how do some people pass their driving tests???

bytesize · 30-06-2007 09:13PM #1

ok i was just down in the local tesco picking up some bits and pieces. on my way into the car park, the very first car there was parked way out of his spot and halfway in the junction. this caused that particular lane to be blocked and was a pain in the back-side. as luck would have it, the culprit was just returning to his car when i was driving passed so i rolled down the window and asked 'did he not know how to park'. at which point he went off into a rant about how it was his car and when i pointed out that yes it was his car but it wasn't his road, he started with' do i not have any other problem in my life etc etc etc.

now i find that many people just cant park and have gotten into the habit of writing little notes and placing them under their wipers stating that they should learn how to park.

the thing that gets me is that we all know how the test centers have quota's on how many people to pass a day but could they not pick the ones that can actually drive. my sister who is a very good driver failed based on petty little things like not knowing the specific word for word definitions of certain things. she explained what they were but lost marks cos they weren't word for word. yet my bro's gf passed with flying colors but hasn't a clue how to drive. she is purely not experienced enough....

ahhhh rant over

MagicMarker · 30-06-2007 09:16PM

You should have hit him with your rhythm stick

Mossy Monk · 30-06-2007 09:18PM

Indicating and roundabouts seems to be another mystery that most drivers cannot solve :mad:.

mikemac · 30-06-2007 09:24PM

bytesize wrote:

the thing that gets me is that we all know how the test centers have quota's on how many people to pass a day but could they not pick the ones that can actually drive.

You, my friend are talking sh**te and just passing on an urban myth.
The test isn't perfect for sure, but there are no quotas. I suppose all candidates fail on Monday mornings as the instructor is grumpy and all candidates fail on Friday evenings as the instructor is planning their weekends and have no interest in their job. If you fail your test it's your fault and if you feel hard done by then lodge an appeal.

Your sister had months and months to learn to learn the rules of the road and the theory information so to be fair if she didn't get know them on test day, is that someone else fault?
Are you telling us she got a grade 3 fault and so an automatic fail on the theory part of the test?

Anyways, you have a point about parking but afaik the signs in the Tesco car park are advisory only and do not compare to signs on public roads. May be wrong on this though and maybe some legal expert can advise here.

copacetic · 30-06-2007 09:25PM

bytesize wrote:

now i find that many people just cant park and have gotten into the habit of writing little notes and placing them under their wipers stating that they should learn how to park.

this is one of the saddest things I have ever heard.

tampopo · 30-06-2007 09:46PM

I think, to help incompetent parkers, the powers that be should mark parking bays at 45 degrees to the road. This would enable drivers to reverse out much more easily and safely than the 90 standard parking bay.

Karoma · 30-06-2007 10:02PM

I've lost count how many times I've walked past the local school which is adjacent to a supermarket car park filled with cars parking lengthways across two spaces (Some with L plates)...

I want to obtain/make something like http://www.iparklikeanidiot.com but with the stuff Irish Rail uses that makes their stickers very difficult to remove.

kelle · 30-06-2007 10:10PM

bytesize wrote:

now i find that many people just cant park and have gotten into the habit of writing little notes and placing them under their wipers stating that they should learn how to park.

I was tempted to do that on a lab tech at the hospital where I work, as she constantly parked using 2 spaces in our very small car park. Didn't have to, as one day one of her tyres was slashed. I secretly jumped for joy:D

kdouglas · 01-07-2007 12:10AM

kelle wrote:

I was tempted to do that on a lab tech at the hospital where I work, as she constantly parked using 2 spaces in our very small car park. Didn't have to, as one day one of her tyres was slashed. I secretly did it

fixed

and yes, i cant stand bad parking either, really gets on my nerves

StephenC_IRL · 01-07-2007 12:36AM

i found a great way, im learning in a decent car. anyone else ever seen a Lexus with L plates :P

Capt'n Midnight · 01-07-2007 01:07AM

If they cross the line then park right next to them so they have to get in the passenger door.

ctc_celtic · 01-07-2007 01:28AM

i quite regularly park in two spots, i've so many door scraps that i just dont give a feck anymore. but i never do it in a very small parking area and always drive to the far point of the carpark, but if there are 2 spaces, i'll use them.

a few months ago i got one of those notes left on my window screen, 'learn to park you W***er', i never laughed so much in all my life. it was a massive parking lot, i was away for less than an hour and there were loads of spaces when i parked (even closer to the exits) and loads when i arrived back.
so since then i've concluded that these people that leave the notes just have a very sad life. and it my goal to own a big enough car that i could take over 3 spots.

