Most pointless job in the world

billy767

I have been working next to the RSA driving test offices in Finglas for the last few weeks. Is the job of being a driving tester in Ireland the most pointless job in the world? I watched in amazement as time and time again people drove into the car park by themselves, failed the test and then drove off again. What is the point of the having a test if driving without passing it is not enforced.
It must be frustrating for the testers watching people drive in by themselves, put on the L plates then just take them off and drive away after failing.
There was people taking lessons and doing their test in cars from the driving schools but I also saw them driving in by themselves in their own car to meet their instructor.
Several times I saw instructors take people out on lessons without having L plates on the car.

Why are the Guards not doing their job to enforce the law. In one day at Finglas test offices they could catch a hundred people.

bmwguy

How do you know they failed?

Renegade Mechanic

In fairness most don't fail because they rolled over someone, it's usually over a few minor transgressions.

It should probably be done like the NCT, where you have "failed" (a light out or imbalanced shock absorber) and "failed dangerous" (axle mounts are more rust than metal).
In the case of failed dangerous, they are obliged to notify the guards if you attempt to drive the car away.

Likewise, if you fail yer test because you don't know what a dipstick is (quiet down the back...) then off you go, learn your **** and come back.
If, on the other hand, you failed because you mounted a footpath at 40mph, crossed a double white line to overtake someone or returned to the testing centre with someone else's paint on the testers car, then yeah. It's probably best you get taken home, tied down in a trailer..

dennyk

Well, I apologize in advance for causing your colleagues distress in a couple weeks (though I certainly hope to be driving off after having passed, myself...). At least in my case it's technically legal, though. :pac:

pillphil

I think their issue is with people on a learner permit driving unaccompanied.

pillphil

dennyk wrote: »

Well, I apologize in advance for causing your colleagues distress in a couple weeks (though I certainly hope to be driving off after having passed, myself...). At least in my case it's technically legal, though. :pac:

Really? How's that? There can't be any old second provisional still valid, can there?

pillphil

sugarman wrote: »

Why would the driving instructor/tester even care? Not saying they dont...

But in my workplace, I look after what I do... When it goes out the door, I dont worry what people might/might not do with it.

If anyone should care it should be the RSA themselves and the Gardai, rules and regulations need to be updated.

I remember being told for the bike test if I showed up without a tabard (hi-vis jacket with a couple of l plates stapled to it )< it would be an automatic fail.

Unfortunately, I didn't test the hypothesis.

dennyk

pillphil wrote: »

Really? How's that? There can't be any old second provisional still valid, can there?

I have a full US license, and haven't been here for 12 months (yet...).

pillphil

dennyk wrote: »

I have a full US license, and haven't been here for 12 months (yet...).

Can't you just swap the licence? Although having two might be handy...

dennyk

pillphil wrote: »

Can't you just swap the licence? Although having two might be handy...

Sadly, no; although I can drive on it here for up to 12 months, they won't accept a US license in exchange, so I had to go through the whole learner's permit and licensing process. It did get me a letter of exemption for the six-month wait, at least, though between taking the EDT lessons and waiting weeks for a test date, that didn't end up saving me much time.

pillphil

Wow, I didn't know that. Seems a bit strange.

jamesbondings

pillphil wrote: »

Really? How's that? There can't be any old second provisional still valid, can there?

What's this you speak of? I am looking to do my full test shortly(on the waiting list) I also have an old second provisional. Just wondering what you mean in relation to the previous comments about the previous poster doing it legal?

pillphil

jamesbondings wrote: »

What's this you speak of? I am looking to do my full test shortly(on the waiting list) I also have an old second provisional. Just wondering what you mean in relation to the previous comments about the previous poster doing it legal?

It couldn't still be vaild though, could it? You could drive unaccompanied on a second provisional before they changed to learner permits. That was a long while ago, though.

jamesbondings

Oh sorry. Mine is a newer card version. However as my first pre dated the legislation for the 12 lesson thing I don't have to do them. I thought there would be another rule I was exempt from. Oops!

pillphil

jamesbondings wrote: »

Oh sorry. Mine is a newer card version. However as my first pre dated the legislation for the 12 lesson thing I don't have to do them. I thought there would be another rule I was exempt from. Oops!

Yeah, just looked it up. 2008, where has the time gone?

jamesbondings

So I do need a full licensed driver?

pillphil

jamesbondings wrote: »

So I do need a full licensed driver?

Yeah, all learner permit holders need an accompanying driver. Except for motorbikes, and maybe tractors with only one seat?

jamesbondings

Ah well. Sure have the test coming up soon anyways. I drive a family car anyway l plates up haven't been stopped yet.

pillphil

jamesbondings wrote: »

Ah well. Sure have the test coming up soon anyways. I drive a family car anyway l plates up haven't been stopped yet.

Good luck with the test.

boreder

pillphil wrote: »

Wow, I didn't know that. Seems a bit strange.

