Provisional licence rules deferred until 30 June 2008!!!

pyrogenx · 28-10-2007 04:45PM #1

Minister Noel Dempsey said on RTÉ's This Week programme that he was deferring the introduction of the accompanied driver provision until 30 June 2008.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1028/roadsafety.html

The bottom line is that when given 9 months notice, nobody will have an excuse to drive on their own and everybody that may not be able to pass their tests until then WILL be able to make alterternative arrangements.

It is both reasonable and addiquit, also it will definatly have a hughly possitive impact on the number of provissional drivers in Ireland.

Thanks to everybody that contributed in making this happen!!!!!!!!

Martin

Mr.Micro · 28-10-2007 04:54PM

I suspect before the 30th june 2008 we will be exactly in the same position as now .People will still complain .It will take years to sort if ever .

cyclopath2001 · 28-10-2007 05:16PM

pyrogenx wrote: »

The bottom line is that when given 9 months notice, nobody will have an excuse to drive on their own and everybody that may not be able to pass their tests until then WILL be able to make alterternative arrangements.

But, I assume that holders of provisional licences other than a 2nd one, must still, as is the current law, be accompanied?

Hobbes · 28-10-2007 05:22PM

Mr.Micro wrote: »

I suspect before the 30th june 2008 we will be exactly in the same position as now .People will still complain .It will take years to sort if ever .

I would most likely think not. I think pretty much everyone was in agreement that while the laws had to come in, giving people 5 days notice was a bit of a joke.

What does he mean by "tests on demand" ?

But, I assume that holders of provisional licences other than a 2nd one, must still, as is the current law, be accompanied?

Yes.

mikemac · 28-10-2007 05:28PM

Seems fair and now noone has no excuse.
And if you are smart you apply to 2/3 test centres so you get even more of a chance.

But goals expand to fit the time and come next June, we'll still hear people moaning.

Was this planned all along and the 5 day notice just a scare tactic to force people into action?
400,000 provisionals drivers and only 130,000 had applied before last week.
I'd like to know what the other 270,000 were doing?

peasant · 28-10-2007 05:29PM

pyrogenx wrote: »

Thanks to everybody that contributed in making this happen!!!!!!!!

You're joking, right?

I don't normally wear a tinfoil hat and hide in the cellar, mumbling 'conspiracy' to myself ...but this whole affair is the biggest and cheekiest political deceipt I've ever seen.

I'm of the firm belief that this was planned to happen like this all along.
Publicise excessive pay increase, overshadow the whole thing with a massive public outcry about something else, roll on the bank holiday, retract the silly bit of otherwise good legislation, bask in knowledge of 'having done something' about road safety, enjoy rest of bank holiday, Tuesday everything back to normal.

Pay increase, what pay increase?

I wonder what road safey measure(s) will be announced come budget day ....

EDIT:

At least I hope that this was the plan all along, because it would credit our governement with some brains ...an option that the alternative explanation does not leave open.

Goldenquick · 28-10-2007 05:33PM

I'm glad they saw sense, I'm not a driver nor do I want to be one but I could see the hardships this was going to cause to so many people.

luckat · 28-10-2007 05:34PM

What's everyone shouting about? The purpose of a provisional licence is to allow you to drive with an instructor, to learn how to drive properly before you take your test.

It was never intended as a licence to drive on the roads as if fully licensed - and only became so by default because of the Government's shameful inefficiency in not hiring enough driver testers to test people and pass them or fail them fast.

sdanseo · 28-10-2007 05:48PM

cyclopath2001 wrote: »

But, I assume that holders of provisional licences other than a 2nd one, must still, as is the current law, be accompanied?

Yes, legally speaking. It will continue to be unenforced though, just an unwritten rule. Stupid really.

cathy01 · 28-10-2007 05:51PM

oh I see, do the L dirvers thing so no one gives out about the pay increas.Just like a decoy!!!
shame on you bertie, tried to apply on line to do my test again, but it wouldnt let me.
cathy

Hal1 · 28-10-2007 05:53PM

The driving test website is still down. I have held of applying since my last test cause my NCT is overdue, but the car was of the road for a while.

zexstream · 28-10-2007 06:01PM

Spineless Stupid Goverment.

I agree with the above poster that it was all a cover up to overshadow the takinn the P Payrises they have just awarded themselves.

In the meantime more young fools will think they can drive on the roads without passing their test and people will Die.

Well down Noel and Co, Well Done.

