Garda Blitz on "L" Drivers

TwoShedsJackson · 16-06-2008 08:53AM

Chaos_Path wrote: »

funny that, if i hit someone with my car, my insurance pays and my premium goes up.im on l-plates. i can drive just fine. you seem to have a pretty mad preconception that all l-plate drivers cant drive. werent you one at one stage?

NOT ALL L-PLATE HOLDERS CANT DRIVE.a full-licence holder ran into the back of a family members car yesterday. wasnt looking where she was going.

Where did I say I think L-plate drivers can't drive? What I am saying is they should be obeying the law - displaying L plates to warn other road users that a potentially inexperienced driver is ahead of or behind them and so letting others know to take extra care etc. At least that's what I do when I see someone with L plates up, I know plenty of people just carry on tailgating and being twats.

What's irritating me about the 'my L plates might fall off' attitude is really just that old Irish approach of 'ah sure I think this law is stupid, I'll just ignore it'.

Cathmandooo · 16-06-2008 09:18AM

TwoShedsJackson wrote: »

Where did I say I think L-plate drivers can't drive? What I am saying is they should be obeying the law - displaying L plates to warn other road users that a potentially inexperienced driver is ahead of or behind them and so letting others know to take extra care etc. At least that's what I do when I see someone with L plates up, I know plenty of people just carry on tailgating and being twats.

A lot of drivers do quite the opposite when they see L plates, for example a relative of mine is a garda and was driving a car with L plates up (for a learner in the family who shared the car). He was tailgated by a driver, beeped and flashed at and overtaken very dangerously. The garda caught up with him at traffic lights and got out to talk to the man, asked him what he thought he was doing and the man said 'oh you're a learner you were all over the road', his tune suddenly changed when he was presented with a full licence and garda ID. So not only do you have to put up with muppets who 'carry on' tailgating and being twats, you get complete idiots who see the L plates and think it's their god given right to overtake and abuse learners.

flanum · 16-06-2008 09:41AM

Cathooo wrote: »

The garda caught up with him at traffic lights and got out to talk to the man, asked him what he thought he was doing.

So did this relative of yours abandon his vehicle in traffic?:eek::eek:

Cathmandooo · 16-06-2008 09:45AM

flanum wrote: »

So did this relative of yours abandon his vehicle in traffic?:eek::eek:

yes he should be arrested :eek:

kerry4sam · 16-06-2008 11:01PM

Even just the thought of a Garda Blitz is working magic

I have never seen so many L-plates up on cars in my county ever before and some drivers who i assumed were full-licence holders are now showing the L-plate in fear of being stopped and questioned

snickerpuss · 16-06-2008 11:09PM

I'm in Dublin and I haven't seen any checkpoints or gardaí for that matter.
Also I notice that since I passed my test less people do utterly ridiculous overtaking.
I don't understand people who see L plates and decide the best thing to do would be to try to overtake, usually when they don't have enough time to complete it.

16-06-2008 11:14PM

snickerpuss wrote: »

Also I notice that since I passed my test less people do utterly ridiculous overtaking.
I don't understand people who see L plates and decide the best thing to do would be to try to overtake, usually when they don't have enough time to complete it.

Always strange that, considering that some learners have been driving for so long that they're porbably far more experienced than many of the full license holders. Understandable (not condoning it at all) in other countries as learners are really learning to drive rather than driving with "L" plates.

Clare Bear · 16-06-2008 11:17PM

Have driven a lot in the last few days, around various parts of Kildare and Dublin and not one checkpoint. Blitz my arse!

BostonB · 16-06-2008 11:18PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Always strange that, considering that some learners have been driving for so long that they're porbably far more experienced than many of the full license holders. Understandable (not condoning it at all) in other countries as learners are really learning to drive rather than driving with "L" plates.

experienced at failing the test....:D

16-06-2008 11:24PM

BostonB wrote: »

experienced at failing the test....:D

Only once! passed three months later.

BostonB · 17-06-2008 12:11AM

I was talking about the long term L platers not you personally.

17-06-2008 12:19AM

BostonB wrote: »

I was talking about the long term L platers not you personally.

No problem

It shouild have never been allowed to get into this mess in the first place!

kowloon · 17-06-2008 03:19AM

micmclo wrote: »

I believe the free M licence is scrapped already. They stopped giving them with B licences in October 2006 afaik. I think the EU forced them too

Learn something new every day!

JP Liz · 17-06-2008 10:43AM

I have seen any checkpoints but have noticed less L drivers on the road

SV · 17-06-2008 10:48AM

JP Liz wrote: »

I have seen any checkpoints but have noticed less L drivers on the road

Aye, they're all taking down their fecking plates!

Should be funny with the fines..get rid of all the little eejits that drive around here in their ****box carvans and cut out L plates. :rolleyes:

Toto Wolfcastle · 17-06-2008 10:50AM

Well my parents have laid down the law. They've told my sister that she's not allowed drive on her own until she passes her test.

Steve_o · 17-06-2008 11:20AM

janeybabe wrote: »

Well my parents have laid down the law. They've told my sister that she's not allowed drive on her own until she passes her test.

