Consequences of driving unaccompanied

ssmith6287

im working in dundalk and live in drogheda, doesnt seem to big a deal but i have to be in work for 8.30 am and the bus leaves drogheda at 7.30 and it takes me approx 50 mins to walk from my house to the bus depot in drogheda. sick of gettin up at 5.45 to go 20 miles up the road. i have a driving permit and i know the rules blablabla but just wondering whats the punishment for driving without a fully licenced driver.

Stark

Unenforced at present, but after June 30th, the penalty will likely be €1,000 for driving unaccompanied and €1,000 for driving without L-plates.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

ssmith6287

yeah but what about the other 360. i got my learner permit in april so i can prob apply to do my full licence now but i dnt know what the waiting lists are in drogheda. dunno whether if its worth spending near 3k on gettin insured or just get another 10 lessons for 1/2 d price

Alanstrainor

ssmith6287 wrote: »

yeah but what about the other 360. i got my learner permit in april so i can prob apply to do my full licence now but i dnt know what the waiting lists are in drogheda. dunno whether if its worth spending near 3k on gettin insured or just get another 10 lessons for 1/2 d price

Please don't use text speak in your posts, Thanks.
The average waiting times for test dates is 8.2 weeks, and this seems to be dropping further. As already mentioned driving unaccompanied could result in a €1000 fine and or disqualification. Since the 30th of june deadline is rapidly approaching i would expect a massive increase in the number of Learner permit holders being stopped and fined/prosecuted for driving unaccompanied.

bigpinkelephant

ssmith6287 wrote: »

i know the rules blablabla.....i got my learner permit in april so i can prob apply to do my full licence now

It appears you don't know the rules- you can apply alright but you cannot actually sit your driving test until you have held a learner's permit for 6 months.

ssmith6287 wrote: »

ii dnt know what the waiting lists are in drogheda. dunno whether if its worth spending near 3k on gettin insured or just get another 10 lessons for 1/2 d price

You have to be insured to drive regardless of whether you have a Learner's Permit or Full Licence so you will have to pay the 3k either way.

FYI, 10 lessons will not cost you half the price, it would be about €400. If you are learning in your own car I cannot imagine any instructor taking out out without you being insured.

I would suggest you learn the rules and learn to drive correctly.

John Mason

I was stopped the other month and the guard told me it was 6 penalty points as well as the fine, if you are not accompanied

all the stars

Its about time,
Granted i only received a test this year for the 1st time and passed thankfully, however - most other countries you have to be accompanied as standard and its enforced. Rightly so.

I mean about 1 mile from me there are a group of young frikkin fools who have cars and each are wreckless drivers - not a licience between them. Its those people who are the reason insurance is so high(partly anyway) and so many accidents. Its about time really the traffic core clamped down on everything - period.

ssmith6287

bigpinkelephant wrote: »

It appears you don't know the rules- you can apply alright but you cannot actually sit your driving test until you have held a learner's permit for 6 months.




You have to be insured to drive regardless of whether you have a Learner's Permit or Full Licence so you will have to pay the 3k either way.

FYI, 10 lessons will not cost you half the price, it would be about €400. If you are learning in your own car I cannot imagine any instructor taking out out without you being insured.

I would suggest you learn the rules and learn to drive correctly.

Bit obnoxious arent we!!!! i made a typing error when in said 1/2, ment to say 1/5. and i don't understand what you mean when you say I don't know the rules of the road. I know the rules, I don't know the punishment when they're actually going to be enforced. I am learning in an ISM car, the instructor told me if I was to do the test tomorrow I'd most likely pass!! but like I said Ive to wait till the end of September to do it. I know I'll have to pay around 3k either way but I'd like to get 12 months insurance rather then 9 months for that price. the only people I would have in the car that have a full licence over a year are my parents, cant expect them to come evrywhere with me. So getting back to the point, is it 1k fine if yer unacompanied??

jcrowbar

Pretty much confirms what solitaryman said earlier:

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhgbojgbidid/

Time to break out the plates folks.

seamus

50 minute walk @ 5km/h = 12.5 min cycle @ 20km/h

Seems like an obvious option to me.

ssmith6287

haha if you want to leave a bicycle lying around Drogheda Bus Station be my guest :D rules up here seem to be if its locked to a pole or has a chain around it, itll b nicked or vandalised

seamus

So buy a ****box for €100 and a lock. No-one will touch it. You'll save your money on petrol in a matter of weeks anyway, so if it gets robbed/wrecked, you just buy a new one.