Healio · 28-10-2007 06:11PM

The way you apply for a test should also be changed, they should make it like when you try and book a flight,

- Pick a centre,
- Pick a day,
- Pick the time slot
- Book Test

sdanseo · 28-10-2007 06:28PM

Healio wrote: »

The way you apply for a test should also be changed, they should make it like when you try and book a flight,

- Pick a centre,
- Pick a day,
- Pick the time slot
- Book Test

Exactly, comparable to the NCT online system - the only part of the entire Dept. of Transport that seems to work fairly well.

Most politicians in this government are utter morons. Sorry, felt that had to be said.

SeanW · 28-10-2007 06:31PM

Yes, a decoy move sounds like a possibility.

There are 120000-125000 2nd provisional licenseholders.

That's 3% of the TOTAL Irish population.

Put them all off the road with 4 days notice - how utterly retarded.

Like a poster above, I'm kinds hoping this was a decoy, the alternative being that they're all a bigger bunch of gob****es than I thought.

dudara · 28-10-2007 06:33PM

sdonn_1 wrote: »

Exactly, comparable to the NCT online system - the only part of the entire Dept. of Transport that seems to work fairly well.

That's because the NCT is outsourced to SGS - a private body

lostexpectation · 28-10-2007 07:11PM

luckat wrote: »

What's everyone shouting about? The purpose of a provisional licence is to allow you to drive with an instructor, to learn how to drive properly before you take your test.

It was never intended as a licence to drive on the roads as if fully licensed - and only became so by default because of the Government's shameful inefficiency in not hiring enough driver testers to test people and pass them or fail them fast.

exactly

Boggle · 28-10-2007 07:33PM

pyrogenx wrote:

Thanks to everybody that contributed in making this happen!!!!!!!!

I have to agree with peasant. They had no intention of following through on this as it was just convenient timing to deflect attention from their pay rises.

FF may be spineless, greedy and incompetent but my god are they good at the 2 vital skills that matter in politics; misdirection and spin!
Pity the opposition are so useless cos, sure as I sit here, the public are definitely not clever enough to understand whats going on - and those that might are so fearful of another recession that they would vote for Satan himself just to make sure that they can pay the now astronomical mortgage they are saddled with!

They were never going to do something which would force people out of work cos then those people might actually have the time to look up and smell the roses and actually make waves.

Maybe a recession might do this country some good and force a little cop on...

BIG-SLICK-POKER · 28-10-2007 07:42PM

I still think that this was a disguised way on deflecting attention away from the increased salaries that the goverment officials recieved last week , I mean come on Bertie Ahearn gets a pay increase ,He wont forget this going into his bank account if it does not happen i bet u . This man earns more than the U.S President does , In my opinion we are all the same because nobody stands up and says anything when it happens

Neill K

pyrogenx · 29-10-2007 01:26AM

sdonn_1 wrote: »

Exactly, comparable to the NCT online system - the only part of the entire Dept. of Transport that seems to work fairly well.

Actually, i rang for an NCT appointment during the summer. They told me that there was no appointments available in their schedule, so they said that they're going to send me a text message once they get a date for me. For about 2 weeks nothing happened, rang them again and they gave me a date for 2 months later!

I needed my NCT in order to do another driving test and the last time one they failed me because i didn't have an irish NCT. The car was actually imported from the uk and i did have 8 MOT left on it. Fair enough, it says in the rules that you must have a valid NCT. But nevertheless, i failed my test without even being able to see how would do and improve on my mistakes if i was going to make any.
The point i'm making is that the NCT waiting times (at least around here) have yet to improve.

Other than that, i'll have to agree with those that said that this just a cover up story, as well as i too believe it was planned this way all along so they don't have people protesting in kildare street at the end of June08. They're not stupid!

mikemac · 29-10-2007 08:05AM

pyrogenx wrote: »

Other than that, i'll have to agree with those that said that this just a cover up story, as well as i too believe it was planned this way all along so they don't have people protesting in kildare street at the end of June08. They're not stupid!

Correct, they definitly aren't stupid.
But come June 08, there will be threads here about people still haven't sat the test despite getting 7 months notice.
Or maybe they will fail and demand to be let on the road. I'm not so interested in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd licence holders-what about the (mainly) women in their 30's upwards who had no intention of doing a test and on their 5th, 6th, etc?

I can picture RTE now.
"I drive my <insert relative/friend> to cancer care and the government won't let me drive so now they will die"

Ok a bit OTT, but RTE were using similar examples last week.

cyclopath2001 · 29-10-2007 08:23AM

dudara wrote: »

That's because the NCT is outsourced to SGS - a private body

Or because the NCT is about testing machines (easily fixed), not people.

cranmore · 30-10-2007 02:15PM

Originally Posted by dudara
That's because the NCT is outsourced to SGS - a private body

maybe the whole government should be outsourced.

pyrogenx · 31-10-2007 12:20AM

cranmore wrote: »

Originally Posted by dudara
That's because the NCT is outsourced to SGS - a private body

maybe the whole government should be outsourced.