Mine said the same to my sister, to which she replied:

"i need you to be here for an hour everyday then so i can practise driving or i'll fail my test, also because I have a baby, the hour could be anytime"

the parents are sickened....

token56 · 17-06-2008 11:29AM

kerry4sam wrote: »

Even just the thought of a Garda Blitz is working magic

I have never seen so many L-plates up on cars in my county ever before and some drivers who i assumed were full-licence holders are now showing the L-plate in fear of being stopped and questioned

I have seen the opposite with alot of L-plates being taken down off cars hoping that the guards wont notice them or they wont get stopped at a checkpoint and be let through.

Toto Wolfcastle · 17-06-2008 11:38AM

Steve_o wrote: »

Mine said the same to my sister, to which she replied:

"i need you to be here for an hour everyday then so i can practise driving or i'll fail my test, also because I have a baby, the hour could be anytime"

the parents are sickened....

Lol my dad said he's sorting out a rota so that myself and both my parents can take turns.

John Mason · 17-06-2008 11:45AM

It's a shame that the gardai cant do a blitz on all the totally incompetant drivers on the road, it would make much more sense to me rather then concentrating on one portion of road users.

E.G why are they not on Pearse Street stopping the muppets who change lanes without indicating or looking in their mirrors, the same goes for the motorways, dual carriagways etc.

i mean it is their job to look out for people who break the rules of the road but i suppose that would mean they would have to start obeying the road rules as well, like not sitting in yellow boxes and holding up all the traffic from the filter light or using their sirens to get out of side roads in Drumcondra.

I guess L-drivers are going to just accept the fact that they will be blamed for every accident and road error

Splinter · 17-06-2008 11:50AM

hooza! this was freaking me out and i was unsure about driving. just passed my test though so i guess im safe

Shazbot · 17-06-2008 11:54AM

After going through the 12 pages I've only read to statements "this is unfair, blah blah blah blah" and "Tough crap to the learners".

People are adressing this as a short term solution and they feel the learners are being picked on. True to an extent but this new law is aimed at improving the quality of drivers on our roads by targetting the source. If they improve the quality of learners in this generation, there may be less reckless drivers in a few years. Hopefully this will lower accidents on the road. Which is why it's a great idea.

And can people stop saying "the's no blitz out there, typical garda, all talk no action" crap. The proper blitz on L-drivers won't start till 1st July and hopefully it will catch all those unaccompanied drivers and people who take down their plates.

nhughes100 · 17-06-2008 01:19PM

Steve_o wrote: »

Mine said the same to my sister, to which she replied:

"i need you to be here for an hour everyday then so i can practise driving or i'll fail my test, also because I have a baby, the hour could be anytime"

the parents are sickened....

Why doesn't she just get driving lessons from a real instructer? Her chances of passing are very much reduced with non-professional instruction? If she's stuck for a few quid maybe the parents could go halves? Be well worth their while given the time constraints.

Capt'n Midnight · 17-06-2008 06:00PM

Just to put some perspective on how long the governments have fudged this issue.

There was an amnesty back in 1979 because the driving test queues were too long back then.

nocal · 17-06-2008 09:45PM

On the way home this evening just after 8:30, I encountered two checkpoints within two minutes. The first was on Sean Moore Road approaching the East Link and the second was on East Wall road just past the Point. What a waste of Garda resources - 90% of the cars that went through the first checkpoint would have passed through the second one!!! My tax and insurance were hardly going to run out within 2 minutes now were they???

Johnny Bitte · 17-06-2008 10:00PM

Spoke to a colleague today whos two friends are now bus ridden as a result of been stopped with out a full licenced driver beside so had the car impounded on the spot and a €500 fee to get it back.

A Garda jeep arrived outside the place where I work today and began checking cars from Tax and insurance.

Toto Wolfcastle · 17-06-2008 10:09PM

The_Goose135 wrote: »

Spoke to a colleague today whos two friends are now bus ridden as a result of been stopped with out a full licenced driver beside so had the car impounded on the spot and a €500 fee to get it back.

Wow, that's pretty good!

Malteaser! · 17-06-2008 10:11PM

The_Goose135 wrote: »

Spoke to a colleague today whos two friends are now bus ridden as a result of been stopped with out a full licenced driver beside so had the car impounded on the spot and a €500 fee to get it back.

A Garda jeep arrived outside the place where I work today and began checking cars from Tax and insurance.

Whereabouts did that happen??

*Makes mental note to avoid that area at all costs*

kmart6 · 18-06-2008 12:09AM

Steve_o wrote: »

"i need you to be here for an hour everyday then so i can practise driving or i'll fail my test, also because I have a baby, the hour could be anytime"

Always said that baby would be trouble....lol!:D

Steve_o · 18-06-2008 09:03AM

nhughes100 wrote: »

Why doesn't she just get driving lessons from a real instructer? Her chances of passing are very much reduced with non-professional instruction? If she's stuck for a few quid maybe the parents could go halves? Be well worth their while given the time constraints.

Already has gotten the lessons, but her test is not until August/September, so she wants to keep practising or she'll be rusty as hell on test day...

Kmart6: You should've placed a bet...:p:D

Garda Blitz on "L" Drivers

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