problems". A marching protest would be a better idea on the whole.
The Government have the right idea.....just wrong apporach!

cregser

Oh but it would be so ironically beautiful if we all drove to city centre at 11:59pm and were "forced" to leave our cars due to laws changing too fast for us to get our cars home.

doolox

As a visiting journalist once said the Irish do not have a proper sense of outrage. Could you imagine the uproar if this happened in France? Like what the people did when the govt tried to bring in different labour laws for young workers? Riots, mayhem and pure outrage brought about a u-turn.
The same thing needs to happen here. Also needs to be an on-going protest group set up to get faster test response times so that people will abide by the system.

BlackWizard

Burn the L plates in protest?

Then drive down the M50 and park the cars. Whip out a BBQ and cook lunch.

Mr. Presentable

cregser wrote: »

Oh but it would be so ironically beautiful if we all drove to city centre at 11:59pm and were "forced" to leave our cars due to laws changing too fast for us to get our cars home.

The only ones with a beef should be those on second provs. The rest are unchanged, so I suspect should a wheeled protest happen the most will get the prosecutions they deserve under current law

Ludo

nipplenuts wrote: »

The only ones with a beef should be those on second provs. The rest are unchanged, so I suspect should a wheeled protest happen the most will get the prosecutions they deserve under current law

Not true....

The current law was always unenforced. Yes it was on the statute books but commonly accepted practise was that it wasn't enforced unless you did something ELSE and they wanted to throw the book at you.

Anyway, a protest would be very hard to organise. All those groups you mentioned have unions who organise it...who would be able to organise provisional drivers?

Mr. Presentable

Ludo wrote: »

Not true....

The current law was always unenforced. Yes it was on the statute books but commonly accepted practise was that it wasn't enforced unless you did something ELSE and they wanted to throw the book at you.

You mean like an obstructive protest

minxmad

I think the best way to protest against this is for every provisional driver affected to simply not drive on monday and tuesday next week...dont drive at all unless they can meet the conditions ie a fully licenced person who has had a licence for two years is with them.

We all know that most provisional drivers regardless of licence type ie 1st 2nd or 3rd drive unaccompanied because in the majority of cases they just have to. lack of public transport and long waiting times, plus a general lack of enforcement meant no one was rushing to get their test.

can you imagine the chaos if every provsional driver refused to drive. Mothers cant bring there childern to school so they dont.
People cant get to work so they ring in and say this to their employers and they dont go in... as if an employer insists that they come in then they will be insisting that the certain individual breaks the law, They will not get sacked as we are talking about so many people!! and if they do get sacked, straight down to the benefits office, giving the reason why. but can you imagine the hassle at work if people cant get there!! shopping centres deserted as noone can get out and about shopping!
that would be a huge economic blow and employers and retailers, petrol outlets would be up in arms over this!

bet the insurance companies hate all this!! provisonal drivers have provided them with hefty profits for years!!
it will be a peaceful and powerful protest!

DonJose

minxmad wrote: »

can you imagine the chaos if every provsional driver refused to drive. Mothers cant bring there childern to school so they dont.
People cant get to work so they ring in and say this to their employers and they dont go in... as if an employer insists that they come in then they will be insisting that the certain individual breaks the law, They will not get sacked as we are talking about so many people!! and if they do get sacked, straight down to the benefits office, giving the reason why. but can you imagine the hassle at work if people cant get there!! shopping centres deserted as noone can get out and about shopping!
that would be a huge economic blow and employers and retailers, petrol outlets would be up in arms over this!

How many cans of Red Bull did you drink?

Capt'n Midnight

minxmad wrote: »

can you imagine the chaos if every provsional driver refused to drive. Mothers cant bring there childern to school so they dont.
People cant get to work so they ring in and say this to their employers and they dont go in... as if an employer insists that they come in then they will be insisting that the certain individual breaks the law,

It would be a great way to highlight the lack of public transport.

BUT the revenue position on cars is that you don't need them to get to work otherwise you would be able to claim it against tax.

Most kids could walk to school, since most go to LOCAL schools :rolleyes:

The employer can't insist you drive to work. They can't tell you how to come to work. They can dock you a day if you haven't figured out how to get to work though. Most would be understanding and I'm sure ISME will be screaming about this. how do they expect commercial entities to work around this given it's to be sorted next working day.

orbital83

A protest is a good idea and I've often wondered why L drivers didn't organise themselves more in the past considering the raw deal they get in this country.
If truckers were treated like this, you can bet we'd hear about it!

However the crash / boy racer issue needs to be considered... and they could always send out the cops to fine everyone present for driving unaccompanied... beats hiding behind a road sign with a speed gun.

A march is probably a better idea - anyway, SOMETHING needs to be organised... as a nation we roll over way too easily.

You can count on me to make up the numbers anyway... and as a fully licensed driver I'd even stick up a L plate for the day

Seth Brundle

What a good idea :rolleyes:
A long convoy of drivers who (apart from those on 2nd provisionals) are easy targets for the gardai to punish for driving without being accompanied. Just because there are new rules coming into place, does not mean that the existing ones cannot be applied!

Wishbone Ash

John J wrote: »

If truckers were treated like this, you can bet we'd hear about it!

They are. Truck drivers and bus drivers have always been required to be accompanied while on a provisional licence and they also need to obtain a full licence before seeking work.

The second licence rule only applied to category B vehicles - all others are required to be accompanied (except motorcycle and tractor) under current rules.

orbital83

They are. Truck drivers and bus drivers have always been required to be accompanied while on a provisional licence and they also need to obtain a full licence before seeking work.

I'm aware of rules regarding accompanied drivers for non category B vehicles.

Point being, truck drivers have an organised group which are prepared to make their voice heard when something is not to their liking... some would say regardless of the magnitude of the issue.
http://archives.tcm.ie/breakingnews/2002/04/15/story46505.asp

Not being able to get to work, school, shop, college, see elderly parents, hospital etc is arguably a greater issue than the cost of insurance.

The government has created the expectation that second provisional holders can drive unaccompanied during the currency of their second provisional licence.
In my line of business you learn that once a "reasonable expectation" has been created in the mind of a customer, a "reasonable effort" must be made to honour it. Five days' notice is not reasonable.

Wishbone Ash

John J wrote: »

Five days' notice is not reasonable.

It's been discussed and speculated about for over a year.

The last two days on this Forum have been busier than the rest of it's existence put together. That tells me that many learner drivers chose to turn a blind eye/ear until it's too late.