Cop stopping L drivers on M50

cormie

The whole system is a joke, my friend got her 1st provisional whatever amount of time ago and just started driving a few weeks ago on her 2nd provisional. She hasn't really got a clue but yet she is considered a safer driver than somebody on their 1st provisional who's been driving about a year and is 10 minutes away from passing their driving test:rolleyes:

I never wore my L plates when I was commuting for about 6 months every day there and back from what was Sandyford to Finglas on the M50. I kept to the rules and kept to the limit, no speeding, no dawdling, I never got pulled over, but another car doing the same route to where I was going got pulled twice. He had tinted windows, L plates and probably sped. I had an oul ones Micra with clear windows.

layke

My provisional has no such codes on it. Comparing with one of the lads here in the office he has a big stamp saying 2nd provisional on it, mine does not.

Stark

Bamboozled wrote:

they will be clearing the backlog. Outside testers are being allowed.

It's a once-off outsourcing of 40,000 tests. The backlog is 130,000 and supply is still less than demand. We'll have a little bit of relief (my test might be moved forward by a month or two) but the system will still be the same shambles that it always was.

cormie wrote:

I never wore my L plates when I was commuting for about 6 months every day there and back from what was Sandyford to Finglas on the M50. I kept to the rules and kept to the limit, no speeding, no dawdling, I never got pulled over, but another car doing the same route to where I was going got pulled twice. He had tinted windows, L plates and probably sped.

Yeah, all the L-drivers I've seen pulled have been boy racers. If you're going to break the law, then you shouldn't be drawing attention to yourself.

layke wrote:

My provisional has no such codes on it. Comparing with one of the lads here in the office he has a big stamp saying 2nd provisional on it, mine does not.

991 - 1st provisional
992 - 2nd provisional
993 - 3rd provisional
etc.
999 - must be accompanied by a full licenced driver.
01 - must wear corrective lenses.

Your licence should have at least one of the above codes on it. They're usually in quite small print, written next to the B for car entry.

Bamboozled

I've never got licenses in Dublin (i see your location) so maybe its an issuing office type thing?

Come to think of it, i'v only ever seen Cork provisional licences so maybe not "all" licenses. I wont edit the above in case it confuses.


Is it only 40,000 tests? Jeez that is ridiculous :rolleyes:

Stark

I got my licence when I was living in Cork.

Bamboozled

Sorry, I was answering layke about the codes and licenses.

Ah you edited the post after I read it. Thought i was gone mad after posting.

Big Balls

Joining the M50 at the Spawell/Tallaght end yesterday evening, a Clio was just heading down the slip road towards the motorway and a Primera squad car had them pulled in... the reason? L PLATES!!!

About time too.

Seth Brundle

Big Balls wrote:

Joining the M50 at the Spawell/Tallaght end yesterday evening, a Clio was just heading down the slip road towards the motorway and a Primera squad car had them pulled in... the reason? L PLATES!!!

About time too.

How can you be sure?

trout

... are there any regulations around the size & colour of L plates ?

I'm asking as I've seen several import hot hatches (well, lukewarmish) with 'tailored' L plates showing a red L with little or no white background ... not sure what the point is

Stark

There are legal regulations regarding the size and colour of them.

I don't see the point of the illegal ones myself. What's the point of wearing an L-plate at all if you're going to wear an illegal one.

They're about as much use as a leprechaun's handkerchief these days anyway, what with parents driving around with their kids' L-plates on, and the kids driving around with no L-plates.

saobh_ie

The L lates are a complete waste of time. two years ago I wasn't obliged to display them when starting out on motorbikes but now I'm obliged to display them on my car, and can't go on the motorways. That makes sense.

In anycase, they're not worth a jot. What's the point of identifying the learner drivers who might just do something silly at any moment when every other car on the road might just do something silly at any given moment.

Also there are now a number of motorway spec dual carraigeways around the country. Learners can drive onto them and they are probaly more dangerous than the motorways.

I've been driving my fathers car on and off for the past year and the L plates have been displayed on it for that entire time even the months where I couldn't afford to insure myself on it and even though I'm not obliged to because I'm on my second provisional I always drove accompanied by a full license holder.

Now I expect that license to run out before my test comes up, I'll be on my third license and be required to display L plates and be accompanied. I recently bought my own car two days ago and intend to do nethier in it, I'll be on the motorways too.

I don't think enforcing restrictions on the L drivers is the way forward anyway. Educate them.

yknaa

What drives me mad is when I see 'diy' L plates on the wrong way round with the 'L' inverted. If people have't the sense to put 'em on correctly it doesn't give 'em much hope in the driving stakes.