Irish license holders have do the same in US, too.

In fairness, it's very different driving in the two countries, so I can understand why it's the case.

pillphil

boreder wrote: »

Irish license holders have do the same in US, too.

In fairness, it's very different driving in the two countries, so I can understand why it's the case.

Fair enough, allowing someone to drive for a year with no restriction and then requiring them to do a test still seems a bit odd though.

billy767

bmwguy wrote: »

How do you know they failed?

I was talking to some of them and also if you pass you come out with different paperwork. Not that hard to figure out.

Utdfan20titles

Must drive them mad

Del2005

boreder wrote: »

Irish license holders have do the same in US, too.

In fairness, it's very different driving in the two countries, so I can understand why it's the case.

Driving in the USA is comparable to driving on the continent, yet we can legally drive there with our licences and vice versa.

Though as bad as our test is when I did it in OR it was a bigger joke, all done in a 25mph zone with one way streets in an auto.

hognef

Del2005 wrote: »

Driving in the USA is comparable to driving on the continent, yet we can legally drive there with our licences and vice versa.

Though as bad as our test is when I did it in OR it was a bigger joke, all done in a 25mph zone with one way streets in an auto.

In fairness, the ability to exchange a licence for a foreign one is a political issue. It's not based on perceived ability or similarity of roads or traffic laws.

Without the EU/EEA, who knows, we'd probably be required to sit a new test when moving within Europe too.

dennyk

Del2005 wrote: »

Though as bad as our test is when I did it in OR it was a bigger joke, all done in a 25mph zone with one way streets in an auto.

I originally got my license in Florida, couple decades ago. The test was literally driving a car around an empty parking lot with fake road markings painted on it and a few cones set up.

The main issue with a US driver's license is that there really isn't one; each state issues its own license and has complete control over driving standards and traffic laws. As such, even if they wanted to set up a reciprocal license program, Ireland would have to negotiate separately with each state, which would be a huge effort. I've no doubt that driving test standards are probably also a concern, though; they vary significantly between states, with some being utterly ridiculous like Florida and others giving proper road tests and sometimes even requiring lessons and mandatory practice time.

GrumpyMe

billy767 wrote: »

I was talking to some of them and also if you pass you come out with different paperwork. Not that hard to figure out.

Maybe so - but you don't come out with a full driving license.
Technically, until you are issued with a full driving license, you need an accompanying driver to avoid breaking the law!:P

Speedwell

Driving away from the test center with an L plate does not mean you failed. You don't get to put up the N plates until you get the full licence in the post.

Oh, I'm also an American who had to drive on my full US licence with my L plates up, like dennyk. My local garda told me that if I were stopped for driving alone, I should show my American licence while it was valid; the RSA rep told me I couldn't use the American licence anymore after getting an Irish provisional; nobody has yet been able to tell me which was "correct" according to actual practice, but it was not ever a problem since I was never stopped (since I'm clearly a middle-aged woman growing out her gray hair, any interested gardai probably thought I was a mother driving the teenager's car anyway). Also, I was probably the only provisional driver in Ireland with ten years' no-claims bonus on a learner's policy

By the way... "license" in AmEng, "licence" over here. (Spock eyebrow) Fascinating.

Speedwell

GrumpyMe wrote: »

Maybe so - but you don't come out with a full driving license.
Technically, until you are issued with a full driving license, you need an accompanying driver to avoid breaking the law!:P

I honestly don't know what I would have done if I didn't have my American licence to hand. My husband does not drive (he does not qualify due to an eye injury in childhood and never learned) and before we understood what the driving test would entail for me, we had settled in a place where we didn't have family or friends convenient to sit in the car with me while I went to job interviews, GP appointments, and other errands. I rode the bus a lot before I was comfortable driving the manual-transmission car I'd bought.

pat1981

bmwguy wrote: »

How do you know they failed?

I would guess looking at the pass rates at test centres would answer this question.

https://uk.search.yahoo.com/search?p=RSA+PASS+RATES+&ei=UTF-8&fr=chr-greentree_ff&ilc=12&type=639975.

I am very surprised as the op mentioned why the guards are not enforcing the law in regard to the op point.

I would say 90/95% of learner drivers that meet driving instructor/doing their driving test at the test centre drive unaccompanied and regardless of the result drive back after unaccompanied.

when you consider rsa recent safety campaign tyres,drink driving, speeding etc, i'm very surprised this rule is not properly enforced.

I agree with the op if the guards waited at most test centres they would be very busy. Maybe its resources idk but a car driven by an inexperienced driver has the potential to be a lethal weapon.

Del2005

pat1981 wrote: »

I agree with the op if the guards waited at most test centres they would be very busy. Maybe its resources idk but a car driven by an inexperienced driver has the potential to be a lethal weapon.

I'd rather they set outside pubs to get DUI's than a few unaccompanied permit drivers, an experienced driver can't do much in a car without dual controls.