Your attitude to unaccompanied drivers

Isambard

Do you give the same consideration to someone with an L plate displayed whether they are accompanied or not?

I tend to assume someone unaccompanied isn't a learner, just driving a car with L plates that refer to another user of the car.

What's your opinion?

Should L plates be only displayed when an L driver is at the wheel, properly accompanied, as in the UK?

drunkmonkey

I don't even know what the plates mean anymore so assume there all rookies. I just get past them as quick as I can.

I think 1 plate is enough it should always be displayed if there's a learner in the car accompanied or not.

eeguy

Isambard wrote: »

Should L plates be only displayed when an L driver is at the wheel, properly accompanied, as in the UK?

Hasn't this thread come up every week for the last year?

wiz569

I like to think I give the same consideration to every driver regardless of a plate on their car.

ravima

Be very careful if driving on Learner Permit and unaccompanied. You might not be insured. If you are not and if the car insurer is obliged to pay a claim, then the insurer will want to recover any money paid out. That means that both driver and policyholder will be sued. It is no laughing matter.

Supergurrier

The whole accompanied thing is a major cop out by the govt in the first place.

In practical terms it makes no sense. Increased driver learning systems need to be put in place like they have in Finland where teenagers must undergo rigorous driver training courses in extreme conditions in order to even get on the road.

But why bother putting money into saving lives and improving driver quality when they can use the road death figures to flog us into keeping the fixed penalty euros coming in whenever we dare question the status quo.

CalamariFritti

Being from a country that has much stricter learner rules and requirements I always thought of the L driver thing a very strange and dangerous idea. Especially when accompanied isn't even enforced. But I don't see L drivers killing people left right and centre to be fair.

So now I don't really pay attention to an L plate anymore. Sometimes you see a real beginner beginner typically accompanied and you know take it easy with this one just by the way they operate. But typically when unaccompanied they all look like reasonably competent drivers. No worse than some of the older folks anyway.

Comhrá

your attitude to unaccompanied drivers

I don't stress too much over them as long as they're not texting while they drive.

Del2005

ravima wrote: »

Be very careful if driving on Learner Permit and unaccompanied. You might not be insured. If you are not and if the car insurer is obliged to pay a claim, then the insurer will want to recover any money paid out. That means that both driver and policyholder will be sued. It is no laughing matter.

Legally you aren't insured as you are driving outside the terms of your permit, but in this country that doesn't stop the companies paying out for unaccompanied unlicenced uninsured drivers.

I've never heard of any insurance company coming after an uninsured driver for costs of a claim, so while they can they don't.