Stupid System. Stupid Country

Donald Trump

Sosurface wrote: »

This post had been deleted.

Did you ever consider additional reasons why they might post it out rather than hand it across the counter? Considering that a driving licence is a fairly standard proof of ID?

Permabear wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

If I recall, at least back in the day, you used to get a receipt which would "cover" you for driving in Ireland until the licence arrived in the post. Although this was back in the day when having your licence on you while driving was not mandatory, or at least not enforced.

I have also dealt with US DMV and it was not exactly a pleasant experience. Very bureaucratic and inefficient. And yes, the stereotype of the unhelpful and aggressive DMV employeex was not off the mark......I had a lady take some documents/forms from me and step away from the counter only to return with a "line closed" sign. Then disappeared out the back. I assumed she had to run to the toilet or something. After about half an hour I asked someone else where she was and they told me she was gone on lunch.....If she hadn't taken the documents from me I could have gone to a different person.
The "eye tests" are a joke. As are their practical driving tests (if you live in a state that doesn't allow you to convert your particular international licence)

Realt Dearg Sec

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

why should it be free to get a passport photo done and eye test doen as part of this?

Why shouldn't the test have a separate fee to cover the cost of it?

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

So you think driver test centres should have an optician on site at all times?

That would be highly inefficient i would imagine as they would be twiddling their thumbs for a lot of the time.

Ah come on DDM, you're a good poster and a smart guy from what I can see, it wouldn't take much imagination to just include all of the various bits in one single fee? Aside from the duplication of resources involved in having people going to all these different places, especially all of the people working all of the counters, even having a single bill for everything would reduce administrative fees and drive the overall cost down.

You mention the inefficiency of an optician being on hand. As I've said, we don't actually need an optician on hand (a simple eye test device would be fine), and I don't understand why anyone would think we do, but if it's efficiency you are looking for, the current system is not exactly a good example.

Donald Trump

ToddyDoody wrote: »

It's all the EU's fault of course.

Feck off Nigel :pac:

Realt Dearg Sec

Donald Trump wrote: »

Did you ever consider additional reasons why they might post it out rather than hand it across the counter? Considering that a driving licence is a fairly standard proof of ID?



If I recall, at least back in the day, you used to get a receipt which would "cover" you for driving in Ireland until the licence arrived in the post. Although this was back in the day when having your licence on you while driving was not mandatory, or at least not enforced.

I have also dealt with US DMV and it was not exactly a pleasant experience. Very bureaucratic and inefficient. And yes, the stereotype of the unhelpful and aggressive DMV employeex was not off the mark......I had a lady take some documents/forms from me and step away from the counter only to return with a "line closed" sign. Then disappeared out the back. I assumed she had to run to the toilet or something. After about half an hour I asked someone else where she was and they told me she was gone on lunch.....If she hadn't taken the documents from me I could have gone to a different person.
The "eye tests" are a joke. As are their practical driving tests (if you live in a state that doesn't allow you to convert your particular international licence)

The problems you identify with the DMV are hardly arguments in favour of the Irish system, they are just things that need to be improved about the DMV. I mean, nobody likes the DMV, but when that woman went on lunch, I doubt you thought "I know what would solve this: if, in addition to dealin with that woman, i also had to go elsewhere for the photograph and to another place for an eye test". You probably just thought "I know what would solve this: someone other than her, or a better work ethic here".

Same with the eye test: you probably didn't think "I wish I had to go elsewhere and cue up and pay again to get my eye test done", you probably thought "they need a more up to date eye test machine".

I agree about the posting as it happens, don't understand why that would be a problem, it's an important security measure.

Donald Trump

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Same with the eye test: you probably didn't think "I wish I had to go elsewhere and cue up and pay again to get my eye test done", you probably thought "they need a more up to date eye test machine".

What is the issue with having to go to a qualified optician for a proper medical assessment of your vision before you are made responsible for driving a couple of tonnes of metal and glass at high speeds? My issue with the DMV test was that it was really easy to cheat if you wanted/needed to. And nobody actually looked at my eyes which an optician would have done.

Additionally, you don't even specifically have to go for a specific eye test under the Irish systme. At least when I had got you just had to have an optician sign and stamp the form to say that you had had an eye test within the past two years and you were above the passing level. If you are getting your eyes checked fairly regularly (which you should be, but is your choice of course not to), you would just need to get the form filled in. No charge and only a couple of minutes and can be done months in advance

Additionally for my DMV story, it wasn't my first visit there. On my first visit there, after queuing up for a long time and waiting for my number to come up, I was informed that a credit card statement was not accepted as a proof of address. Bank statement would have been ok, but not a credit card statement from the bank.

Dirty Dingus McGee

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Ah come on DDM, you're a good poster and a smart guy from what I can see, it wouldn't take much imagination to just include all of the various bits in one single fee? Aside from the duplication of resources involved in having people going to all these different places, especially all of the people working all of the counters, even having a single bill for everything would reduce administrative fees and drive the overall cost down.

You mention the inefficiency of an optician being on hand. As I've said, we don't actually need an optician on hand (a simple eye test device would be fine), and I don't understand why anyone would think we do, but if it's efficiency you are looking for, the current system is not exactly a good example.

Not denying the system isn't great as it drove me mad getting my provisional license.

I have glasses already so maybe I'm not seeing the hassle of getting the eye part of it done from a person who doesn't have to wear glasses.For someone with glasses you just have to walk into your optician and ask them to stamp and sign the form.