Stark

Pick up a ****ty cheap one that you don't mind having stolen/that noone would be bothered stealing. It is only a 12 minute cycle after all.

Edit: beaten to it by seamus.

ssmith6287

all the stars wrote: »

Its about time,
Granted i only received a test this year for the 1st time and passed thankfully, however - most other countries you have to be accompanied as standard and its enforced. Rightly so.

I mean about 1 mile from me there are a group of young frikkin fools who have cars and each are wreckless drivers - not a licience between them. Its those people who are the reason insurance is so high(partly anyway) and so many accidents. Its about time really the traffic core clamped down on everything - period.

listen i don't mind the fact that its been clamped down on, its the fact that the fully licenced companion has to have 2 years full licence. me and my mates are all in and around 21, they all drive. now I know what your gonna say next "boy racers" well theyre not, 1 of our best mates was killed by a thundering eejit with a suped up corsa. all the lads are carefull drivers and theyve been driving since they were 17, as far as im concerned thats 4 years driving experience. how can the govt say that someone who may have 2 years on a full licence be better abled then these guys

ssmith6287

seamus wrote: »

So buy a ****box for €100 and a lock. No-one will touch it. You'll save your money on petrol in a matter of weeks anyway, so if it gets robbed/wrecked, you just buy a new one.

haha id like to see you buy a bike evryday, sure ye stop at traffic lights here and yer up on blocks

Danow247

Anyone know what the offence will be if i just continue to drive around with a provisional licence? I dont bother putting L plates on my car.

Stark

€1,000 for driving unaccompanied and €1,000 for driving without L-plates.

Danow247

Jesus thats a bit steep. Better sort out the full licence so.

Do you know if its gonna be enforced strictly? Like checkpoints just for that?

Wishbone Ash

Danow247 wrote: »

Jesus thats a bit steep. Better sort out the full licence so

Why have you not sorted it out before now?

JP Liz

What are the penalties/fines for no L Plates and no Full Licence driver with you please?

bigpinkelephant

There is already a thread for this on the first page of this forum.

Danow247

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Why have you not sorted it out before now?

Just havent got around to it. Put it on the long finger

They can hardly just implement thousand euro fines. Its madness.

MrPudding

Danow247 wrote: »

Just havent got around to it. Put it on the long finger

They can hardly just implement thousand euro fines. Its madness.

I know. Like with out any notice at all. One day it is OK and the next there is a €1000 fine. madness.

MrP

Stark

They gave months of notice!

Danow247

Stark wrote: »

They gave months of notice!

Granted, but i still dont understand how they can expect people (most provisional licence drivers being youths i presume) to pay up 1000 euro?

Surely they will baby it in starting with warnings?

Stark

It's meant to act as a deterrant.

ardmacha

Granted, but i still dont understand how they can expect people (most provisional licence drivers being youths i presume) to pay up 1000 euro?

They don't. They expect you to have L plates and be accompanied.

Mossy Monk

Danow247 wrote: »

Granted, but i still dont understand how they can expect people (most provisional licence drivers being youths i presume) to pay up 1000 euro?

They expected you to get a licence since they announced the change in rules 7 months ago.

bigpinkelephant

Danow247 wrote: »

Anyone know what the offence will be if i just continue to drive around with a provisional licence? I dont bother putting L plates on my car.

There are two threads on this topic on the first page of this forum. Plus a sticky.

Wishbone Ash

Threads merged.

allthatjazz

I think this 6 month waiting rule is the pits. Fair enough they don't want learner drivers out blahblahblah. I got my permit in April, did ten driving lessons and I'm out driving ever since. I am not rallying around the roads or anything of the sort, I simply use my car to get from a to b. Why can't I just do my full test now. Instead of being of the road for 3 months.

ssmith6287

i agree, i dnt mind having to be accompanied cos lets face it evry other country in the world requires you to be accompanied but its a pain in the <SNIP> waiting. why cant the ISM instructors recommend you to do a test, like iff they feel youre able. im nearly finished my lessons now and the only thing im shakey on is reversing uphill. how often do i have to reverse up a hill like.

allthatjazz

<SNIP>So now I'm off the roads until the end of September. I need my car to get to work. I should just be able to do my test now. They gave that law no thought at all. Like after 6 months you will magically be a brilliant driver. As well as that I'm just out of school. I haven't got the money to be forking thousands on fines. Thats almost the cost of my car <SNIP>.

