Driving to school

kealb14

I will be driving to school myself soon and I have some questions. My school has a policy that all students who drive to school must hand in their car keys in the morning and can collect them when school is over to drive home. I was wondering am I legally obligated to give them my car keys? I don't mind giving them my keys but I know if I ever need to go home early for sickness etc. They won't give me my keys and will try to get me to stay at school. Are they legally allowed to refuse to give me my car keys? I mean by right it has nothing to do with them as the car will be parked on a public road?

Also, there have been a few times when school management have actually gone out to students cars and used their keys to search the car without the knowledge or consent of the student in search of(e.g spray cans if they suspect the student is doing graffiti) surely this is not legal? Would there be any legal actions I could take if they were by chance to do this to me? Again as I said the car is my property and is parked off school property on a public road.

I'm not sure if this post is in the right place but I would appreciate if anyone could help me with this subject.

doolox

If you are prepared to park on the public road out of sight of the usual run to school and do not tell anyone you are driving to the school I do not see how the teachers can demand your keys or go near your car as it is your own private business how you actually get to school etc.

If you are using school yard or car park however all bets are off and I'd guess they could easily find out who owns the car and demand the keys.

Also all bets are off if you allow the keys to be seen by teachers during school or you become the subject of a search either of your person or your locker and the keys get found.

Secrecy and discretion are paramount for this plan to work, I would not trust anyone else, friends etc. with the knowledge that you have taken the car to school.

The risk is that if you are found out the school authorities might rate it serious enough to expel you and may become suspicious if in the event of securing an early pass for illness that you do not get a family member to pick you up from school.

TY has led to the peculiar legal limbo in that a majority of students do their LC when they are over 18 but are legally adults but still subject to the often arbitrary and child like rules of a school.

kealb14

doolox wrote: »

If you are prepared to park on the public road out of sight of the usual run to school and do not tell anyone you are driving to the school I do not see how the teachers can demand your keys or go near your car as it is your own private business how you actually get to school etc.

If you are using school yard or car park however all bets are off and I'd guess they could easily find out who owns the car and demand the keys.

Also all bets are off if you allow the keys to be seen by teachers during school or you become the subject of a search either of your person or your locker and the keys get found.

Secrecy and discretion are paramount for this plan to work, I would not trust anyone else, friends etc. with the knowledge that you have taken the car to school.

The risk is that if you are found out the school authorities might rate it serious enough to expel you and may become suspicious if in the event of securing an early pass for illness that you do not get a family member to pick you up from school.

TY has led to the peculiar legal limbo in that a majority of students do their LC when they are over 18 but are legally adults but still subject to the often arbitrary and child like rules of a school.

I will be parking on a public road about 2 minute walk away from the school. My plan is,if I do end up having to give up my keys, is to give the my key but not my alarm remote, since my car has an aftermarket alarm. This way it would be fairly silly of them to search my car if the alarm goes off. I think the laws on this really need to be set in stone as at the moment teachers can basically do whatever they want in regards to student-owned cars. My parents and I will have no problem taking legal action if the school attempt to refuse to give me my keys to my privately owned car or if they search it without the consent of me, the owner. Thanks a million for your help.

Gatling

Can you legally drive at 15

Tefral

Gatling wrote: »

Can you legally drive at 15

The answer is no! But where do you see that wrote above?

Peregrinus

No. There are different minimum ages for different classes of licence, and a couple of them can be got at 16. (They relate to mopeds and low-powered motorcycles.) But there is no class of driving licence that can be got at 15.

whomitconcerns

You have more answers in your duplicate thread in After hours...

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057485761

foggy_lad

OP what will you have in your car that you don't want the school finding if they decide to search your car?

It seems very odd that you are spending so much time worrying about them searching if you are not doing anything more illegal than driving unaccompanied?


Also on the whole issue of insurance you will not be insured to drive and the car will hopefully be seized by any decent Gardai that stops you driving unaccompanied.

What that means is that if a claim is made against you then your insurance company will settle the claim and then go after you personally for the full amount and all costs in relation to the claim!

You will also find it very difficult to get insurance in the future.

Dial Hard

foggy_lad wrote: »

It seems very odd that you are spending so much time worrying about them searching if you are not doing anything more illegal than driving unaccompanied?

He/she could be 18 and have a full licence?

OP, if you're not parking on school property then they can't enforce their policy, simple as.

As for searching students' cars without permission - if this is really happening then they are going to end up in serious trouble before long.

athtrasna

Dial Hard wrote: »

He/she could be 18 and have a full licence?
.

They're not though. See their thread in AH

Gatling

athtrasna wrote: »

They're not though. See their thread in AH

See here

Op isn't been very honest at all

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057173576/2

foggy_lad

Dial Hard wrote: »

He/she could be 18 and have a full licence?