Sosurface

Donald Trump wrote: »

What is the issue with having to go to a qualified optician for a proper medical assessment of your vision before you are made responsible for driving a couple of tonnes of metal and glass at high speeds? :

I suggest you maybe havent been for the eye test involved? It is not by any means a full medical assessment. Literally a case of"cover eye- read letters-change eye-repeat-tell me when this pen comes into peripheral view"
You could train anyone to carry it out. Pass/Fail, its not like you get a full evaluation/prescription of glasses.

MysticMonk

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

I know. That's what I was saying, there's no necessity for going to a different place. In the DMV the eye test equipment is set up at the counter, you look into the thing and name the letters, you only need to go to an optician if you can't name the letters. It's perfectly simple. This thing of requiring a full eye test has a whiff of a money racket off it.

And what if a person has undiagnosed colour blindness?

Red/green colorblindness is the most common.

9or10

Beyondgone wrote: »

He/she has a point. You, not so much.

Half this country seems to be making a living from getting the other half to jump through hoops to get pieces of paper in order to make their own living. Boils my p155.

Thank you. This has been a hobby horse of mine since Eve said - Have a taste of this.

I wouldn't mind so much if the courses were half way decent.

- CPD for drivers what shoite the guy had never driven a shopping trolley

- spraying course - 200 feckin squids - the guy couldn't have sprayed his arse with a mirror and a target painted on it. I know the chemicals are dangerous but real life common sense, practical solutions not "read the manual lads" - I could do that at home for nothin.

Realt Dearg Sec

MysticMonk wrote: »

And what if a person has undiagnosed colour blindness?

Red/green colorblindness is the most common.

The test the optician in Ireland does for the driving licence doesn't test for colour blindness. More importantly, red/green colour blindness doesn't actually prevent you from driving in Ireland.

munster87

Beyondgone wrote: »

He/she has a point. You, not so much.

Half this country seems to be making a living from getting the other half to jump through hoops to get pieces of paper in order to make their own living. Boils my p155.

Took me way too long to realise what your p155 is :pac:

_Brian

Sosurface wrote: »

Do you need to be a photographer to take a photograph?

No, I do them at home.

Take on a neutral background, size them as per guidelines on websites, print onto 6*4 photo paper and cut up.
Just did two for kids passports this week.

Sosurface

_Brian wrote: »

No, I do them at home.

Take on a neutral background, size them as per guidelines on websites, print onto 6*4 photo paper and cut up.
Just did two for kids passports this week.

And would you estimate this level of technology should be attainable by a state body in a reasonable scenario?

_Brian

Sosurface wrote: »

And would you estimate this level of technology should be attainable by a state body in a reasonable scenario?

If you have such great ideas for change get yourself into the civil service or elected into office and start making changes.
Otherwise the system works fine for me.

Yourself isit

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

The problems you identify with the DMV are hardly arguments in favour of the Irish system, they are just things that need to be improved about the DMV. I mean, nobody likes the DMV, but when that woman went on lunch, I doubt you thought "I know what would solve this: if, in addition to dealin with that woman, i also had to go elsewhere for the photograph and to another place for an eye test". You probably just thought "I know what would solve this: someone other than her, or a better work ethic here".

Same with the eye test: you probably didn't think "I wish I had to go elsewhere and cue up and pay again to get my eye test done", you probably thought "they need a more up to date eye test machine".

I agree about the posting as it happens, don't understand why that would be a problem, it's an important security measure.

The DMV type eye test is clearly prone to abuse.

There could be a booth for photos. Whether it would save much time is open to discussion.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

TheDoc

Have to say my renewals have been straight forward and no big deal.

In terms of all the regulations and idea government and ministers or TD's have. At the end of the day you can't regulate stupid, and all the will in the world bad drivers will still exist.

What I find mental about the whole learner/learning to drive thing, is that learners are excluded from technically the easiest and safest road they will ever drive, a motorway. So we get hordes of drivers coming on the motorways, without a clue or any training in how to use them, hoping they figure it out themselves or just continuing to be rubbish on it.

I commute the M50 twice a day (moral brigade inc) and have done for about three years now, and it's incredible the level of stupidity and cluelessness you see. But I also see it on roundabouts frequently. There is on at Liffey Valley by B&Q, a basic roundabout, where people make a bags of it daily.

I don't usually subscribe to the old mans "ah it's a racket" but if there is one thing pretty much there for me it's driving in IReland. The entire thing from regulation, insurance and all that goes with it, just one big broken system that looks to just milk €€€ for the coffers.

The ten year levy now from insurers, based on data that has undergone absolutely no scrutiny, and made a public mockery of the NCT is just the latest laughable part of it all. I've to get my NCT this month on my 00 Astra, where I'll get a piece of paper that tells me my car was safe the time it was inspected (what is the actual point) and a few months later have an insurer telling me I'm somehow more of a risk because I drive an older car. Because new cars don't ever get into accidents.

All of it seemingly just ignoring the fact the driver is the important part?

BlinkingLights

We really need to update the motorway driving rules around getting learners to actually learn how to use them properly.

I have no idea what the logic of just outright banning them is all about. If anything, they're far more likely to have accidents on other roads where they've got to deal with complex overtaking decisions, far more unpredictable junctions and so on.

We should be teaching good motorway driving : proper lane discipline, how to merge to enter, how to exit etc. It's actually some of the simplest driving, yet it's made out to be some kind of scary thing.

Your Face

You're a stupid country.

Realt Dearg Sec

Your Face wrote: »

You're a stupid country.

Your face is a stupid country.

Your Face

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Your face is a stupid country.

So are you.

Sosurface

Your Face wrote: »

So are you.

.

Your Face

Sosurface wrote: »

.

..

Realt Dearg Sec

Your Face wrote: »

So are you.

Goddamnit, you win.