Is the Test too easy ?????????????

Coyote

In Ireland you’re twice as lightly to die on the roads as you are in the rest of the EU
We have more that 2 times the number of deaths on road that in the UK, this is not to do with the number of cars or the roads, (the roads are a part of it thou)
53% of drivers on the roads in Ireland are driving on a proviso licence or have never pasted a driving test. A number of people out there have full licenses for trucks that they have never past a test for.
All you did was tick what you wanted!

People talk about that the driving test is too hard, well I found the test easy and I had been driving for just 7 months (most of that time waiting for the test as there was not enough testers)

Well I put it that the driving test is too EASY.
And that people should have to redo their test ever 10 years
If you do not have a full driving licence then you can not drive after 3 years with out a 1-year brake
As it meant to be by the law right now.

What would happen?
The price of insurance would drop.
The number of people killed on the roads would half.

If you can not past the test then you SHOULD NOT BE DRIVING
It’s as simple as that, you’re driving around in 1 ton of metal at high speed
If you can not past the test you’re a danger on the road.
In Japan you do 30 hours of driver school before your let in a car then you have do a number of lessons on the motorway, city and suburbs then you can do the test. They have some of the most cars on the road but they do not have nearly as bad a number of road deaths.

Who can give me a one good reason for having a easy road test?

NeRb666

I think it is sufficient in what it sets out to achieve, basically 30 minutes of everyday driving. It needs to be expanded though, to include things like control, maybe they should do something on driving in the wet. It's too basic if you know what I mean.

I also think that everyone should be made to do it again at least every 10 years.

Spunog UIE

Personal View:

Its a bit laughable and it is not consistent. I remeber hearing on the radio that all you need to be a tester is to have a full lience and thats it. There is no special course ya gotta take or nothing. So say you go down and pass your test tomo, and have like 2 months road experience you can then test someone else and say that they can drive?! come on ffs. It wouldn't surprise me if it was true.

What i would like to see is this. A proper written test and set course of driving instuction before you even get your provisonal lience. Nothing too hard, just start, stop, general road awareness. Then take a test on the lessons to get your provisonal. After this you would be allowed on road experience with a driver with a full lience. This should last for a year. Another test should then be takin in two parts. The normal on road driving through towns etc, which should include parking of all sorts and coming out of parking positions, not just your reversing around cornors or 3 point turns. I think there should also be a circuit test of some sort to measure car control. They had some weird kinda tests on advance driving on Drive before.
If you pass this test i think you should be on 2years probasion and then let them have their full lience. This probasion period would help them not forget the right way of doing things after their test, and would make them more causious. Some sort of penalty maybe but in place for any accidents or that durning this time, maybe resit the orginal test, at a fee.
Points system after this would help contue this. And i think are a very good idea.

Rules of road, speed in towns should be 40 miles an hour speed limits in towns should be dropped to 30, and motor ways should be increase to 80 or 90. People should be pulled over for driving too slowly on motorways and maybe they should have a min speed limit. It is dangerous driving and it annoys lots of other drivers causing them to try and make dangerous passing manovers.

Tests should also be repeated like said about every 20 years or so. But maybe in a lesser way than what i have mentioned above. Tests on eyesight should also take place at these times, special tests should be taken after a certain age to test reflexes etc for the old.

People caught drinking/drug and driving should be banned from driving completely for 1-2yrs.

IF all this was to happen i think insurance would have to follow.
Mmmmmmmm what else buggin me, those signs that are on the roads that say so many people died on this road should go, they are stupid and just cause a distraction there too much to read on them and they are put in the worst places, ie on a cornor. Its madness.

(sorry i repeated some of ur points i didn't read it fully to start with, and i obivously agree with what ur saying)

NeRb666

Yeah I agree completely, Gideon.

Especially those signs! I suppose it costs the council a lot less to make a crappy sign than to actully make a road safe. I also agree with the motorway limit to an extent. The 70 mph limit was set in England in the 60's when car companys used them to test race cars, and there's a hell of a lot of difference between your average car in the 60's and today's car. People would still act stupidly though. I see no harm in driving at 90mph on a motorway in good conditions. At the same time, I think it's irresponsible to drive at 70mph in heavy rain, as I've witnessed every day this week.

(edit due to drunken mistakes)

seamus

We should probably create a system that's a hybrid of others.

Germany - The autobahn has no speed limits. Drivers may drive at whatever speed they feel comfortable.
Sweden - Caught Drink/Drug driving? Tough. Bye bye licence, never to be seen again. The only way to stop drink driving is to be mercilessly harsh about it.
UK - First provisional licence drivers may not go out on their own, under any circumstances. On top of this, I think first prov. drivers caught on their own should have their licence yoinked and banned for at least 6 months.

