Advice on driving alone..

CorkFenian

Have about 50 plus hours with friends and lessons included if you know what I mean, I have 2nd test booked (waiting on word when it is etc)...Gud few friends are advising me to drive alone, (its not my car,its housemates,but I'm insured etc)...TBH its driving me nuts I thought I could get it all done without doing that and wouldnt feel comfortable doing it, any one any advice on the matter,much appreciated...

Advice on driving alone: don't.
It doesn't matter if everyone else is doing it, they're not going to fork over the thousand euro for your fine if you get caught. Not to mention something may happen that you're unprepared to deal with. The rule is there for a reason.
Best of luck with your driving

CorkFenian

Thanks Bluewolf, I should have said ,in mid 30's and friends (including Garda) keep saying, that its the 17-18yr olds they will catch etc and not myself..I need to get driving asap, but not prepared to break the law, whole thing is driving me (no pun intended) mad!!!

I know the pressure is annoying, I had a qualified friend who was nearly insulted I wouldn't let her be my accompanying driver -but she was qualified less than 2 years so I couldn't.
Just annoy anybody you can to come out with you as much as you can! I got through it without driving on my own and so can you

CorkFenian

Really appreciate the post..I'm very close to it...Thanks again...

**Timbuk2**

Don't do it. Gardaí do not just target 17/18 year olds - they go for everybody. It's not like your age makes you a better driver or anything.

They are really starting to clamp down on it now. Your friends say go for it, but they might have got their licence at a time when the Gardaí were quite lax about it, or even at the time when you could legally do it on your 2nd provisional.

Don't do it. Pass the test, through practice with an experienced driver, and then do it. There is a reason why LP holders are not allowed to drive on their own.

Best of luck!

Alanstrainor

No matter what your friends say, or what age you are, ultimately you are breaking the law by driving unaccompanied and you could face a fine of up to 1000. It will be you who will be stuck with the consequences.

EDIT: I#m not trying to guilt trip you or anything, it#s just that no matter what your friends say the above will still be true.

Midnight_EG

CorkFenian wrote: »

Thanks Bluewolf, I should have said ,in mid 30's and friends (including Garda) keep saying, that its the 17-18yr olds they will catch etc and not myself..I need to get driving asap, but not prepared to break the law, whole thing is driving me (no pun intended) mad!!!

What a discriminatory remark!


I'm 18, I've been driving a modified car for a year now, and I've only been stopped twice for mischief in that time!


Rest have been check-points, where they always let other people through but pull me in, and at that it's only been 3 times aswell!


So yeah, they don't only pull over and catch 18 year olds, I was stopped once while on a learner permit, driving on my own, and the three guards that got out all told me to just be careful and pass the test, simple as.


However I do know of a 30 year old, a 54 year old and a 27 year old who have all been brought to court over driving unaccompanied!

Permabear

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litmus paper

It really depends on you, I used to drove alone wen i was on my provisional. hated the idea of bringing a accompanied driver with me, which means my dad only. my dad did not have the time to be accompanying me all the time. I only drove in the town and once to a different city (with mom not qualified though). The main thing is confidence. once u have that ure sorted. i would say 50 hours is not enough, i drove like a crazy idiot. drive more than 100 + hrs and u surely will pass ur test. g luck.

As law student i will advise u not to break the law. its the humiliation that is more important than the 1000 euro fine.

af_thefragile

I've driven more than a 1000miles since I got my own car about 4 months ago. I won't say I don't do it myself. But I keep it to the bare minimum. Only to the store and back or to pick up my friend who's got the full license. And I do occasionally take the car out for a spin around my neighborhood. But I don't go past a few blocks from my home.

SO I won't advise you to do it. Its not worth paying a grand over such a stupid and avoidable thing. Think of all the things you could do with a grand rather than spending it on some stupid fine. Its really not worth it.

If you wanna go out for a drive, make sure to hitch up a friend who's got a full license. That's what I do!

Victoria.

I wouldn't do it if I was you. I was warned by my parents that if I ever did and was in an accident or was caught unaccompanied it wouldn't be their problem and they're right, I mean they bought the insurance, tax and gave me petrol money so.... They shouldn't have to pay a grand.

I remember when I first got my full license and I thought I was fantastic, scariest thing ever being alone in a car and being lost or something, different driving in the real world rather than going around the test route 50 times. I remember my teacher saying to me that he was the same and in the first year since he passed his test was involved in 5 crashes, same reason he thought he knew it all.

Just don't a thousand euro is a lot and your friends can be stupid and say it will be grand but they won't give you a penny towards it guaranteed.

beeno67

Midnight_EG wrote: »

What a discriminatory remark!


I'm 18, I've been driving a modified car for a year now, and I've only been stopped twice for mischief in that time!
!

As an 18 year old you have already "been stopped twice for mischief". :eek:
That is a pretty disgraceful record.

Midnight_EG

beeno67 wrote: »

As an 18 year old you have already "been stopped twice for mischief". :eek:
That is a pretty disgraceful record.

Speeding.....

Posy

CorkFenian wrote: »

I have 2nd test booked (waiting on word when it is etc)...Gud few friends are advising me to drive alone, (its not my car,its housemates,but I'm insured etc)...

So these friends are willing to pay the €1,000 fine for you if you get caught, yeah?

ztoical

Move to the uk 7 months ago and was back in Ireland for a week there last week and over the course of a few days was stopped three times at check points and asked for my licence. Two years driving on a full licence I've never been asked for my licence before and now 3 times in as many days, def seems to be a bigger clamp down then several months ago so it's really not worth it. Also I'm a girl in her late 20's so they aren't just asking 18 year old lads.

brembo26

I am not going to say whether you should or shouldn't drive un-accompanied but ill tell you my experience driving on a learner permit:

Im nearly 19 now but i started driving when I turned 17 and got my full licence 7 months later, meanwhile I had L plates all over the car as every learner should have and went through 2 check points, nothing said. Got stopped twice randomly and again nothing said. Was in an accident one time when a car drove into the side of me on a roundabout, nothing said. All while being un-accompanied. They are fairly lenient if they know your not a messer!

Mimikyu

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af_thefragile

brembo26 wrote: »

I am not going to say whether you should or shouldn't drive un-accompanied but ill tell you my experience driving on a learner permit:

Im nearly 19 now but i started driving when I turned 17 and got my full licence 7 months later, meanwhile I had L plates all over the car as every learner should have and went through 2 check points, nothing said. Got stopped twice randomly and again nothing said. Was in an accident one time when a car drove into the side of me on a roundabout, nothing said. All while being un-accompanied. They are fairly lenient if they know your not a messer!

Well, they don't seem to be so lenient anymore. Over the past few months they've getting pretty strict about it and aren't letting many people off for driving unaccompanied.

I remember just a couple of years ago everyone was driving unaccompanied but now things seem to have changed...