How long do you have to have a full licence before you can use motorways?

djs101

says it all in the name..

intellectual dosser

0 seconds.

Gaillimh1976

You can use them straight away.

So I suppose, technically, however long it takes you to drive to your nearest motorway...

djs101

Gaillimh1976 wrote: »

You can use them straight away.

So I suppose, technically, however long it takes you to drive to your nearest motorway...

Really i was told 6 months i'm guessing thats wrong?

Grolschevik

djs101 wrote: »

Really i was told 6 months i'm guessing thats wrong?

Not in Ireland yet, as far as I'm aware, though there are supposed to be plans to introduce a restricted plate that must be displayed, like the R plates in Britain.

MGWR

Driving on motorways is easy compared to a lot of the back roads. Even provisional drivers ought to be allowed on a motorway; banning them is backwards.

djs101

okay thanks for the good answers ! can learner drivers not use the motorways ?

hidinginthebush

djs101 wrote: »

okay thanks for the good answers ! can learner drivers not use the motorways ?

Nope.

corktina

thank God ....there's quite enough half-trained people out there as it is!

Hilly Bill

What would be more dangerous? a learner on a motorway under supervision getting lessons on how to drive on a motorway or a person who has just passed their test and first time on the motorway?

icdg

Grolschevik wrote: »

Not in Ireland yet, as far as I'm aware, though there are supposed to be plans to introduce a restricted plate that must be displayed, like the R plates in Britain.

Even in Northern Ireland (they don't actually have them in Britain) R-plate drivers can use motorways, but are limited to driving at 45mph. Most Northern Ireland drivers probably wish they were banned from motorways!

The Road Traffic Bill 2013 provides for drivers to display N-plates for the first two years after they pass their test but doesn't actually provide for any other restrictions on them save they will get a ban after 6 penally points instead of 12.

Incidentally Northern Ireland also plan on dropping the R-plates and bringing in the same N-plate we are going to.

Cookie_Monster

Hilly Bill wrote: »

What would be more dangerous? a learner on a motorway under supervision getting lessons on how to drive on a motorway or a person who has just passed their test and first time on the motorway?

the former though neither are remotely dangerous anyway.

K.Flyer

It still astounds me that there is no Motorway tuition / testing for learner drivers in Ireland.
I understand that not everyone lives within a shout of a motorway, but we have enough now that one would not be a million miles away.

Cookie_Monster

K.Flyer wrote: »

It still astounds me that there is no Motorway tuition / testing for learner drivers in Ireland.
I understand that not everyone lives within a shout of a motorway, but we have enough now that one would not be a million miles away.

plenty of DC you can drive and learn on that are motorways in all but name.

K.Flyer

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

plenty of DC you can drive and learn on that are motorways in all but name.

So why are learner drivers not allowed to use the motorway then.

Cookie_Monster

K.Flyer wrote: »

So why are learner drivers not allowed to use the motorway then.

I've no idea; stupid outdated rules?

flazio

Athlone bypass is used regularly by instructors in that area to teach the basics of Motorway driving (minus the higher speeds of course) and it's also incorporated in the RSA Driving test.

Muahahaha

K.Flyer wrote: »

It still astounds me that there is no Motorway tuition / testing for learner drivers in Ireland.
I understand that not everyone lives within a shout of a motorway, but we have enough now that one would not be a million miles away.

Motoway tuition would be especially useful to help stamp out the motorway behaviour of driving in the middle lane. Sadly I think the horse is bolted on this one and it is now too late as everyone is doing it :mad:

intellectual dosser

I'm going to give an unpopular opinion here.

Anytime I've had a problem with someone on the motorway its generally with someone in the 50+ years bracket, where I assume they've had their license a long time. Probably the most common problem is while travelling along at 120 kph, someone passes me out, pulls into the slow lane, then checks their speed and I end up dangerously close behind them and have to slow down myself.

I'm not bemoaning older drivers, younger drivers will drive dangerously in other situations. My point is that doing the test and gaining experience doesn't seem to prevent the problems we experience on our motorways.

OldNotWIse

intellectual dosser wrote: »

I'm going to give an unpopular opinion here.

