Young new drivers face year-long passenger ban

Cookie_Monster

link

NEWLY qualified young drivers face a possible year-long ban on carrying passengers to stop them being distracted and crashing.

The radical proposal is being considered by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) following months of consultation involving all the road safety agencies, the Irish Independent has learned.

Research shows young drivers aged 17 to 24 who are accompanied by two friends are 86pc more likely to have a fatal crash than if they were on their own in the car.

The distraction of engaging with friends makes inexperienced drivers lose significant concentration and they are prone to crash.

"Their concentration goes with the gags, the chat and the radio," RSA chairman Gay Byrne told the Irish Independent.

"And one of the boys is bound to say 'Hey, Mick, this is a high-performance car. Let's see what she can do'.

"Two miles down the road they slam into a tree or a wall and they are all dead," he said. :rolleyes:

"The proposal is that for between six and 12 months after they pass the test, the young driver could not carry any passengers.

"The problem with young fellas is that you cannot get to them unless there is enforcement, and they get the message," he added.

Mr Byrne yesterday said the measure would first have to be approved by the RSA board as part of the ongoing overhaul of the driver licensing regime.

He said the restriction could be in place for between six months and a year.

Yesterday the Irish Independent revealed almost 14,000 learner drivers have been summonsed for driving without L-plates or for being unaccompanied by a qualified driver.

The road safety supremo and broadcaster said it was very disappointing so many people had blatantly disregarded the law.

Mr Byrne added: "But it just shows that if you persist (in breaking the law ) you will be caught."

Ahead of the notoriously treacherous May bank holiday weekend, he pleaded with all drivers to drive carefully and reduce their speed, as this was the single biggest cause of deaths on Irish roads.

Just came across this on the Indo site. Gaybo spouting off again.

I think this is a bit of an odd rule they're looking at and largely pointless and considering how many rules go unenforced why bring in stuff like this to make peoples lives harder when proper training and enforcement of the current rules would be more effective.

It'll be radios and mp3 banned next at the rates he's going.

Personally I always drive more carefully and reserved if there is anyone else in the car than I do on my own, "the lads" included. but thats just me

Mr. Presentable

It's not odd at all. In many countries unqualified drivers are forbidden from having such passengers.

I agree on the enforcement (or lack thereof) part though. They need to be nailing unaccompanied learners to the wall. Otherwise we are just back to how it was ten years ago.

matrim

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

link



Just came across this on the Indo site. Gaybo spouting off again.

I think this is a bit of an odd rule they're looking at and largely pointless and considering how many rules go unenforced why bring in stuff like this to make peoples lives harder when proper training and enforcement of the current rules would be more effective.

It'll be radios and mp3 banned next at the rates he's going.

Personally I always drive more carefully and reserved if there is anyone else in the car than I do on my own, "the lads" included. but thats just me

It's a bit of a strange one given that to learn you must have an instructor (or at least a passenger with a license) so you should be used to driving with someone in the car beside you.

You also have to look at how to enforce it. Will they have a sign to say they are newly qualified or will Guards have to randomly stop any car with a young looking driver and passengers?

jim_bob

so once you pass you exam ... the fully qualified driver that has been sitting next to you while you where a learner for the last while is now a distraction

Where do they get this crap from

Berty

Banning friends. Nice one government.

What are the chances that girls will be allowed passengers but not blokes?

antodeco

It makes more sense to have a ban on certain engine sizes. If its an issue of "lets see what this high performance car can do" then limiting engine size will help.

ART6

jim_bob wrote: »

so once you pass you exam ... the fully qualified driver that has been sitting next to you while you where a learner for the last while is now a distraction

Where do they get this crap from

It falls into the same category as engaging the gear before engaging the brain. Speak first, think after.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

vectra

So does this mean I must accompany my son to the test center as he cannot drive....He passes his test and I have to walk home....:D
Good man Gay.. "should have stuck to the Late late show" :pac:

KamiKazi

Now yiz have a glimmer of how much crap motorcyclists have to put up with from the RSA.

Maybe I'll bump the restriction thread :cool:

Cookie_Monster

vectra wrote: »

So does this mean I must accompany my son to the test center as he cannot drive....He passes his test and I have to walk home....:D
Good man Gay.. "should have stuck to the Late late show" :pac:

maybe they'll modify this idea a bit so its only lads under 25* or good looking wimminz with large chests that are banned from accompanying you...