Hagar

The wrong way round ones are usually stuck to the inside of the rear window. They look fine from the inside, so there is an excuse however weak. It's the upside down ones that crack me up.

BTW isn't it illegal to affix anything* to a window where it may obstruct the driver's view.

* Except for required Tax disc/NCT Cert/Insurance Square (they're not round FFS, so they can't be discs can they)

\m/_(>_<)_\m/

... Nobody should be allow out on the road until they have the test done and passed...
this idea of going in and getting a p licence and hoping in a car and going out onto a public road without any test is outrageous...

people go on here about failing the test and having to get another p licence for another 6 or 12 months.... i mean hold on.
you fail a test that determined if you capable of driving on the public roads and are allow back on the road...are we mad?

Seth Brundle

Hagar wrote:

The wrong way round ones are usually stuck to the inside of the rear window. They look fine from the inside, so there is an excuse however weak. It's the upside down ones that crack me up.

Im of the opinion that if you are not intelligent enough to place a sticker on the correct way then you should not be allowed to drive.

\m/_(>_<)_\m/ wrote:

... Nobody should be allow out on the road until they have the test done and passed...
this idea of going in and getting a p licence and hoping in a car and going out onto a public road without any test is outrageous...

people go on here about failing the test and having to get another p licence for another 6 or 12 months.... i mean hold on.
you fail a test that determined if you capable of driving on the public roads and are allow back on the road...are we mad?

You sound like you are only realising this now!

\m/_(>_<)_\m/

kbannon wrote:

Im of the opinion that if you are not intelligent enough to place a sticker on the correct way then you should not be allowed to drive.

You sound like you are only realising this now!

so if one can put on the sticker the right way round, one should be allow to drive...


great post... .sigh.

Stark

\m/_(>_<)_\m/ wrote:

... Nobody should be allow out on the road until they have the test done and passed...
this idea of going in and getting a p licence and hoping in a car and going out onto a public road without any test is outrageous...

people go on here about failing the test and having to get another p licence for another 6 or 12 months.... i mean hold on.
you fail a test that determined if you capable of driving on the public roads and are allow back on the road...are we mad?

And how do you propose that people learn how to drive so they can pass their test?

Or do you mean that learners shouldn't be allowed on the road unaccompanied?

\m/_(>_<)_\m/

Stark wrote:

And how do you propose that people learn how to drive so they can pass their test?

Or do you mean that learners shouldn't be allowed on the road unaccompanied?

no i mean the should not be allow on the road full stop.
their should be two licenses...
learner "L" (pre test) not allow on the road at all
provisional "P" (post test) hold this for two years after the test

same as canada USA and australia... private learning centers.

Seth Brundle

\m/_(>_<)_\m/ wrote:

so if one can put on the sticker the right way round, one should be allow to drive...


great post... .sigh.

You said that not me! You chose to misinterpret my words!

Stark

\m/_(>_<)_\m/ wrote:

no i mean the should not be allow on the road full stop.
their should be two licenses...
learner "L" (pre test) not allow on the road at all
provisional "P" (post test) hold this for two years after the test

same as canada USA and australia... private learning centers.

No need to copy verbatim what other countries too. It's bad enough getting the current Irish administration to organise one test for people.

How do you know that a person on a P-licence is able to drive after 2 years? Shouldn't they be retested in real driving conditions as opposed to just knowing how to start and stop a car in a driving school?

Don't the US have automatics everywhere, what do they do, bring people to the local funfair and let them drive around on the go-kart track before giving them their P-licence? Some friends of mine went over to the US for the summer and were on the road straight away. They came back to Ireland and they can't drive for ****.

In my opinion, an initial batch of compulsory lessons would be the way to go. Let the driving instructor decide when someone is ready to be let out on public roads. That's how I started off, needed to do 10 lessons before my parents' insurance companies would let me on their policy. That way, they have the basic mechanics and rules of the road and it's just a case of gaining experience from there.

dudara

Out of curiosity, what's the fine amount if you're stopped while driving unaccompanied on a provisional license?

Rovi

Hagar wrote:

The wrong way round ones are usually stuck to the inside of the rear window. They look fine from the inside, so there is an excuse however weak.

OT slightly, but I remember falling about laughing years ago when I saw some bloke had put a big sticker on the rear window of his (then current) Fiat hatchback.
He was, apparently, driving an 'ONU' :rolleyes:

Fey!

Rovi wrote:

OT slightly, but I remember falling about laughing years ago when I saw some bloke had put a big sticker on the rear window of his (then current) Fiat hatchback.
He was, apparently, driving an 'ONU' :rolleyes:

Was that pronounced "Oh-No"???