WindSock · 01-07-2007 02:00AM

Good on you for sticking notes down. It may help that inconsiderate f-wit to take another few seconds to straighten up next time. And agree with having diagonal spaces.

Nephew · 01-07-2007 02:27AM

I completely understand why people take up two spaces, some cars are just too big/long to fit in standard parking spots or if they do fit there is not sufficient room to safely open the door without scratching the car door. Especially the likes of Sprinter vans and certain jeeps where reversing out of a tight spot can be quite awkward particularly those with no rear window who have to rely on side mirrors to avoid hitting other cars.

Oriel · 01-07-2007 02:39AM

tampopo wrote:

I think, to help incompetent parkers, the powers that be should mark parking bays at 45 degrees to the road. This would enable drivers to reverse out much more easily and safely than the 90 standard parking bay.

And reverse into oncoming traffic...

mkennedy · 01-07-2007 02:40AM

shouldn't this be in the motors forum.

5starpool · 01-07-2007 02:58AM

mkennedy wrote:

shouldn't this be in the motors forum.

I'm glad you took the time to make that point. Well done.

I hate crap drivers with a passion.

WhiteWashMan · 01-07-2007 05:16AM

there are good drivers and there are crap drivers.

most crap drivers put themselves in the good drivers catagory, and give out about other crap drivers.

i myself am a model driver, having only crashed 5 times, blown up my car at tara street in rush hour traffic, and been caught doing 92 mph on a motor way.

i do however indicate, and i let people out. actually, im a much more considerate and cautious driver in my golden years. as for being a good driver, well, i guess we all have our moments of stupidity.

padi89 · 01-07-2007 09:28AM

micmclo wrote:

You, my friend are talking sh**te and just passing on an urban myth.
The test isn't perfect for sure, but there are no quotas.

I remember reading an article a few years ago on the driving test in Ireland.A nation wide survey was done and they found out that there was never a noticeable increase or decrease in the amounts that passed or failed the test in any given year,it was always pretty much the same.
The first time i did my test i was 45 mins in the car,done a whole tour of Galway when we returned i was told that it was at the end of the test i had failed for not fully stopping as a pedestrian crossed the road in front of me, fair enough.
The second time i did it i was less than 15 mins in the car with the same guy.All i had to do was drive around a housing estate across from the test centre whilst the tester spaced out the window.He didnt seem bothered on what i was doing at all.I was under the impression that he had made his mind up to pass me before i even took the test.
Im not saying they have quotas but there are certainly some strange goings on.

Wertz · 01-07-2007 11:12AM

A particular bane of mine is the old supermarket parking. I've been driving full time for a little over 8 months now, I can fit my car moreorless into any space and have no trouble paralell parking either. No instructor ever showed me, I just practised outside my house with two traffic cones.

Back on topic, I was waiting for my mate to come out with beer the other evening at our local tesco. Across and down from my space was an empty one. Along comes some guy in a 4runner or similar SUV, backs it into the space and whacks his towbar into the bumper of a passat. So he pulls out again, straightens it up a wee bit and reverses again....straight into th passat again. He jumps out, doesn't even look at what he's tipped and wanders off. The guy didn't give a toss. That could have been my own car. There mightn't be any damage but ho the hell would you know without going round to look?
I honestly believe if they're going to let these arseholes out onto the road in needlessly large all terrain vehicles there should be some sort of supplementary driving test, to prove that you have the experience and skill to negotiate Irish roads and streets in such cumbersome cars.

watna · 01-07-2007 11:26AM

You don't have to do much parking in your driving test, except park when you get back to the centre so you can't ask how someone passed they're driving test just because they can't park.

As for people who write notes and leave them on other peoples cars... please.... find something better to do. I think people that take two parking spaces should be arrested for something like public disorder.. it's that annoying, but I wouldn't go as far as to leave a note! I parked in a space in a shopping centre. I drive a little nissan micra and parked normally between the lines. That car that was parked on my passenger side was a lot bigger and parked over to my side. When i got back to the car he'd left a note saying "next time, park closer" but it was his fault for being slightly over the line in his space...... pathetic!

j2dab · 01-07-2007 12:07PM

I reckon for people who do pass their driving test there should be a separate test where they are taught the basics of driving efficiently so as to help traffic move more freely. In particular on the motorway where people do not understand the concept of the overtaking lane.