*cos we all know these people are inherently irresponsible according to the likes of gaybo

bongi69

So maybe the RSA will ban people from using mobile phones behind the wheel because they are a distraction? Or maybe putting make up on at the wheel can be outlawed? Oh wait................

This is more rediculous tripe spewing from Mr. Road (not living in the real world) Safety. So a newly qualified driver after learning to drive with an instructor/passenger with full licence sitting next to them instructing (i.e talking) would not be able to use his/her car for it's intended purpose: transporting people from a-b.
When I was newly qualified I dropped and collected my GF from her house in a less than safe area. Is Gay suggesting she walk home instead, and face the far greater risk of mugging, rape etc? I was in a car pool at work, cutting down 4 commutes each day between us, taking 2 cars off the road at rush hour. Would he prefer 2 extra "dangers" on the road? Or maybe my disabled father, while waiting for his car to be adapted should have just wheeled himself to the chemist.

There are too many situations where a newly qualified driver would have a very good reason for carrying passengers, and It would be a massive waste of Garda time and resources.

Yakult

Its like the RSA just dont bother trying anymore*



*Oh wait, they never did. silly me :rolleyes:

Teferi

Why is it always "boys will crash"...

Aren't women more likely to crash per mile driven than lads?

Anyway, stupid rule. I never had a problem with mates in the car. If they're distracting you just tell them to shut up...

colm_mcm

sounds a bit silly, you can have 3 passengers when you're learning as liong as 1 of them has a license, then you pass the test and have to go everywhere on your own.

stevenmu

"Their concentration goes with the gags, the chat and the radio," RSA chairman Gay Byrne told the Irish Independent.

"And one of the boys is bound to say 'Hey, Mick, this is a high-performance car. Let's see what she can do'.

"Two miles down the road they slam into a tree or a wall and they are all dead," he said.

That sounds like a very plausible scenario to me, clearly Gay Byrne is very familiar with riding around in cars with young boys :pac:

vincenzolorenzo

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

link

Personally I always drive more carefully and reserved if there is anyone else in the car than I do on my own, "the lads" included. but thats just me

Me too, I'd tend to be a bit quicker on my own, but with passengers on board take it down a notch or two. Depends on the passenger of course!

wayne0308

I seen this earlier, seems a very strange rule. So it will just affect 17-24 y.o. drivers if its brought in?

I'm a learner driver, I'm 26 so this rule probably wont affect me if the above is true but lets say I'm 18 or 19 and I just got my full license last week. Now assuming I've never broke the law in my life, this would mean that I've never drove unaccompanied and I've never drove on a motorway. I'd still want to have someone with me the first time I head on to a motorway to be honest, it's a very different driving environment that the one you trained for for your test. I suppose its not that big an issue as most people have to do it sometime or later, on their own or with someone.

I can see and understand why they might bring in a rule like this, but there are other glaring safety issues out there that the Gardai can more easily enforce. But I'd imagine a rule like this would be a nightmare to enforce. Unless you were stopped for something else the Garda wouldn't know how old your license is.

Kepti

I'm all for it, as long as they start removing all of the older people who are either too visually or mentally impaired to operate a vehicle.

Max Power1

Kepti wrote: »

I'm all for it, as long as they start removing all of the older people who are either too visually or mentally impaired to operate a vehicle.

+1

blatant ageism. Its ok if its against the white hetero male 18-24, but not "the poor pensioners"

evolutionqy7

Kepti wrote: »

I'm all for it, as long as they start removing all of the older people who are either too visually or mentally impaired to operate a vehicle.

+ 2 to that

Xios

I have to say the reasoning behind this rule is quite retarded. In all fairness, the RSA should bring in engine size restrictions for cars, exactly the same as motorbikes. Which i think will strongly reduce the rate of speed related accidents.
If we want to reduce the rate of deaths on irish roads, maybe spending all the funds that would be wasted enforcing this retarded rule on better roads, better restrictions on the quality of car safety (the engineering side) and a much better road safety awarness system.

