EDT Lessons - Been driving for 10 Years

MayoSalmon

So I see that you need these EDT Lessons to apply for a full license.

The thing is I have a full US license and have been driving for well over 10+ years at this stage.

I am on my 2nd Provisional here and need to get my full considering the car insurance quotes I am getting.

The thought of paying €300+ euro for these mandatory lessons is ridiculous.

Has anybody been in a similar position to me?

Alanstrainor

When did you get your first learner permit? If you got it when the rules for EDT lessons were brought in, I believe you'll just have to suck it up and do them I think!

MayoSalmon

sugarman wrote: »

When was your first learners permit issued?

After 2011:rolleyes:

jimgoose

MayoSalmon wrote: »

After 2011:rolleyes:

If the issue date is on or after April 4th 2011 you're cooked, American license or not.

MayoSalmon

Yeah I know.

Like what is the overall purpose of this program...to ensure people can drive properly you would think.

Typical Ireland with there one size fits all policies.

Speedwell

I'm a Yank with a 30-year perfect driving record in the US. I was able to prove this to the satisfaction of my insurance company (Allianz) and get a no-claims bonus. I still have my provisional license, and I took the full course of lessons, and a good thing too because I had to learn to drive a manual transmission and failed my first two tests because it just doesn't come naturally to me (I am much better at it now though). I take care not to have the "I'm an American, defer to me" attitude that a lot of Americans seem to have when traveling, word to the wise.

MayoSalmon

Speedwell wrote: »

I'm a Yank with a 30-year perfect driving record in the US. I was able to prove this to the satisfaction of my insurance company (Allianz) and get a no-claims bonus. I still have my provisional license, and I took the full course of lessons, and a good thing too because I had to learn to drive a manual transmission and failed my first two tests because it just doesn't come naturally to me (I am much better at it now though). I take care not to have the "I'm an American, defer to me" attitude that a lot of Americans seem to have when traveling, word to the wise.

I'm Irish but lived in the States (and drove a manual) for 10 years.

These lessons apart from helping me with some stuff like how to check your mirrors properly etc will be of no use to me and quite frankly an utter waste of money.

I spoke to a few EDT instructors and they have said same to me along with the quintessential that's Ireland for ya pal.

jimgoose

MayoSalmon wrote: »

Yeah I know.

Like what is the overall purpose of this program...to ensure people can drive properly you would think.

Typical Ireland with there one size fits all policies.

The reason an American license is considered the equivalent of a learner-permit here is that arranging exchange programs with the fifty-odd issuing authorities in the United States, as was recently done with the Canadian province of Ontario, looks like too much work for the Masterminds tasked with administering such matters. Oddly enough, you can hire a car and drive away no problem with an American license. Go figure... :pac:

dennyk

You can drive a rental car with any foreign license because they don't want to discourage tourists, I'm sure, and a lot of the big tourist draws aren't easily accessible via public transit.

Driving test standards in many US states are woefully poor compared to most European countries, and I say that as an American who has to go through the whole EDT rigmarole myself (taking my first few hours of lessons next week). I got my license many years ago in Florida by driving around an empty parking lot with fake road markings painted on it while performing a few basic maneuvers.

Would be nice if they allowed foreign license holders to take an abbreviated set of lessons and maybe have their instructor sign off on their ability to drive at a reasonable standard afterwards, I suppose, but it's not that big a deal in the end. If you plan to stay in Ireland long enough to need an Irish license, twelve hours of your time and a few hundred bucks isn't that much in the grand scheme of things, and it's not like you'll ever have to repeat the EDT training unless you somehow don't get your full license for years (at which point you'd be well past your 12-month foreign license grace period anyway).

Also, you don't have to learn to drive a manual to get a license here. Contrary to popular belief, there are automatic cars to be had in Ireland, and driving one only causes a moderate amount of testicular shrinkage, not full detachment (really, it's barely noticeable when you're properly dressed for the climate anyway). :pac:

MascotDec85

MayoSalmon wrote: »

I'm Irish but lived in the States (and drove a manual) for 10 years.

These lessons apart from helping me with some stuff like how to check your mirrors properly etc will be of no use to me and quite frankly an utter waste of money.

