Automatic licence - redoing test

tracy1002

Passed test in an automatic in May (have driven both over the years but on the day the auto was the only car available).

Anyways am now driving manual all the time and applied to redo test. Got test date for december but did not realise I had to get a learner permit (thought the full auto licence would cover that).
Today I was told that I would have to sit a theory test (as I never did before) and then apply for learner permit. This evening I found out that I have to wait 6 months to take the test as its my first learner permit. Surely this cant be right - prior to passing test I was on my 3rd provisional and it seems wierd to have to start all over again... have been driving 5 years accident free but yet I have to start at the begining. What do you think??

Alanstrainor

Surely you would have had to pass a theory test to get your first provisional? The 6 month rule does not apply to those on second and subsequent provisionals/learner permits.

Wishbone Ash

tracy1002 wrote: »

Anyways am now driving manual all the time

You have been driving 'unlicenced'! :eek:

tacy1002 wrote:

had to get a learner permit (thought the full auto licence would cover that)

Not at all!

tracy1002 wrote:

Today I was told that I would have to sit a theory test (as I never did before) and then apply for learner permit.

You will also required to be accompanied while on a public road by someone who has held an unrestricted licence for at least 2 years.

tracy1002 wrote:

This evening I found out that I have to wait 6 months to take the test as its my first learner permit. Surely this cant be right

AFAIK it is. As you have passed the test in a restricted vehicle, you are now considered to be back to square one while learning in an unrestricted vehicle. The 6 month rule applies to a 1st Learner Permit in categories A,A1,B,BE,M and W.

tracy1002 wrote:

- prior to passing test I was on my 3rd provisional and it seems wierd to have to start all over again... have been driving 5 years accident free but yet I have to start at the begining. What do you think??

Moral of the story - do an unrestricted test if at all possible!

(Or stick to cars with auto transmission ).

Wishbone Ash

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Surely you would have had to pass a theory test to get your first provisional?

The OP may have passed the restricted test some time ago and had three Provisional prior to that - possibly before the introduction of the theory test.

EDIT: just realised it was in May! (When did the theory test come in?)

Wishbone Ash

tracy - you mention "redoing the test". You are not "redoing" the test. You are doing another test in an unrestricted vehicle.

Alanstrainor

AFAIK it is. As you have passed the test in a restricted vehicle, you are now considered to be back to square one while learning in an unrestricted vehicle. The 6 month rule applies to a 1st Learner Permit in categories A,A1,B,BE,M and W.

Now, i'm unsure! But surely since the learner permits themselves are not restricted to manual/automatic, deciding to Re-do the test, in the same category, to obtain an unrestricted license, would mean it's a 4th learner permit in this case?

Wishbone Ash

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Now, i'm unsure! But surely since the learner permits themselves are not restricted to manual/automatic, deciding to Re-do the test, in the same category, to obtain an unrestricted license, would mean it's a 4th learner permit in this case?

I'm getting confused myself! Although Provisional licences/Learner Permits do not specify restricted or unrestricted, I was always under the impression that passing a test effectively 'cancelled' that Provisional licence/Learner Permit. I'm open to correction.

This problem occurs mainly in category D licences. Many bus drivers with Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann hold restricted licences as they have been trained by those companies and have done the test in an auto (as the fleets are almost all autos).

I was going to say that any of those drivers who subsequently wish to do the test in a manual, have to go back to square one but then it occurred to me that many would have passed the 5 year rule and would be back to square on anyway for the purposed of a Learner Permit.

tracy1002

Finally got some answers today from the lovely lady in the motor tax office.

My provisional was reissued in April this year and because it was a continuation I did not need to do a theory test. Despite the fact that I passed test in May (in automatic) my provisional itself is still valid til April 09. Therefore all I have to do is reapply for it and it will be reissued to me with an expiry date of April 09. Therefore test can go ahead in December!! Thanks for the help

Alanstrainor

Thanks for getting back to us! Some cunfusion arose between us!
well best of luck with everything.
Cheers!
Alan

Wishbone Ash

Thanks for that info. Good luck with the test.

tracy1002 wrote: »

Therefore all I have to do is reapply for it and it will be reissued to me with an expiry date of April 09

If your Provisional Licence had expired last month for instance, presumably you would then be back to square one?

tracy1002

I asked that question and was told no - as long as it has not expired by more than 5 years you can "reactivate" (for want of a better word) your previous provisional... as long as its for the same category