I honestly believe a stricter licensing system needs to be in place. with a much more rigorous test, involving emergency braking and evasive manouvers. Teaching the nation to have a little more cop on would be much more effective.

stimpson

Kepti wrote: »

I'm all for it, as long as they start removing all of the older people who are either too visually or mentally impaired to operate a vehicle.

Gaybo can be first.

evolutionqy7

Xios wrote: »

I have to say the reasoning behind this rule is quite retarded. In all fairness, the RSA should bring in engine size restrictions for cars, exactly the same as motorbikes. Which i think will strongly reduce the rate of speed related accidents.
If we want to reduce the rate of deaths on irish roads, maybe spending all the funds that would be wasted enforcing this retarded rule on better roads, better restrictions on the quality of car safety (the engineering side) and a much better road safety awarness system.

I honestly believe a stricter licensing system needs to be in place. with a much more rigorous test, involving emergency braking and evasive manouvers. Teaching the nation to have a little more cop on would be much more effective.

in fairness good road conditions and decent sign layout about road layout and etc would help to stop half of them or more...so maybe we should be concerned more about how good is the road were driving on and address this issue...****ty roads is where most accidents happen!

ART6

Since the new young driver is safer if he is on his own in the car, does that mean he could actually legally carry passengers sitting on the roof? I look forward to boy racers tearing up the countryside with two others hanging on to the radio aerial.

* Well it's no dafter than Gaybo's suggestion*

dirtydiesel

When I learned to drive many moons ago, I always felt more confident with a passenger with me until my confidence built up. Then I got to the stage where passengers refused to get in with me cos I thought my mark 2 escort was a rally car, then it met a tree and that calmed me down.

evolutionqy7

lol well every single driver had some sort of accident weather big or small and that puts a bit of cop on to us all i think

Cuddlesworth

*Step 1-Demand all new drivers be accompanied.

*Step 2-Check Road deaths figures. If down proceed to Step 3 claiming more measures need to be introduced to save lives, if up proceed to Step 3 claiming more measures need to be introduced to save lives.

*Step 3-Demand all new licensed drivers not be accompanied.

*Step 4-Check Road deaths figures. If down proceed to Step 5 claiming more measures need to be introduced to save lives, if up proceed to Step 5 claiming more measures need to be introduced to save lives.

*Step 5-Ban all new drivers.


I can see where this is going. And why is it in all these interviews no journalist has actually asked Gay Byrne what relevant qualifications does he actually have to be head of our Road safety executive? Advanced driver training? Statistician? Engineer? Popular broadcaster? Ohh wait...

AugustusMinimus

We are talking about a man who is spokesman for the RSA yet he'd been driving around for years without having taken the driving test.

The man clearly isn't qualified to be in this position and has made an ass of himself now on numerous occassions. This proposal is hardly that unexpected from him.

ha-ya-said-what

Righhhhhttt so their learning & on a permit maybe 6months to 4 years (cos they cannot pass a test for the life of em) & could be a complete & utter ditz & danger yet a complusory accompanying driver has to be with them at all times before they pass the test & get declared a competent driver.

Yet after they pass it & the RSA says "fair play ya passed, great little safe, confident driver you are" ... they won't allow passengers.

Hmmm I wonder in which case is a passengers life gonna be more in danger...... ohhh that's a tough one.

ShadowHearth

after i thought they invented all crazyest **** ever possible, they just managed to go up even higher...


When i started i asked anyone to be a passanger in the car, as it gave me confidence, even mine instructor said 6 years ago: "get someone in passanger seat when you start of driving, 4 eyes are better then 2".

Seriuosly, shouldnt there be a Passanger with full licaense when you have provisional license? Arent they hitting themself in balls?!

P.C.

I think this is a brillint idea.

I passed my driving test a while back, so it will have absolutely no effect on me.

I hope they maker this law - and soon!

Professey Chin

P.C. wrote: »

I think this is a brillint idea.

I passed my driving test a while back, so it will have absolutely no effect on me.

I hope they maker this law - and soon!

challengemaster

Few flaws with the arguement..

Someone who's 17 is hardly going to have a performance car. Feck sake, I'm 19 in a week and have a 1.4 almera, and I'm still getting hammered for insurance. So unless they've got cash spouting out their arse, they won't be able to afford the car or the insurance.