Dun laoire · 01-07-2007 12:24PM

I saw this woman driving a car this morning and i taught to myself "If she can drive anybody can drive"

flogen · 01-07-2007 12:42PM

j2dab wrote:

I reckon for people who do pass their driving test there should be a separate test where they are taught the basics of driving efficiently so as to help traffic move more freely. In particular on the motorway where people do not understand the concept of the overtaking lane.

Well a major fault of the current driving test is that they can't go on the motorway - I think they were talking about having a motorway test as part of a general overhaul of the licence system, though.

As for bad drivers passing tests, the fact is that many people can drive well if they choose to but decide not to - usually because they see poor driving tricks as being to their benefit (speeding, dangerous overtaking, parking in 2 spaces so the car doesn't get scratched). Also many people assume they can forget most of what they've learned once they have their test - what use is that information afterwards anyway?!
Finally, bear in mind the huge amount of people on the roads who haven't passed any real test. 400,000 L-drivers, not to mention the people who automatically got their full licence years ago when the Government tried to clear the test backlog.

j2dab · 01-07-2007 12:51PM

flogen wrote:

400,000 L-drivers

That just says it all :eek: :eek:

Alanthroneus · 01-07-2007 01:55PM

the thing is .... you dont need to pass the driving test to drive on the road.... you just need to pass the theory

Donald-Duck · 01-07-2007 02:18PM

I saw a guy drive backwards around a roundabout a week ago. No L sign either.

Wishbone Ash · 01-07-2007 02:31PM

mkennedy wrote:

shouldn't this be in the motors forum.

...or even in the Learning to Drive Forum.

Wishbone Ash · 01-07-2007 02:45PM

flogen wrote:

not to mention the people who automatically got their full licence years ago when the Government tried to clear the test backlog.

There is a common perception that, in 1979, the Government granted a full license to everyone on a provisional. That is simply not true. In October(?) of that year, the Government chose a date about 6 months(?) earlier and announced that a full license would be granted to all provisional drivers in CATEGORY C (now category

who were on their SECOND provisional license and had ALREADY APPLIED for a driving test on that date. (I'm not 100% sure about the dates in question).

Those provisional license holders who were on their 1st, 3rd or subsequent license and those who had not bothered applying for the test did not benefit. Nor did provisional holders in other categories. Although it's widely assumed that many motorists got their license this way, I say they only account for a very small fraction (probably less that 1%) of current drivers.

Prior to 1964 there was no driving test. The license could be bought over the counter (in a post office?). Any drivers who availed of this system would now be at least 60 years of age. You can't blame thes people - they haven't done anything wrong. That was the system at the time.

flogen · 01-07-2007 07:11PM

Wishbone Ash wrote:

There is a common perception that, in 1979, the Government granted a full license to everyone on a provisional. That is simply not true. In October(?) of that year, the Government chose a date about 6 months(?) earlier and announced that a full license would be granted to all provisional drivers in CATEGORY C (now category who were on their SECOND provisional license and had ALREADY APPLIED for a driving test on that date. (I'm not 100% sure about the dates in question).

Those provisional license holders who were on their 1st, 3rd or subsequent license and those who had not bothered applying for the test did not benefit. Nor did provisional holders in other categories. Although it's widely assumed that many motorists got their license this way, I say they only account for a very small fraction (probably less that 1%) of current drivers.

Prior to 1964 there was no driving test. The license could be bought over the counter (in a post office?). Any drivers who availed of this system would now be at least 60 years of age. You can't blame thes people - they haven't done anything wrong. That was the system at the time.

Didn't know the details, but it still amounts to the Gov handing out licences to people who haven't passed a test.

And no, of course you can't blame the people who benefited because it's not like they scammed the system in any way, it's still a bizarre way to do things to hand out a single full licence to anyone who hasn't passed a test.

Mr. Presentable · 01-07-2007 07:33PM

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Prior to 1964 there was no driving test. The license could be bought over the counter (in a post office?). Any drivers who availed of this system would now be at least 60 years of age. You can't blame thes people - they haven't done anything wrong. That was the system at the time.

My da did his test in 1956. Hill start at Christchurch was on the route.

how do some people pass their driving tests???

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