Driving Solo

kenny11

I have a learner permit with 4 months now and bought my first car last month, i have had a total of 20 lessons and applied for my test 4 months ago. My question is with the amount of gardai doing random checks at the moment I was wondering if anyone on a learner permit has been stopped and what the penalty was.

chump

kenny11 wrote: »

I have a learner permit with 4 months now and bought my first car last month, i have had a total of 20 lessons and applied for my test 4 months ago. My question is with the amount of gardai doing random checks at the moment I was wondering if anyone on a learner permit has been stopped and what the penalty was.

drove on provo recently for 5 months up until very recently, never any hassle (altho it was my second prov. so I was allowd! )
went thru a few checkpoints, but never even asked to roll windows down, more a case of looking at nct/tax/insurance. no one ever asked to see license.

Breezer

They rarely ask for your licence, but it does happen, happened to me twice and the second time he gave it a good scrutinise (probably due to the old picture, it's up for renewal in a few months). No idea what they'd do if it were a provisional/leaner permit though, since it was a full licence. Just a warning that it could happen.

Jo King

When the reprieve for second provisional licence holders expires in a few months, all L drivers will have to be accompanied.
An inexperienced driver without an L plate will stand out. There will be two charges at least, driving without a licence and non-display of an L plate, each carrying a maximum fine of €1,000. There may also be penalty points. There may also be difficulties with insurance.

Jo King

Jo King wrote: »

An inexperienced driver without an L plate will stand out.

Not likely judgeing by the things I see on the road everyday.

I agree with you otherwise. If you have an accident when driving out unaccompanied, it will be taken into consideration too.
It is not just a matter of fines and penaltys.

kenny11

what I was wondering is if a guard does stop me unaccompanied what the penalty would be.

SeanW

I believe its €1000 for the first offense, €2000 for the second and arbitrary fines and disqualification/jail time for the 3rd. That's if Automatic Prosecutions are in yet.

I drove on my second provisional and have been driving on my full license now and I have only once been pulled by the Guards and asked to show my licesne. That was only when I had a non-functional tail light.

Personally speaking, I did a lot of practice (unaccompanied, 2nd provisional) in the weeks and months before I passed my test. Were in the position of preparing for my test, but not having the magical 2nd provisional to practice with, I would probably have taken my chances.

So my advice is this: don't put yourself in a position where you depend on driving illegally, such as commuting to work. But if you just drive occasionally, or you feel the need to practice in advance of your driving test, you may be ok.

kenny11

SeanW,


Thanks for your reply, I work locally but still drive each day for practise, I was planning a couple of trips into cork city over the long weekend but with a quite a few check points around my area at the moment i dont think I'll risk it.