And, anyone who actually has a proper high performance car, more than likely won't be acting the mick at every possible oppertunity. People know how easy it is to rack up points.

Personally, I'm more inclined to push the car a bit more when im on my own, nobody else to worry about..

yet another fecking stupid idea...

errlloyd

It makes sense, please lets not deny that banning passengers decreses roads deaths.

Please lets not deny that banning driving decreases road deaths. I'm a sick of people doing studies, seeing a problem and banning that problem. Why not make the death penalty the punishment for all crime.

This is unenforceable, and if they try to make it a penalty point offense I will actively campaign against it.

Yakult

I think anyway we should campaign against gay full stop.

How he even got that job is above me. Just because he hosted a tv show.. Doesnt make sense.

ha-ya-said-what

challengemaster wrote: »

Few flaws with the arguement..

Someone who's 17 is hardly going to have a performance car. Feck sake, I'm 19 in a week and have a 1.4 almera, and I'm still getting hammered for insurance. So unless they've got cash spouting out their arse, they won't be able to afford the car or the insurance.

And, anyone who actually has a proper high performance car, more than likely won't be acting the mick at every possible oppertunity. People know how easy it is to rack up points.

Personally, I'm more inclined to push the car a bit more when im on my own, nobody else to worry about..

yet another fecking stupid idea...

We need rich parents .... feckin heard of a 17yr old just down the road being bought a brand new high end BMW. Any here ever got one the min they turned 17???

Stinicker

I think this is a good idea but it needs to come with more measures. Not driving when accompanied by a full driver and without L plates should be punished harder also.

What gaybo needs to do is.

Ban the carrying of passengers with exceptions for parents or guardians or a designated fully licensed driver.

Restrict Horse Power and Engine CC's

Ban all drivers under 21 from driving any modified cars with wide exhausts and stamp out the boyracer culture for once and for all.

If these three measure were adopted and then properly enforced it would help cut out a lot of unnecessary deaths especially in places like Donegal.

kasper

just make the minimum age to qualify for a learner permit 25 years old problem solved just for males . females are careful could get a free full license when they are 15 years old presto problem solved

-Corkie-

challengemaster wrote: »

Few flaws with the arguement..

Someone who's 17 is hardly going to have a performance car. Feck sake, I'm 19 in a week and have a 1.4 almera, and I'm still getting hammered for insurance. So unless they've got cash spouting out their arse, they won't be able to afford the car or the insurance.

And, anyone who actually has a proper high performance car, more than likely won't be acting the mick at every possible oppertunity. People know how easy it is to rack up points.

Personally, I'm more inclined to push the car a bit more when im on my own, nobody else to worry about..

yet another fecking stupid idea...

No body to worry about???? You obviously drive on empty roads or on airport runways where there is no oother cars

challengemaster

Stinicker wrote: »

Ban the carrying of passengers with exceptions for parents or guardians or a designated fully licensed driver.

Seriously? Have you even read the fecking OP? It's for fully qualified drivers to 6-12 months after the test. Do you really think they want to be bringing mammy or daddy around for company? Or that they'll go find a fully licensed driver on the off chance they'd like to talk to someone while they drive? It's an unusually high amount of bull**** to come out with, even for the irish.

I don't even have my full license a year, yet, the main person I have in the car with me is my girlfriend. I do like being able to bring her places without the use of 2 cars, especially if we're leaving from the same place. How stupid is it that if we wanted to go to the cinema, I could drive in, but someone else would have to bring her, from the same starting point, in another car, to the same place. Now, I could just get a lift with her, but then whats the point in me having a driving license at all?

Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid idea.

Restrict Horse Power and Engine CC's

Or, power/weight ratio which would be more sensible.

Ban all drivers under 21 from driving any modified cars with wide exhausts and stamp out the boyracer culture for once and for all.

What's wrong with someone under 21 owning a modified car? Does it matter if the mods are performance mods or visual mods? Or is it the wide exhaust you've a problem with? Does the wide exhaust make someone a boy racer?

