Garda Blitz on "L" Drivers

Lord Derpington · 13-06-2008 11:29AM #1

Just wondering what ye all thought about this.

Personally i think in one way it makes sense that they are enforcing the law but at the same time, the new rules and regulations don’t come into effect till the end of the month so this is all starting a bit early.
I am aware that the "no driving unaccompanied while on first provisional" was in the old rules as well. But I myself took a driving test the other day and for some reason unknown to me got 4 grade 2's against me for turning left at a junction... and ended failing on that alone. So now i am stuck at home and have to wait for the retest until I am supposed to get into my car on my own?
Besides what can a fully qualified driver do in the car if the learner decides to speed up or play chicken they can’t do a dam thing so it’s all a load of bollox really when ya think about it. /rant

keen · 13-06-2008 11:34AM

If the second driver gets into the driver seat of a Learner drivers car mid journey is he/she insured?

Keano · 13-06-2008 11:35AM

Hmm... Garda crackdown :rolleyes:
Every bank holiday weekend they have a Garda crackdown. Yet to meet one checkpoint this year on a bank holiday weekend.
Great press office they have.

keen · 13-06-2008 11:37AM

Keano A Legend wrote: »

Hmm... Garda crackdown every bank holiday weekend. Yet to meet one checkpoint this year on a bank holiday weekend.

Same here, I have a feeling it's all talk.

They say the reason that things like this aren't enforced all the time is due to lack of resources, so how do they magic extra resources for six days?

Cathmandooo · 13-06-2008 11:37AM

It's a load of codswallop. If the gardai see you driving stupidly and you happen to be a learner with no fully licensed person beside you then yes they'll use the new rules to do you, you were driving badly so you deserve it. They're not gonna be pulling over learners who are driving well and waiting to do their tests.

biko · 13-06-2008 11:38AM

greenfly wrote: »

Besides what can a fully qualified driver do in the car if the learner decides to speed up or play chicken they can’t do a dam thing so it’s all a load of bollox really when ya think about it. /rant

And you use this logic to justify that you do not need supervision?
It's evident you need a real driver in the car with you at all times.

The real driver is there as an instructor.

keen · 13-06-2008 11:40AM

biko wrote: »

And you use this logic to justify that you do not need supervision?
It's evident you need a real driver in the car with you at all times.

The real driver is there as an instructor.

I don't think he was saying he plays chicken or speeds, hypothetical.

justsomebloke · 13-06-2008 11:41AM

GF got a ticket this morning for pulling into a bus lane 3 feet from the end of it as part of the police clampdown :rolleyes:

Whispered · 13-06-2008 11:44AM

I'm on my second provisional and drive in and out of work, I live somewhere that does not have a regular bus service. I applied for my test 3 months ago, I can only take it at the end of July. So despite assurances that the wait will be only 10 weeks, it's almost double that. I will have no transport for a month. As far as I'm concerned this is unacceptable. They should do something about the people waiting for their tests who applied with (what I thought was) plenty of time. If I fail, then fair enough, I will have to figure something else out.

I never drove alone on my 1st provisional, I never drive on the motorway so I have very little sympathy for people on their first license who say this will effect them. That law has effected people who abide by the law for years.

Lord Derpington · 13-06-2008 11:44AM

biko wrote: »

And you use this logic to justify that you do not need supervision?
It's evident you need a real driver in the car with you at all times.

The real driver is there as an instructor.

No im sayin that there is no real advantage in having a fully qualified driver beside you if the learner is goning to drive stupidly they will do so with supervision or without it will make no difference

Disco Stu · 13-06-2008 11:46AM

Don't understand why this is such a problem here...!? Any other "western" country its required that you have a full license before being on the road by yourself... If you are accompanied by a fully licensed driver (normally with a minimum number years experience and over a certain age) they are there to act as an instructor and help you to learn how to drive properly...

Simple and straight forward...

And you wonder why the accident rate here is so bad when people are all trying to teach themselves?!

Lord Derpington · 13-06-2008 11:52AM

i accept that a learner driver should not be allowed to drive on their own, but I think the entire system should be done differently.
Driving should be a course in school and as a result of taking that course in school you take the test and you do not pass that course in school unless you get your full licence. This is the way Germany, Bulgaria and many eastern countries do it and it is working very very well for them.

I know here if this was even to come into effect you still have the current problem with the fully qualified drivers but i suppose it makes sense

token56 · 13-06-2008 11:55AM

This Garda Blitz is supposed to also focus on things like having tax, insurance, NCT etc. I thought this was something which was suppost to already be done?

