Learner permit and (sober?) licensed driver

It stands to reason that you are in a fit state to supervise the learner. All I can find is a Irish Times article from 2008 saying the RSA was looking to bring it in as an offence. But can’t see that it was ever passed.

Lots of legal questions spring to mind on this that could make it an interesting thread in the Legal forum.

Regardless of a law being in place, probably not the wisest thing to do and not the best situation for a learner to be put in.

If you're asking can you be breathalysed the answer is no, not yet anyway. If you're wondering if you have a moral and social responsibility to stay sober when accompanying a learner driver then, obviously, yes you do.

This is a parent accompanying their child and even it wasn't how do you know someone who you've never being in car with is fit to drive without getting in the car with them? They've had lessons with an ADI so you have to assume that they are fit to drive, I've been in cars with people who passed their tests and won't repeat that mistake as they where terrible drivers.

I don't want to go back to bad old days. But it's illogical to require an untrained person to be responsible for the actions of another when they can't do anything. Stepped licences like Germany, Oz and NZ would be a better option than having a person who passed a relatively easy test 2 years previously, or worse 50 years ago, and may have never sat in a car since sit beside a learner.

I have taken over the wheel from the passanger side before. Heading head on for a police car. In the past I pulled the handbrake for a driver heading for a bend too fast. There is a lot can be done such as "watch our for that cyclist with no lights"

An experienced driver can read the road ahead and predict outcomes long before extreme action is needed. Learners are often concentrating on gears and keeping in lane, not necessarily looking at other cars behaviour and possible problems 10+ seconds away from happening.

From a legal point of view I suspect it's unclear, but remember is someone dies all bets are off. Learner drivers are liable to select wrong gear and get totally distracted and veer out of lane at any time.

While there isn’t a specific road traffic offence you could be charged with Reckless Endangerment.

I don’t think you understand the nuances of the legal system or the broad strokes either come to think of it.

No you couldn't because A. There's no offence of 'Reckless Endangerment' in this country, it's Endangerment and B. A prosecution for it requires the DPP's direction and they wouldn't be giving it in those circumstances, you'd be laughed out of it submitting that complete nonsense.

Well I drove for nearly 2 years on my learner permit unaccompanied due to CoVid 19 restrictions but if I had followed the rules, I'd be unemployed and still a learner driver due to the fact that only my wife is a full licensed driver that is anyway free to be an accompanying driver

Your comments seem designed to give an impression of knowledge while all they give is an impression of windbag buffoonery. Having established that you didn’t know what you were talking about but would have been better to remain quiet. As Sir Humphrey would have said, si tacuisses, philiosophus mansisses.

You must be sober also if supervising a learner driver. You can be charged under Section 5 of the Road Traffic Act 2010, as being in charge of the vehicle. The main words here are "in charge". Section 4 of the same Act relates to the offence of driving. The drink driving limits apply to both the driver and the person in charge.

in charge 'with intent to drive or attempt to drive the vehicle (but not driving or attempting to drive it)'

so, unless there is some other section that actually supports this idea, thats a no on that one.....