Please come back when you get some idea of what you're talking about.

ha-ya-said-what

Now for anyone all for that idea but with the exception of family or guardians .... Have a think about how you think things would play out if someone was stopped & had a parent or guardian with them


This is how I picture it:

Passenger - "Ohh I don't have anything with me at the moment to prove I am his/her mother or any identification as to who I am"

Guard - "Ok so could you step out of the car, while I set up the back drop, fecth me polaroid & take your picture to attach to your details"

10min later after messing around ... "Ok now can you come down to the station tomorrow with your identification & prove this is your son/daughter"

Atomic Pineapple

The sooner Gay Byrne is ousted from any sort of authoritative position the better, he hasn't a clue.

Deaths on our roads have only been decreasing because of better roads and ever improving car safety and breath testing.

A much better way to actually make an impact on the number of road deaths is to spend money on some proper initiatives.

Education, all the way through the age range there are Irish drivers who actually haven't a clue how to drive let alone how to react to the unexpected, spend some money improving the outdated driving test, the laughable theory test and enforce fines on people for poor driving such as not driving around a roundabout properly or being in the wrong lane on a motorway.

Road Network, again spend some money on the roads, as I said above newer roads have saved lives but with the recession other roads have become death traps and some of the newer roads lack proper protection like barriers and for god sake build some rest stops, you can drive all the way from Galway to Dublin and you have to pull off and find a town to take a break.

This tripe of Gaybo spewing some ridiculous law that's near impossible to enforce, puts pressure on people during there normal lives and creates more anger among already hard hit motorists only does more harm than good.

Stinicker

challengemaster wrote: »

Seriously? Have you even read the fecking OP? It's for fully qualified drivers to 6-12 months after the test. Do you really think they want to be bringing mammy or daddy around for company? Or that they'll go find a fully licensed driver on the off chance they'd like to talk to someone while they drive? It's an unusually high amount of bull**** to come out with, even for the irish.

I don't even have my full license a year, yet, the main person I have in the car with me is my girlfriend. I do like being able to bring her places without the use of 2 cars, especially if we're leaving from the same place. How stupid is it that if we wanted to go to the cinema, I could drive in, but someone else would have to bring her, from the same starting point, in another car, to the same place. Now, I could just get a lift with her, but then whats the point in me having a driving license at all?

Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid idea.


Or, power/weight ratio which would be more sensible.



What's wrong with someone under 21 owning a modified car? Does it matter if the mods are performance mods or visual mods? Or is it the wide exhaust you've a problem with? Does the wide exhaust make someone a boy racer?

Please come back when you get some idea of what you're talking about.

I knw very much what I'm talking about and have far more driving experience than alot of people in this country.

I read the OP's post and made the point that rather than a blanket ban of passengers there could be designated passengers for people who drive to work and carshare etc.

Such restrictions are common place in other countries and we need to introduce them and restructure the driving test. Our driving tests today consist of about half an hours drive around a regional town where the applicant will have been living or practising for ages and this does not lead to good driving as it is as simple as taking a quick spin around your home town getting your licence hopping into a car with a full licence and thinking they are Mario Andretti and getting killed two days later.

There has to be vehicle restrictions and Modified cars both in performance and visual should be banned to the U-21's due to the dangers they pose. A 18 year old driver in a modified car no matter how crap it is thinks hes great and as yourself has described has the Girlfriend in the car and will be acting the bollocks showing off when in the real world us normal drivers are thinking god what a numpty and most women would run a mile from that crap!

Wide exhausts create noise pollution and most modded cars with them are done badly and there is a massive difference between a factory spec M3 and a Honda Civic tarted up.

There has to be some regulation clamping down on boyracer culture and changing our mindset totally. Where I live every year we get the huge influx of boyracer morons and the odd genuine car enthusiast who follow the Rally of the Lakes in Killarney and sort of sheer stupidity that goes on would make your blood boil. This year I am going to London with the OH to avoid the whole stressful situation.

ha-ya-said-what

draffodx wrote: »

This tripe of Gaybo spewing some ridiculous law that's near impossible to enforce, puts pressure on people during there normal lives and creates more anger among already hard hit motorists only does more harm than good.

I ent at all for the idea but when I thought about it, it's very easy for them to enforce if they just stick to no passengers end of.

They'll code the license to make it known they ent allowed to carry passengers & prob introduce the Green L Plates that would be complusory for the time frame of the restriction. And carrying fines of a minimun of €1,000. If they can catch up to 14,000 learner for things since 2008, they can def master this one & enforce it.