OP, if you're not parking on school property then they can't enforce their policy, simple as.

As for searching students' cars without permission - if this is really happening then they are going to end up in serious trouble before long.

Most schools now have student contracts which students must sign that they agree to which gives the school authorities the right to search lockers and other property brought to the school by students!

Dial Hard

athtrasna wrote: »

They're not though. See their thread in AH

Ah. Was just going on this thread.

foggy_lad wrote: »

Most schools now have student contracts which students must sign that they agree to which gives the school authorities the right to search lockers and other property brought to the school by students!

Hence my "without permission" caveat. If the student has signed a contract allowing the school to search their car, then the school has permission.

Anyway, having read the OP's other thread, he/she is clearly having us on here, so off I toddle!

Jb1989

Dial Hard wrote: »

He/she could be 18 and have a full licence?

OP, if you're not parking on school property then they can't enforce their policy, simple as.

If op Is wearing the school uniform while parking the car, then op is bound to school rules.

coffeepls

Gatling wrote: »

See here

Op isn't been very honest at all

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057173576/2

Post number 13 of this linked thread above. Which means the op is now 16 at most.

foggy_lad

Jb1989 wrote: »

If op Is wearing the school uniform while parking the car, then op is bound to school rules.

Afaik the op is covered by school rules and under the "protection" of the school while travelling between home and school morning and evening.

Jb1989

foggy_lad wrote: »

Afaik the op is covered by school rules and under the "protection" of the school while travelling between home and school morning and evening.

Exactly

Squidgy Black

Which means he hasn't even got a licence let alone a car or insurance and is just playing out a hypothetical situation in his head.

foggy_lad

coffeepls wrote: »

Post number 13 of this linked thread above. Which means the op is now 16 at most.

So not just driving without a qualified driver but driving without licence or possibly not driving at all but trying to pave the way for starting driving to school with the payout from the youth club.

Canis Lupus

What are you planning on keeping in your car OP because you seem more concerned about it being possibly searched rather than the issue of handing over the keys.

Larbre34

Something doesn't sound right, a school with so many kids of 17/18 driving to school that they have a policy on car keys, yet such a graffiti problem that they are going out to search private cars on a public road! Its like a Dennis the Menace story.

And no, they don't have the right to collect keys from you, your parents should take it up with the board of management. If you use the analogy of personal devices, the policy is usually that they are to be turned off during X hours, not handed in.

sobeitamen

_Tyrrell_ wrote: »

Which means he hasn't even got a licence let alone a car or insurance and is just playing out a hypothetical situation in his head.

he gave details of his car...and even "We know the local Gardai well."

Gumbi

Larbre34 wrote: »

Something doesn't sound right, a school with so many kids of 17/18 driving to school that they have a policy on car keys, yet such a graffiti problem that they are going out to search private cars on a public road! Its like a Dennis the Menace story.

And no, they don't have the right to collect keys from you, your parents should take it up with the board of management. If you use the analogy of personal devices, the policy is usually that they are to be turned off during X hours, not handed in.

I'm assuming if they don't give up their keys they won't be allowed park on school property.

Squidgy Black

sobeitamen wrote: »

he gave details of his car...and even "We know the local Gardai well."

He also said his "starlet gt rep" was a 1 litre car, when it's 1.3, and no insurer would touch someone his age in one of them.

Marcusm

I wonder does the school, in circumstances where the keys are surrendered, have any duty of care to ensure that the driver is driving within the bounds of his/her licence, ie not unaccompanied. Employers are now often required to obtain and retain insurance details for the employees' cars where used for employment purposes, such as where a mileage allowance is being paid to reimburse the cost of travelling to a client's place of business. Given the pastoral responsibilities and in loco parentis standing of the school with respect to underage students, it is silly to demand handing in of keys unless they also plan to police the student's use of the car.

sobeitamen

_Tyrrell_ wrote: »

He also said his "starlet gt rep" was a 1 litre car, when it's 1.3, and no insurer would touch someone his age in one of them.

Apparently he was not insured? Where has he gone by the way? lol!

nuac

kealb14 wrote: »

I will be parking on a public road about 2 minute walk away from the school. My plan is,if I do end up having to give up my keys, is to give the my key but not my alarm remote, since my car has an aftermarket alarm. This way it would be fairly silly of them to search my car if the alarm goes off. I think the laws on this really need to be set in stone as at the moment teachers can basically do whatever they want in regards to student-owned cars. My parents and I will have no problem taking legal action if the school attempt to refuse to give me my keys to my privately owned car or if they search it without the consent of me, the owner. Thanks a million for your help.

You and your parents should lose that attitude, imho

Schools have enough to cope with with claim-happy students and parents