Stark

The idea is that you're more likely to keep your good habits if you've been practising them for 6 months, rather than keeping in good habits for a few weeks, doing the test, then dropping them.

I know from personal experience that it was a good few months before things like checking mirrors etc. stopped being a chore for me and became totally ingrained. I could have done the test in those months and passed it by "putting on a good show" but I'd be driving around like a crash magnet soon after.

Flyer1

Re that guy who's mates who have provisionals for 4 years.

As a provisionally licenced driver you have not proven yourself as a safe driver, now your mates very well be the safest drivers in the country but until such time as they prove it to an examiner they're all tarred with the one brush.

A person holding a full licence has displayed their knowledge of road use, their competency to go about driving etc.

The driving test appears to have become a hell of a lot easier now, with almost everyone I know passing it now. People who are genuinely dangerous are being passed. Don't get me wrong either the test is a stupid idea. You sit in with some guy for 15 minutes, answer a few questions and bob's your uncle. There is no structure whatsoever in learning to drive in this country. A system like the Germans is one which we should aspire to follow.

ssmith6287

Flyer1 wrote: »

Re that guy who's mates who have provisionals for 4 years.

As a provisionally licenced driver you have not proven yourself as a safe driver, now your mates very well be the safest drivers in the country but until such time as they prove it to an examiner they're all tarred with the one brush.

A person holding a full licence has displayed their knowledge of road use, their competency to go about driving etc.

The driving test appears to have become a hell of a lot easier now, with almost everyone I know passing it now. People who are genuinely dangerous are being passed. Don't get me wrong either the test is a stupid idea. You sit in with some guy for 15 minutes, answer a few questions and bob's your uncle. There is no structure whatsoever in learning to drive in this country. A system like the Germans is one which we should aspire to follow.

nah you read it wrong, they had provisional licenses since they were 17, they got their full licences there at the beginning of the year,

another thing and i dont mean to sound a bit racist but i don't care anymore, the ...........<SNIP> ..................ive a feeling the govt felt so inadequate in being able to deal with these that they decided to pick on the "L" drivers.

all the stars

ssmith6287 wrote: »

listen i don't mind the fact that its been clamped down on, its the fact that the fully licenced companion has to have 2 years full licence. me and my mates are all in and around 21, they all drive. now I know what your gonna say next "boy racers" well theyre not, 1 of our best mates was killed by a thundering eejit with a suped up corsa. all the lads are carefull drivers and theyve been driving since they were 17, as far as im concerned thats 4 years driving experience. how can the govt say that someone who may have 2 years on a full licence be better abled then these guys

im not gonna say boy racers at all..
Im saying everywhere else this is the craic for a long time. Why should our laws about this be so relaxed? Its for everyones safety and i dont fault them for it..

bigpinkelephant

allthatjazz wrote: »

I need my car to get to work.

You should not have taken the job so.

allthatjazz wrote: »

I haven't got the money to be forking thousands on fines.

Best behave yourself then.

Chaos_Path

Some people`s attitudes on here really sicken me. you were a learner driver once.

I cant afford a 6 euro taxi twice a day, and i havent another way to work, or to college.I realise this has all been said before and im sure i`ll get flamed for this but i cant understand (or stand) peoples holier than thou attitudes.

Yes there was uproar in November, and there will be more this time too. 2 weeks?Absolute nonsense.i`m more than ready to pass my test now.

I`ve had my first provisional for just under a year, and am waiting for a test date.i`m a responsible and competent driver, and am just as good as, if not better than some idiots out there on the roads.i cant for the life of me see why Gardai are "clamping down" on learner drivers to be honest, in most cases theyre more responsble than most full license holders.
ive nearly been run off the road several times in the past month by some brainless young fella in a golf or a twincam who dosent know when to brake. more often than not they were speeding.
the amount of times ive seen some small woman in a huge suv on the phone going around a roundabout while on the phone (it happens) is sickening.THEY would be the cause of an accident.

clamp down on speeding, clamp down on using a mobile when driving , young fellas in suped up starlets racing arount town,clamp down on drink driving clamp down on people with crap haircuts but to clamp down on learner drivers is a flippin joke.