With regards the learner drivers thing. The thing that really pi**es me off is that the accompaning driver must have their full license for over 2 years. Now they are telling us that not all ful license holders are equal, this part of the law is ridiculous. In saying this I can't see them been very strict on this part. At least I hope not.

Clink · 13-06-2008 11:56AM

greenfly wrote: »

No im sayin that there is no real advantage in having a fully qualified driver beside you if the learner is goning to drive stupidly they will do so with supervision or without it will make no difference

No they won't if the licensed driver in the car beside them tells them what they should be doing!

Lord Derpington · 13-06-2008 12:01PM

token56 wrote: »

With regards the learner drivers thing. The thing that really pi**es me off is that the accompaning driver must have their full license for over 2 years. Now they are telling us that not all ful license holders are equal, this part of the law is ridiculous. In saying this I can't see them been very strict on this part. At least I hope not.

Yea the reason for that is because they were originally going to have "R" plates for drivers who passed there tests for the first 2 years "R" standing for restricted. However this seems to have faded to the background lately and hopefully that’s where it will stay

leninbenjamin · 13-06-2008 12:04PM

biko wrote: »

The real driver is there as an instructor.

:pac: with the standard of driving on the roads these days the full licensed 'instructor' will probably increase failure rates.

menoscemo · 13-06-2008 12:06PM

The culture is all wrong down here. When I was learning to drive up the north, the only time I would drive a car other than that of a driving instructor was when my dad let me drive his with him besdide me. This would basically be when he specifically took me out for a driving lesson.

People in the Republic seem to want to find a fully qualified driver to accompany them on a long journey they are going to make anyway, or to go to work etc i.e. a practical journey. The fact is you should only be driving if you are having a lesson. This is why the accompanying drivers needs to have a certain amount of experience and maturity.

Clink · 13-06-2008 12:18PM

menoscemo wrote: »

The culture is all wrong down here. When I was learning to drive up the north, the only time I would drive a car other than that of a driving instructor was when my dad let me drive his with him besdide me. This would basically be when he specifically took me out for a driving lesson.

People in the Republic seem to want to find a fully qualified driver to accompany them on a long journey they are going to make anyway, or to go to work etc i.e. a practical journey. The fact is you should only be driving if you are having a lesson. This is why the accompanying drivers needs to have a certain amount of experience and maturity.

You're absolutely right there. A lot of people seem to think that it's their god given right to drive no matter what. It's a skill that you have to learn, the only way to do that is to have someone sit in the car and tell you what you're doing wrong until you get to the point where you can prove that you're accomplished i.e pass a test.

Claire121 · 13-06-2008 12:39PM

So now i am stuck at home and have to wait for the retest until I am supposed to get into my car on my own?

Er, yes, that's what the rest of the world has to do. I don't get this attitude of entitlement from Irish people. You failed your driving test, so you obviously are not qualified to drive around on your own. Where does the idea come from that anyone should be allowed to drive around without a license? Like someone else said, you wouldn't even think about it in the North. You might go out for a few lessons with your mum or dad in the car, after having professional lessons but you wouldn't drive around on your own on a daily basis. It's absolutely shocking that this is tolerated.

biko · 13-06-2008 12:46PM

greenfly wrote: »

No im sayin that there is no real advantage in having a fully qualified driver beside you if the learner is goning to drive stupidly they will do so with supervision or without it will make no difference

Well, if the driver is a complete moron it does not matter whether s/he has a full licence or not.

Actually I think the driver is less likely to act stupidly if there is a second person in the car.

Sherifu · 13-06-2008 12:59PM

greenfly wrote: »

Just wondering what ye all thought about this.

Personally i think in one way it makes sense that they are enforcing the law but at the same time, the new rules and regulations don’t come into effect till the end of the month so this is all starting a bit early.
I am aware that the "no driving unaccompanied while on first provisional" was in the old rules as well. But I myself took a driving test the other day and for some reason unknown to me got 4 grade 2's against me for turning left at a junction... and ended failing on that alone. So now i am stuck at home and have to wait for the retest until I am supposed to get into my car on my own?
Besides what can a fully qualified driver do in the car if the learner decides to speed up or play chicken they can’t do a dam thing so it’s all a load of bollox really when ya think about it. /rant

I think the thinking behind it is learner drivers are more likely to behave if they are accompanied.

dade · 13-06-2008 01:00PM

greenfly wrote: »

This is the way Germany,

not when i lived there (13 years ago), driver training was not part of the school curriculum. you applied to a driving school for lessons, there was no driving unaccompanied on any learners permit. you also had to have a certain number of hours in different environments, driving through towns/cities country driving night time driving etc. it was a very expensive process.

on the flip side the test was not conducted by some grumpy f*cker in a tweed jacket but by your instructor. the instructors record was monitored by the government and they could carry out spot checks on the driving school so that the school wasn't just passing people left right and center.

