Caught by Garda while driving on learners permit without accompanied license holder

funluving4u

Hi All,

I want your views on the incident below which happened with me three weeks ago.

I was on a Learners permit for driving a car at that time. I was stopped by Traffic Garda near city centre saying I have broken a signal and that they will impose fine and two penalty points. Without bothering to listen to me, they asked me for my license. Seeing the Learners permit, he said that I will get the fine and penalty points for breaking the signal and summons for the court for driving alone on a learners permit without any accompanied driver. They were not ready to listen to me and took my learners permit, dont know what they did in their car with my learners permit, then returned my learners permit and left.

It has been three weeks since and I have not received anything so far. In the meantime I have taken the driving test and have cleared my test. I have a full Irish license now.

Can you please advice me as to what should I do.

Paulw

There is no legal excuse for driving on your own on a learners permit, so the Gardai had no reason to listen to you.

So now, you wait for the summons, you go to court and plead guilty. Or, if you want to argue, get a good solicitor. A summons can take a number of months to come through.

Any penalty points will then be added to your new full license.

MagicSean

Wait for your fine, wait for your summons, produce your insurance cert if you were told to and don't drive alone.

Finnbar01

funluving4u wrote: »

Hi All,

Seeing the Learners permit, he said that I will get the fine and penalty points for breaking the signal and summons for the court for driving alone on a learners permit without any accompanied driver.

Sorry to hear that you're being summoned to court over this stupid draconian law.

Best of luck in court.

Finnbar01

Finnbar01 wrote: »

Sorry to hear that you're being summoned to court over this stupid draconian law.

Best of luck in court.

You must be bloody joking.

coylemj

funluving4u wrote: »

Without bothering to listen to me, they asked me for my license.

funluving4u wrote: »

They were not ready to listen to me and took my learners permit

What were you gong to tell them?

funluving4u wrote: »

dont know what they did in their car with my learners permit, then returned my learners permit and left.

Probably checking you on Pulse to see if there was any warrants out for you.

BrianD

Finnbar01 wrote: »

Sorry to hear that you're being summoned to court over this stupid draconian law.

Best of luck in court.

The OP wouldn't have had a problem if he/she hadn't of broken the law in the first place. Perhaps that qualified driver would have advised them to slow down and not break the "signal".

It's not draconian as it only effects a year of your driving life and has its benefits. A sense of perspective is required, please! 10 lashes of a whip for being a woman while behind the wheel is a draconian law.

jdooley28

Can take a while to get a summons, doubt there is any way around it

AvonEnniskerry

You were unaccompanied in the car without a full license... End of.
It was bad luck that you were caught.However I cannot see the relevance in you having passed your test since. You were still driving illegally at the time

vetstu

Finnbar01 wrote: »

Sorry to hear that you're being summoned to court over this stupid draconian law.

Best of luck in court.

Yes, here is a bit of paper with your picture on it. Go drive a ton or so of metal wherever you wish with no supervision.

pmcd22

nasty when it happens but thats the risk you took. now you will have to pay for it..

Faing

We are the only country in Europe that "Turn a blind eye" to Learner drivers driving unaccompanied. If you drove through a red light and got caught just take it as a lesson learned. That law is there for a reason.
Pay up and take the points, they are yours by right.

Stark

bluewolf wrote: »

You must be bloody joking.

But sure what would you need a license for. Isn't it just like one of those go-karts you used to ride as a kid.

Fred Cohen

Just out of curiosity, how did you get home?

coylemj

Folks, as often happens we're talking to ourselves, the OP has posted nothing since the first post.

funluving4u

I drove home after the event.

I know what I did was wrong and absolutely illegal. I am just trying to see what experience people have, if any, in a similar situation

ROCKMAN

Fred Cohen wrote: »

Just out of curiosity, how did you get home?

funluving4u wrote: »

I drove home after the event.

I know what I did was wrong and absolutely illegal. I am just trying to see what experience people have, if any, in a similar situation

This is the madness behind the law , They stop you because your breaking the law (ok not in this case ) and then let you continue to break it ..

Same as the NCT your car can fail the test making it not road worthy but your still allowed to leave and drive it home..

AvonEnniskerry

another example.
You can fail your test but still drive home

234

AvonEnniskerry wrote: »

another example.
You can fail your test but still drive home

But only if accompanied by a fully licenced driver.

The_Snapper

funluving4u wrote: »

Can you please advice me as to what should I do.

OP,

Sit back, take your punishment on the chin and learn from it.

Slozer

Did you get a ticket from them?
How did they give you back your license? did they have words with you when they gave it back?
It could be a case that they went back to the car and got a more urgent call and had to go and didnt bother writing up or recording the offences.

BornToKill

BrianD wrote: »

A sense of perspective is required, please! 10 lashes of a whip for being a woman while behind the wheel is a draconian law.

If I recall correctly, and you're kind enough to indulge the pedantry, that's not strictly accurate. Draco prescribed the death penalty as punishment for almost all infringements of the law. Now that's draconian!

later12

Paulw wrote: »

Or, if you want to argue, get a good solicitor.

Not even. If you want to argue, first find something to argue.

Driving on an L permit, and subsequently becoming fully licensed does not retrospectively abolish any previous charges of driving in an unqualified capacity without a qualified passenger.

I've done what you've done in the past, and so have many others (charges of driving without a fully qualified passenger were not enforced by most Gardai up until about 2007/ 2008) so I suppose you could have reason to feel hard done by in that sense.

But the Gardai seem to have seen the error of their ways, and it would be difficult to argue the charge.

shanered

Wouldn't argue IF you get the summons.
Lets hope ya don't.

Milk & Honey

BrianD wrote: »

A sense of perspective is required, please! 10 lashes of a whip for being a woman while behind the wheel is a draconian law.

That punishment is not for being a woman. It is for driving without a licence. A man would get at least the same.

funluving4u

Slozer wrote: »

Did you get a ticket from them?
How did they give you back your license? did they have words with you when they gave it back?
It could be a case that they went back to the car and got a more urgent call and had to go and didnt bother writing up or recording the offences.

No I did not get any ticket from them.

They said that I would get the summons by post.:mad: