Do L plates have to come down every time we swap seats?

TwoCats

My husband and I share the driving. I'm a learner and I keep hearing that he has to take down the L plates when he's driving, but I can't find anything about that on the RSA site. Does anyone have a link to a conclusive answer?

SureYWouldntYa

Yes. Get the magnetic L plates, they're easily taken down.

Witcher

Not they don't, it's not an offence.

SureYWouldntYa

Blay wrote: »

Not they don't, it's not an offence.

Even if it's not an offence, I'd still have them taken down when there isn't an L driver driving. It will draw a bit of attention, L plates up and someone driving on their own, and the usual crowd who are ignorant to L drivers

Rubberchikken

I've had an L plates ony car for the past couple of years due to kids learning to drive and not being around to practice wrc, and i've never had one ounce of bother having them up.

Cant see why there would be

TwoCats

SureYWouldntYa wrote: »

Yes. Get the magnetic L plates, they're easily taken down.

Do you have a link to something official showing that, please?

We're not bothered about attention, we've had them up for a year and he hasn't noticed any difference in how people drive around him, and he hasn't been stopped. I'm just curious, really.

kerry4sam

TwoCats wrote: »

My husband and I share the driving. I'm a learner and I keep hearing that he has to take down the L plates when he's driving, but I can't find anything about that on the RSA site. Does anyone have a link to a conclusive answer?

TwoCats wrote: »

Do you have a link to something official showing that, please?

We're not bothered about attention, we've had them up for a year and he hasn't noticed any difference in how people drive around him, and he hasn't been stopped. I'm just curious, really.

You can buy magnetic l-plates from the AAshop right here and halfords sell them also. My Late Loving Dad kept the l-plates up on his last car as he was assisting my sister with her driving. She later got insured on her partners car but Dad always kept the l's up in event she ever wanted to return to him for assistance.

Anywhoo, Mom sold on Dads' last car and only a few weeks ago I saw someone driving it in North Kerry and they still had the l-plates up on front and back, exactly where they were when Dads car was sold. Not sure why - could be a learner himself, the new owner, nothing to do with me anyways.

Nothing was ever said; no extra attention was ever brought on my Dad thankfully; never an issue with the l's up even when no learner was using the car as he always had a full licence himself.

Hope that helps,
kerry4sam

biko

Just leave them up. I was driving herselfs car with them up all the time.

my3cents

biko wrote: »

Just leave them up. I was driving herselfs car with them up all the time.

So whats the point of them if you leave them up?

barneyrubble46

I would say just leave them up, it is actually an offence in the UK to drive with L plates on a car if the the learner is not driving, but hey this is Ireland, only a year or two ago you could go take your test, fail, then drive yourself home, beyond words

ProudDUB

If the non learner was driving unaccompanied, or was on the motorway, it could result in the car being pulled over by the Guards, as both of those are no no's if you are a learner driver. The Guard could send you on your merry way once he sees the full license of the driver, or he could be a tosser about it, for wasting his time.

An instructor I know got fined for doing that, when he was driving his wife car that had L plates up. I'll ask him for the legislation the next time I see it, as I've done a Google search and I can't find it. I think the fine was piggybacked onto something else though, or the fine was for something else, it wasn't just for driving a car with L plates.

biko

my3cents wrote: »

So whats the point of them if you leave them up?

The point is not having to remove them every time a full licences driver drives.
You can also drive around with a "baby on board" sign even if there is no baby in the vehicle at the moment

Blingy

We had the L plates up all the time on the car for over a year but mostly it was the fully qualified driver that was driving and that included a lot of motorway driving and never had a problem!
Now we have the N plates up all the time. The thoughts of having to take them down and put them back up every time...

Kidchameleon

Sounds like the OP's hubby is on some kind of an ego trip...

biko

That's a bit harsh. I read it as he's not very bothered but want to the right thing.

spurious

It's an eye opener to drive with L plates up - the abuse some drivers feel the need to give is bordering on needing psychiatric help.

messrs

never heard anywhere about having to take them down. Few parents in here have L plates up as their kids are learning to drive at the moment, but the don't take them down when the are coming into work, they are up all the time.

thesimpsons

I'd rather have them up all the time than forget to put them up if the learner was driving instead. Never had an ounce of bother with anyone treating me differently just cos of the car having L plates, amused at people complaining of being treated differently if they have the L plates up.I've had L plates up almost continuously for 4 years.

TwoCats

Kidchameleon wrote: »

Sounds like the OP's hubby is on some kind of an ego trip...

Actually none of this is anything to do with him, it's me who's curious because of stuff I'm reading on other forums. I'm baffled as to how you could think he's on an ego trip, to be honest?

Thanks for the input everyone, so we still have nothing conclusive.

slimshady14

barneyrubble46 wrote: »

I would say just leave them up, it is actually an offence in the UK to drive with L plates on a car if the the learner is not driving, but hey this is Ireland, only a year or two ago you could go take your test, fail, then drive yourself home, beyond words

You can still do that, just take down the L plates leaving the test centre if ya fail. Everyone does it. Still not enforced!

jimgoose

No. This is illegal in the UK, but not here.

SureYWouldntYa

slimshady14 wrote: »

You can still do that, just take down the L plates leaving the test centre if ya fail. Everyone does it. Still not enforced!

It really isn't. Got stopped before at a checkpoint, handed him my license. Got a fine for no tax, nothing said about license