JP Liz · 13-06-2008 01:09PM

What about the qualified drivers who drive foolishly and wreckless???????????

Clink · 13-06-2008 01:13PM

JP Liz wrote: »

What about the qualified drivers who drive foolishly and wreckless???????????

They get penalty points and or fines if they're caught.

stovelid · 13-06-2008 01:14PM

greenfly wrote: »

So now i am stuck at home and have to wait for the retest until I am supposed to get into my car on my own?

You do what people in other countries do: wait and take the test again.

Why should the roads be full of sh*t drivers because Irish people have built their lives around cars that are not qualified to drive?

Relevant · 13-06-2008 01:16PM

helena.ryan wrote: »

I'm on my second provisional and drive in and out of work, I live somewhere that does not have a regular bus service. I applied for my test 3 months ago, I can only take it at the end of July. So despite assurances that the wait will be only 10 weeks, it's almost double that. I will have no transport for a month. As far as I'm concerned this is unacceptable. They should do something about the people waiting for their tests who applied with (what I thought was) plenty of time. If I fail, then fair enough, I will have to figure something else out.

I never drove alone on my 1st provisional, I never drive on the motorway so I have very little sympathy for people on their first license who say this will effect them. That law has effected people who abide by the law for years.

So why didn't you apply for your test before now? If you are on your second provisional you've been driving for over 2 years. Why only apply for your test in the past 3 months?

Rb · 13-06-2008 01:21PM

I'm on my 2nd provisional and am a better driver than the majority of idiots I encounter on the roads, yet I'm quite happy to see the laws on this be tightened up. There's far too many 17-21 year olds going around on their first provisional in the cars by themselves, or with their mates distracting them, trying to show off etc. I'll be glad to see them being pulled up on it.

Mena · 13-06-2008 01:23PM

helena.ryan wrote: »

I'm on my second provisional and drive in and out of work, I live somewhere that does not have a regular bus service. I applied for my test 3 months ago, I can only take it at the end of July. So despite assurances that the wait will be only 10 weeks, it's almost double that. I will have no transport for a month. As far as I'm concerned this is unacceptable. They should do something about the people waiting for their tests who applied with (what I thought was) plenty of time. If I fail, then fair enough, I will have to figure something else out.

I never drove alone on my 1st provisional, I never drive on the motorway so I have very little sympathy for people on their first license who say this will effect them. That law has effected people who abide by the law for years.

Why did you only apply for your test three months ago? Should have applied for it when you got your first provisional. Or at the very least, as soon as you got your second. But you waited and delayed and procrastinated and now it's "the governments" fault?

Degsy · 13-06-2008 01:28PM

Rb wrote: »

I'm on my 2nd provisional and am a better driver than the majority of idiots I encounter on the roads, yet I'm quite happy to see the laws on this be tightened up. There's far too many 17-21 year olds going around on their first provisional in the cars by themselves, or with their mates distracting them, trying to show off etc. I'll be glad to see them being pulled up on it.

You'll be pulled up too if you dont have a driver in the car with you,that was the whole point of the clampdown.

nhughes100 · 13-06-2008 01:30PM

They were out in force this morning, I saw two speed checks and one guy pulled over for not having a license plate on this trailier. I often wonder about the wisdom in announcing a crackdown - ie people have now been warned and will drive cautiously. Not only that but aren't the Gardai supposed to cracking down on these crimes in any case, it's not like a lot of the laws are brand new. But lo and behold I still saw loads of dopes yesterday rabbiting away on their phones whilst 3 feet from the car in front of them and trying to negotiate roundabouts with one arm tied behind their back. So I guess if they announce these things and you get caught you've only yourself to blame.

Degsy · 13-06-2008 01:40PM

Are they pulling people on 2nd provisional licences yet?I think its disgracefull the way some people have been on the road for years without ever having sat,much less passed a test.

Garda Blitz on "L" Drivers

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