Of course on top of these:- First provisonal licences only last 1 year, and may be upgraded any time after 6 months, on passing a rudimentary road awareness/experience test.
Second provisional licence holders don't need a full holder beside them, but are restricted to driving between 0600 and 0030, 7 days a week (to discourage drink-driving and get them off the roads at times when they/others are likely to speed). This licence must be held for a minimum of 6 months.
Then a third licence can be obtained, again after passing a small test, where the driver may drive on the motorway with supervision. They may also drive any time day or night, without supervision on other roads. This must be held for a minimum 3 months.
Then the test - should be made harder, and you may only apply after getting a 3rd prov., like above.

15 months mightn't sound like a long enough time holding a provisional, but I passed after 11 months, and others passed after even shorter times, which shows that some people are ready to hold full licences before others, hence the testing between each stage of provisional licencing.

Others-those signs are good imo. don't know why, they just are . Minimum speed on the M-way is 30mph, should be upped to 40.

Test should include all types, as Nerb said. In Germany(?) the test lasts 2 hours(?), some of which includes driving at speed(60mph) for 15-20 mins. Our test should be the same. Include motorway driving, heavy traffic, suburb driving, and little poky country roads at 45mph driving.

(My g/f's sister who got her licence 3 months ago has still never been on the motorway!! Madness :rolleyes: )

Odian

I agree with what ya all are saying,the entire system should be reformed.

Heres a few things that really get up my nose and few ideas how to change it.

1. Would like to driving inserted into second level education,even if that just ment learning rules of the road.

2.All those people who got free"hand me out" licences should be yanked back in and given 3 months to complete the full test.

3.Prov licences should only be aloound for one year,after that it should be compulsary to take the full test.(know this woman who is 43 and still on prov-madness)

4.Once ya hold a licence,you should have to repeat it every 6 years

5.Once ya reach the age of 55,you should have to do it every 3 years

Maybe the test should be more comprehensive,focusing on things like harsh breaking,situations that U will actully encounter on the streets.The reason for so many crashes is people not been able to react,not knowing what to do.

The proplem with the system so far is that all you have to do is get rid of your Bad habbits for 30 min,during the test,

Was shopping with my ma today,on the way down to the shops we were talkin bout this very topic,funny thing was i gave out to for not indicating coming off the roundabout.She said "bad habbits"

Thats more the my 2c's worth! lol

TomF

The test is not a difficult one, but my poor wife, who drove in America for 20 years has taken the test three times and failed it all three. One failure was for looking down at the gear shift lever, another was for not speeding up quickly enough on the highway. She gets nervous when she takes the test and the testers don't take account of that and fail her.

Ireland's holders of full licenses may have the physical skills to pass the test, but too many don't have the emotional skill to drive safely once they are away from official observation. We have all seen speeding, unsafe passing, roundabout hoggery, running of stop signs and red lights, aggressive driving (flashing the high beams at a car in front who is doing the speed limit but still not going "fast-enough")...and this is just what I've seen in Cork City since yesterday!

Speaking from the experience of one who has driven on all kinds of American/Canadian/German roads during the past 45 years.:mad:

Spunog UIE

ya but i'm guessin she was used to automatic. there loads of people there that have been drivin for years and probally never used anything else.

Quorthon

One thing I'm surprised has not been mentioned above is enforcement. Sure there are obvious deficiencies in our driving test such as the lack of motorway driving, emrgency stop etc etc that is present in other countries.

However, our current rate of road death could be dramatically reduced if the Gardai merely enforced properly the current rules of the road. For example, it is currently the law that a first provisional license holder, should have a full license holder at all times with them in the car. However, it is well known that most prov. license holders drive unaccompanied. The same can be said for learner drivers on the motorways. Finally, in an irony that is probably only found in ireland, it is only once you have actually failed your driving test (and proved that you are not fit to drive) that you are allowed have a 2nd provisional and drive unattended.!!!

Also, most of the speed checks in Ireland are designed/placed on the safest roads where even vigilant drivers will feel safe in increasing their speeds i.e. they are designed to generate the maximum revenue rather than act as a deterrant on dangerous sections of road. Until the gardai change their policy in relation to detection, our road death stats will continue to get worse.

Q

seamus

Finally, in an irony that is probably only found in ireland, it is only once you have actually failed your driving test (and proved that you are not fit to drive) that you are allowed have a 2nd provisional and drive unattended.!!!

There are hundreds of urban myth about licencing laws, and this is one of them. You may attain a second provisional licence once your first has expired. You may be able to apply for it before your first expires, but I'm not sure. You don't need to have done the test to get a second provisional. But once your second provisional has expired, you may only get a 3rd/4th/5th...... licence on proof that you have either taken a test, or that you have one impending. The only licence where you are allowed drive unaccompanied is the second one. No matter how many more licences you get, ie you could be one your 20th provisional, you still have to be accompanied. Not that the Gardai check..................:rolleyes:

Mills

I had mine checked twice when I was driving unaccompanied and both times they told me I should have a qualified driver with me but did nothing about it. The worst I've ever heard of happening to a provisional license holder was she was made to leave the car there and get a lift or get the owner to come and get it.