LOL that was a good one

Healio · 01-11-2007 04:40AM

cyclopath2001 wrote: »

Or because the NCT is about testing machines (easily fixed), not people.

No doubting what the two tests do, its just that if a person can pick a date, pick a centre and then a timeslot, then there shouldn't be a reason to cancel said test, because said person has applied for date, took it off (work if necessary) so they can sit it, basically everyone knows where they stand. Should be no reason for cancellations!!

Hotblack Desiato · 01-11-2007 02:19PM

There should be a hefty deposit when booking a driving test, which you lose if you don't bother to turn up. Also every provisional licence holder should have to sit at least one test a year.

NewDubliner · 01-11-2007 05:58PM

ninja900 wrote: »

There should be a hefty deposit when booking a driving test, which you lose if you don't bother to turn up.

Better again, how about some financial inducement to pass? A big deposit, refunded on passing.

Mrs Roy Keane · 02-11-2007 12:10PM

First of all the cost of the test is very expensive not everyone has Bertie's salary it should be reduced. Also what about the full licence drivers who are causing accidents nothing happens them. I think they need to increase the age for driving to 21.

What about the people living in the countryside that need their cars to get the work but don't have a qualified driver to accompany them?

Hotblack Desiato · 02-11-2007 02:15PM

NewDubliner wrote: »

Better again, how about some financial inducement to pass? A big deposit, refunded on passing.

But then the eejits who go around saying "it's all a money racket, they fail people on purpose" would actually have some substance to their claim.
As it is, there's no way the test fee can possibly cover the costs of carrying out the tests and administering the waiting list.

Mrs Roy Keane wrote:

First of all the cost of the test is very expensive not everyone has Bertie's salary it should be reduced.

Are you serious? You almost certainly wouldn't fill your tank for €38. If you can afford to buy, maintain, NCT, insure and tax a car you can certainly afford the test. Proper lessons would cost you nearly that much per hour :rolleyes:

Also what about the full licence drivers who are causing accidents nothing happens them.

You're pretty much right, but that's another issue, and no excuse to let provisional licence holders drive around untested.

I think they need to increase the age for driving to 21

Why? If they are insured, licensed, sober, accompanied (or pass their test) just like anyone else should be, why should you discriminate against them on the grounds of their age alone?

What about the people living in the countryside that need their cars to get the work but don't have a qualified driver to accompany them?

Please. Not the "laws should not apply in poor old Rural Oireland" guff again.
Just because you live in a city, it doesn't make accompanied driving convenient.
In fact, it's not supposed to be convenient, that's the point.
Do you really think that it's fine and dandy to have people who have never passed, or never even taken, a driving test to be going around by themselves?

Mrs Roy Keane · 02-11-2007 02:33PM

ninja900 wrote: »

Why? If they are insured, licensed, sober, accompanied (or pass their test) just like anyone else should be, why should you discriminate against them on the grounds of their age alone?

Please. Not the "laws should not apply in poor old Rural Oireland" guff again.
Just because you live in a city, it doesn't make accompanied driving convenient.
In fact, it's not supposed to be convenient, that's the point.
Do you really think that it's fine and dandy to have people who have never passed, or never even taken, a driving test to be going around by themselves?

It seems to be suggested that its the younger people causing the most road accidents so if they increased the age limit it may help

I not just talking about rural Ireland but not everyone will have an full licence driver to accompany them.

Nerves can hit people doing the test and some fail because of this. I think they should take driving history (as the amount of years driving plus no accidents also into account)

Hotblack Desiato · 02-11-2007 07:53PM

Mrs Roy Keane wrote: »

It seems to be suggested that its the younger people causing the most road accidents so if they increased the age limit it may help

Hmm, ban young drivers - no young driver accidents!
But why stop there - ban cars - no car accidents!
OR we could tackle the driver training and testing problem...

I not just talking about rural Ireland but not everyone will have an full licence driver to accompany them.

Letting them out on their own isn't the answer. The waiting list does really need to be sorted out too though. In other countries people who haven't passed their test wouldn't dream of driving on their own, and rightly so. We may as well not bother with driving licences at all if anyone can drive around on their own without having passed a test.

Nerves can hit people doing the test and some fail because of this.

Everyone is nervous to some extent. Driving can be stressful and it's important to be able to handle that. Proper instruction helps a lot.

I think they should take driving history (as the amount of years driving plus no accidents also into account)

So people with years of driving around on a provisional should get an easier driving test? that's just mad! If they are such good drivers, why didn't they pass earlier?

Provisional licence rules deferred until 30 June 2008!!!

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