I spoke to a few EDT instructors and they have said same to me along with the quintessential that's Ireland for ya pal.

I've taught a fair few pupils with full licences from other countries who've had to go through EDT. Initially, the standard of their driving was awful tbh. Doing the EDT properly vastly improved their driving and helped them gain their full licence here and therefore reduce their insurance

MayoSalmon

MascotDec85 wrote: »

I've taught a fair few pupils with full licences from other countries who've had to go through EDT. Initially, the standard of their driving was awful tbh. Doing the EDT properly vastly improved their driving and helped them gain their full licence here and therefore reduce their insurance

Well considering the standard of Irish drivers especially ones that use the M50 is abysmal I would of love to have seen these folks.

MayoSalmon

dennyk wrote: »

Would be nice if they allowed foreign license holders to take an abbreviated set of lessons

This is the very point I am getting at.

I have clearly learned to drive at some point in time (albeit a far away land where they also have roads and motorcars) and have also driven for 3+ years on a provisional license here.

How in the world they then think you need a further 12 lessons to gain access to even take a test is crazy!

Money racket is all it is really, much like the NCT, Motor tax, VAT on fuel etc etc etc

Alanstrainor

12 lessons is not that much. Compared to other European countries, or Scandinavian countries this is a cake walk. Just suck it up OP, you'll probably stand to learn a lot as you wont have the same lack of confidence that new drivers have, which can result in some wasted time.

cml387

Alanstrainor wrote: »

12 lessons is not that much. Compared to other European countries, or Scandinavian countries this is a cake walk. Just suck it up OP, you'll probably stand to learn a lot as you wont have the same lack of confidence that new drivers have, which can result in some wasted time.

I don't think lack of confidence is the OP's problem.

Pugzilla

Driving tests and driving standards in the US are a joke anyways, maybe you'll finally learn how to drive properly.

Del2005

MayoSalmon wrote: »

Well considering the standard of Irish drivers especially ones that use the M50 is abysmal I would of love to have seen these folks.

That's what they are trying to fix by increasing the standards of lessons, with only ADIs allowed, and mandatory lessons.

I've done the test in Oregon and it was even more of a joke than the Irish one, done in an automatic in a 25mph zone which I managed to pass even after driving on the wrong side of the road! The few States I've driven in the driving is of a similar if not worst standard then here.

Just because you've been driving for 10 years doesn't mean you know everything, as every time you drive should be a learning experience and thinking that you know how to drive proves that you don't.

MascotDec85

MayoSalmon wrote: »

Well considering the standard of Irish drivers especially ones that use the M50 is abysmal I would of love to have seen these folks.

Whataboutary isn't going to change anything.

MayoSalmon

Pugzilla wrote:

Driving tests and driving standards in the US are a joke anyways, maybe you'll finally learn how to drive properly.

While that may be true..Americans are still better drivers than the Irish...go figure!

MascotDec85

MayoSalmon wrote: »

While that may be true..Americans are still better drivers than the Irish...go figure!

That doesn't even make sense in relation to the post you replied to.

dennyk

MayoSalmon wrote: »

While that may be true..Americans are still better drivers than the Irish...go figure!

How do you figure? The US has more traffic fatalities than Ireland by any metric, including per person, per car, and by distance traveled.

MayoSalmon

dennyk wrote:

How do you figure? The US has more traffic fatalities than Ireland by any metric, including per person, per car, and by distance traveled.

Link?

dennyk

MayoSalmon wrote: »

Link?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate

MayoSalmon

Great stats for us there..sure according to them it looks like Irish drivers are some of the best in the world..who knew!

Kintarō Hattori

MayoSalmon wrote: »

Great stats for us there..sure according to them it looks like Irish drivers are some of the best in the world..who knew!

No offence chief but you've mentioned the woeful standard of Irish driving that you've witnessed. They are tackling this by taking a professional approach to training people to drive by having them undertake lessons before they can sit the test.
You've received a licence in a country which has famously low standards for sitting your test. Where the roads are generally much wider and where cities generally follow a grid pattern and generally, though not always, you'll be hard pressed to find a roundabout.

The standards are improving. Take the lessons.