Tho it screams to me REVENUE REVENUE

Micky Dolenz

First off I think the RSA have saved lives on Irish roads without doubt.

This rule won't affect me either, while I understand the logic behind it the rule itself makes no sense on a large scale and would be very hard to enforce.

Eric Cartman

while this rule wouldnt affect me i still think its pretty stupid, ive seen lads mess about in cars with groups of them there, but its just as bad a bunch of lads in a bunch of cars, if they wanted to save lives by trying to implement this they should just hand out penalty points for drivers and fines for passangers of cars engaged in anti social behavious (screaming and throwing things out windows of cars, speeding through estates, really loud music past 12 in residential areas etc....) this would probably never work because of enforcment but neither would the original plan, but that plan just makes criminals out of young lads out with the bird for the evening ,


as far as i know gay byrne is just trying to make driving so un-enjoyable that well preffer to sit at home and watch re-runs of his hayday on the late late

Atomic Pineapple

Stinicker wrote: »

There has to be vehicle restrictions and Modified cars both in performance and visual should be banned to the U-21's due to the dangers they pose.

Yeh because a bodykit or a spoiler can leap out at you and kill you without warning :rolleyes:

The car itself whether modified or not is not at fault for any sort of accident, its the driver that's at fault, if you ban modifications then they will simply crash a non modified car.

Education is the key to decreasing road deaths in young drivers not banning modifications.

Stinicker wrote: »

A 18 year old driver in a modified car no matter how crap it is thinks hes great and as yourself has described has the Girlfriend in the car and will be acting the bollocks showing off when in the real world us normal drivers are thinking god what a numpty and most women would run a mile from that crap!

Same could be said about an 18 year old in a non modified car

Stinicker wrote: »

Wide exhausts create noise pollution and most modded cars with them are done badly and there is a massive difference between a factory spec M3 and a Honda Civic tarted up.

Nothing to do with road safety though.

Eric Cartman

draffodx wrote: »

Yeh because a bodykit or a spoiler can leap out at you and kill you without warning :rolleyes:

The car itself whether modified or not is not at fault for any sort of accident, its the driver that's at fault, if you ban modifications then they will simply crash a non modified car.

/QUOTE]

Still, ban boxy starlets and nova's , nobody of right mind to drive responsibly owns one of them

Stinicker

draffodx wrote: »

Yeh because a bodykit or a spoiler can leap out at you and kill you without warning :rolleyes:

The car itself whether modified or not is not at fault for any sort of accident, its the driver that's at fault, if you ban modifications then they will simply crash a non modified car.

Education is the key to decreasing road deaths in young drivers not banning modifications.



Same could be said about an 18 year old in a non modified car



Nothing to do with road safety though.

Banning modifications should be part of the strategy though, driving in a normal car you are not as tempted to speed and act the maggot. Boyracers in their cars think that even a run to the shops is part of a racetrack and drive accordingly.

The state of Utah in the US recently passed a bill in the state senate banning modified exhausts and these measures need to implemented over here too. No driver at 17 is a good driver and having them sitting into a Modified car increases their chances of death immensely. Modified Exhausts are a road safety issue as the driver maybe unable to hear the sirens of an emergency vehicle due to the noise emanating from his back box.

ha-ya-said-what

Stinicker wrote: »

Banning modifications should be part of the strategy though, driving in a normal car you are not as tempted to speed and act the maggot. Boyracers in their cars think that even a run to the shops is part of a racetrack and drive accordingly.

The state of Utah in the US recently passed a bill in the state senate banning modified exhausts and these measures need to implemented over here too. No driver at 17 is a good driver and having them sitting into a Modified car increases their chances of death immensely. Modified Exhausts are a road safety issue as the driver maybe unable to hear the sirens of an emergency vehicle due to the noise emanating from his back box.

I'm sorry but I can't take any more of your rant about modifications and I'm sure some of the others are probably the same, now if you read the link below

http://www.rsa.ie/RSA/Licensed-Drivers/About-Your-Car/Modified-vehicles/

And still aren't happy to the top right of that page you'll see a contact box ... take it up with the RSA!