Anytime I've had a problem with someone on the motorway its generally with someone in the 50+ years bracket, where I assume they've had their license a long time. Probably the most common problem is while travelling along at 120 kph, someone passes me out, pulls into the slow lane, then checks their speed and I end up dangerously close behind them and have to slow down myself.

I'm not bemoaning older drivers, younger drivers will drive dangerously in other situations. My point is that doing the test and gaining experience doesn't seem to prevent the problems we experience on our motorways.

I think it's a lot to do with arrogance. You know, I have my license, get out of my way learner. Like they were never fuucking learners themselves :rolleyes:

Guffy

How long does it take to get to the motorway?

Mint Sauce

flazio wrote: »

Athlone bypass is used regularly by instructors in that area to teach the basics of Motorway driving (minus the higher speeds of course) and it's also incorporated in the RSA Driving test.

Instructors in Sligo Town also take learners on to the HQDC N4 just outside the town, and a journey between two of its junctions are used in the test.

My instructor compared it to any other motorway in the country as well, just with a slightly lower speed.

Letterkenny also has a DC road, although not with the high quality exits/enterances. A friend of mine who learnt there, was never taken on it as part of their lessons or test, and was even shocked to hear I was taken on the N4 as part of mine.

TBH, without them lessons, I would have had no way near the same level of confidence to travel on the Islands motorways and HQDCs as I do.

Hilly Bill

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

the former though neither are remotely dangerous anyway.

seriously?

murphaph

Here in Germany Autobahn and night driving tuition are both compulsory before you can apply to do your practical test. You can also only drive under supervision of a driving instructor until you have actually passed that test.

Cookie_Monster

Hilly Bill wrote: »

seriously?

yeah.

ever wonder why motorways are the safest road type despite the high speed?
to manage to crash on a motorway requires a special type of incompetency and stupidity.

seamus

K.Flyer wrote: »

So why are learner drivers not allowed to use the motorway then.

Because of an outdated idea from the 80's that speed == danger.

Motorways are consistently the safest roads to drive on, by a wide margin. If anything, learners should be banned from driving on any road which doesn't have a white line down the centre.

Motorway etiquette is another thing altogether and it would be completely feasible to ban L-drivers from the right-hand lane while allowing them to learn in the other lane(s).

_Kaiser_

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

yeah.

ever wonder why motorways are the safest road type despite the high speed?
to manage to crash on a motorway requires a special type of incompetency and stupidity.

And yet its an almost daily occurrence on the M50 - made worse by the other side also grinding to a halt by everyone slowing to have a look! :rolleyes:

2 days ago the south bound lanes after J9/N7 were stopped to a crawl by 2 eejits having a fender bender in the outside lane, and ditto the other side while everyone had a good look. What was even more farcical was the big overhead signs warning of debris ahead but no Gardai on scene to get these 2 eejits to move the cars off the road out of the way :mad:

Cookie_Monster

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

And yet its an almost daily occurrence on the M50 - made worse by the other side also grinding to a halt by everyone slowing to have a look! :rolleyes:

2 days ago the south bound lanes after J9/N7 were stopped to a crawl by 2 eejits having a fender bender in the outside lane, and ditto the other side while everyone had a good look. What was even more farcical was the big overhead signs warning of debris ahead but no Gardai on scene to get these 2 eejits to move the cars off the road out of the way :mad:

well clearly main arteries of Dublin at rush are never going to be a good place. The empty M9 by comparison...

BuffyBot

Troll, and responses to him, removed.

Encouranging someone to break a law, no matter how stupid you feel it is, is not welcome here

Hilly Bill

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

yeah.

ever wonder why motorways are the safest road type despite the high speed?
to manage to crash on a motorway requires a special type of incompetency and stupidity.

You have 3 lanes to use and at higher speeds, cars and large trucks overtaking all around you. One wrong move and its a potential pile up. How is a learner driver on their own on the motorway for the first time safe??? At least a learner under supervision would be advised on proper movements.

intellectual dosser

Hilly Bill wrote: »

You have 3 lanes to use and at higher speeds, cars and large trucks overtaking all around you. One wrong move and its a potential pile up. How is a learner driver on their own on the motorway for the first time safe??? At least a learner under supervision would be advised on proper movements.

The part in bold in itself is illegal.....