SmokyMo

Half the taxi drivers are dangerous on the road the most young drivers I know. I went through the city center today and nearly was rammed out twice by taxis.....

Altough my friend works at petrol station and he said on the average ther are bout 5-7 people drink drinving coming in to the shop and they all in their 50's or 60's.....

Thing like drink driving, suped cars and stoned,out of head drivers should be clampdown not L drivers

Stark

Oh just <SNIP> and do the test if you're that wonderful a driver. They're clamping down plenty on speeding and drink driving, so you can't use that as an argument for not clamping down on everyone else who disobeys the law.

Chaos Mo wrote:

Some people`s attitudes on here really sicken me. you were a learner driver once.

It is possible to be a learner driver and keep within the law. You'll find only a positive attitude towards learner drivers in here. Lawbreakers are a different story however.

Chaos Mo wrote:

i cant for the life of me see why Gardai are "clamping down" on learner drivers to be honest, in most cases theyre more responsble than most full license holders.

Again, they're not clamping down on "learner drivers", they're clamping down on people who break the law. Whether that be speeders, drunks, people on mobile phones or learners who drive unaccompanied.

MrPudding

Chaos_Path wrote: »

Some people`s attitudes on here really sicken me. you were a learner driver once.

Yes. I was. And I did not drive unaccompanied, but then I learned in Northern Ireland and they did not have the retarded second provisional rule.

Chaos_Path wrote: »

I cant afford a 6 euro taxi twice a day, and i havent another way to work, or to college.

It is unfortunate that you live, work and study in areas that do not have a bus service, but that is life. Plenty of people in plenty of other countries manage just fine.

Chaos_Path wrote: »

I realise this has all been said before and im sure i`ll get flamed for this but i cant understand (or stand) peoples holier than thou attitudes.

Yes, it has all been said before. What do you expect people to say? You come on this board and insist that you should be allowed to break the law. What kind of reaction were you looking for?

Chaos_Path wrote: »

Yes there was uproar in November, and there will be more this time too. 2 weeks?Absolute nonsense.i`m more than ready to pass my test now.

So pass the test at your earliest opportunity and the problem is gone.

Chaos_Path wrote: »

I`ve had my first provisional for just under a year, and am waiting for a test date.

Ah, so you never even had an entitlement to drive unaccompanied? You are on a first provisional licence and expect to be allowed to drive on your own without ever having had a test of competency? Even worse than I initially thought.

Chaos_Path wrote: »

i`m a responsible and competent driver,

Of course you are. Now if only we had some method of objectively testing someones driving stills.... What's that? We do? Ah, it is called a driving test. Interesting.

Chaos_Path wrote: »

and am just as good as, if not better than some idiots out there on the roads.

I don't doubt that you are, but it is not really relevant.

Chaos_Path wrote: »

i cant for the life of me see why Gardai are "clamping down" on learner drivers to be honest, in most cases theyre more responsble than most full license holders.

Yes of course they are. I assume you have some kind of evidence for this and aren't simply stating an opinion? All drivers are subject to the law, learner and full licence holders. I:f a full licence holder is dangerous he should be removed, and the mechanism for doing so already exists in law.

Lets leave aside you own incredible driving skills for a moment, and talk about average learner drivers. Do you think every one of them is skilful, safe and responsible. As with most things in life learner driver skill will fit into a bell curve. Most people will be average, there will be a few exceptionally gifted drivers (like yourself, obviously) and there will be a few exceptionally dangerous drivers. This is all fine and normal. Few people are born knowing how to drive, we all have to learn. But that is the point. We have to learn. Further more, we have a responsibility to other road users and the drivers themselves to at least make some effort to confirm they have a reasonable level of skill before allowing them on the road.

Please answer this question honestly. Do you seriously believe that it makes sense to allow people to drive on the road on their own without trying to measure their level of skill? Seriously?

Chaos_Path wrote: »

ive nearly been run off the road several times in the past month by some brainless young fella in a golf or a twincam who dosent know when to brake. more often than not they were speeding.

So what? Why do you think that should entitle you to drive on your own having held a provisional licence for less than one year and never having sat a basic test of competency? And just as a matter of interest, how do you know they were full licence holders?

Chaos_Path wrote: »

the amount of times ive seen some small woman in a huge suv on the phone going around a roundabout while on the phone (it happens) is sickening.THEY would be the cause of an accident.

People like this should be fined and receive points. If they continue to behave like this they should be taken off the road. The mechanism for this exists. But again, why does a woman in an SUV on her phone entitle you to drive on your own having held a provisional licence for less than one year and never having sat a basic test of competency?

Chaos_Path wrote: »

clamp down on speeding, clamp down on using a mobile when driving , young fellas in suped up starlets racing arount town,clamp down on drink driving clamp down on people with crap haircuts but to clamp down on learner drivers is a flippin joke.

To clamp down on all these things and not to clamp down on learner drivers would be a joke.

MrP

Toto Wolfcastle

How long ago was the June 30th deadline for second provisional drivers announced?

Long enough for my sister to be given a date for her first test, fail it, and be given another date. All on her first provisional. There really is no excuse. I waited 10 months for my test and didn't drive alone. I failed it, and waited a short while until my first provisional was up, then drove alone. (Admittedly there were a couple of times that I had to drive alone to get home from work at midnight. This involved a two minute drive on a quiet road. I still broke the law though.) I waited another 10 months and passed. Just apply for the test, and don't rely heavily on your car until you can legally drive it alone.

Hanley

Stark wrote: »

The idea is that you're more likely to keep your good habits if you've been practising them for 6 months, rather than keeping in good habits for a few weeks, doing the test, then dropping them.

I know from personal experience that it was a good few months before things like checking mirrors etc. stopped being a chore for me and became totally ingrained. I could have done the test in those months and passed it by "putting on a good show" but I'd be driving around like a crash magnet soon after.

So should they not be re-testing everyone every 5 years or so then? Ya know.. to ensure they keep those good habits?

I driven in cars with lots of older folks who are just down right dangerous. They most often drive big cars and feel like they can just put them where they want, when they want. I've been out driving for 18 months now and I can honestly say the two groups I've had the most trouble with are taxi drivers and people driving big cars.

MrPudding

Hanley wrote: »

So should they not be re-testing everyone every 5 years or so then? Ya know.. to ensure they keep those good habits?

I driven in cars with lots of older folks who are just down right dangerous. They most often drive big cars and feel like they can just put them where they want, when they want. I've been out driving for 18 months now and I can honestly say the two groups I've had the most trouble with are taxi drivers and people driving big cars.

Personnaly I think there should be regular retesting, I would hate it myself but think it is a good idea. It is a lot of work and I think they should sort out people that have never been tested first. Once they have done that, I think they should sort out the whole learning process and improve everything from the point a person first starts to learn about driving until they pass the test. once that is done they could look at retesting.

MrP

Stark

Hanley wrote: »

So should they not be re-testing everyone every 5 years or so then? Ya know.. to ensure they keep those good habits?

Yes, and a good start would be getting to test people once. Let's see if they can get that far without people having conniptions.

Devia

Pretty much any driver of 5 years could alter their driving techniques to pass the driving test, it means nothing to the RSA and it would only delay testing learners even more.

Wishbone Ash

Chaos_Path wrote: »

Some people`s attitudes on here really sicken me. you were a learner driver once

I have had a Provisional Licence in all vehicle categories and I never drove alone on a public road when I was legally required to be accompanied. Are you assuming that we all acted illegally?

Chaos_Path wrote:

I cant afford a 6 euro taxi twice a day, and i havent another way to work, or to college.

Condidering that the initial fare is €3.80 or €4.20 (depending on time) it has to be assumed that you aren't going very far if the total fare is €6. It can't be more that a couple of miles. Why not walk or cycle?

Hanley wrote: »

I driven in cars with lots of older folks who are just down right dangerous. They most often drive big cars and feel like they can just put them where they want, when they want.

The statistics would indicate that those people are least likely to have an accident.

JP Liz

If you are caught without L Plates and without a full licence driver accompaning you what exactly are the penalties please? I'm confused please help

Is it €1000? Is the car impounded by Gardai? Do you get penalty points?

Cabaal

JP Liz wrote: »

If you are caught without L Plates and without a full licence driver accompaning you what exactly are the penalties please? I'm confused please help

Is it €1000? Is the car impounded by Gardai? Do you get penalty points?

1000 for no accompaning full license driver
1000 for no l plates