Changes to the Driver Licencing System Mega Thread

subway

why the 2 year period before a person becomes qualified to accompany another driver?
surely if you can pass the test you can supervise another person.
as there is no class disctinction (as with bikes) there should be no disticntion between abilities.
one of the criteria for a drivng license is not that you are an experinced trainer or supervisor.

ive been licensed on bikes for years,
a car driver smahed me up in may so i cant drive bikes anymore.
i got a car, passed the test in august, but now for some reason im not good enough to supervise my partner while she learns to drive?
im not happy about this at all

unkel

peasant wrote: »

I can feel either a mass protest or an amnesty coming up

LOL Or maybe everything stays the same - no enforcement, the Irish solution part II :rolleyes:

I'm all for getting rid of the ridiculous learner driver system myself, but what kinda tool would think it is a great idea to be implemented immediately :rolleyes:

For a consulting fee of €0.02 I would have adviced the government to use the carrot (you can still keep driving like you do now) and the stick (per 01/01/2009 everyone needs a full license to drive a car / bike) method

pete4130

Typical of the gevernment. Impliment something without the hindsight to put it into practice properly. the first thing they should have addressed was to get waiting lists nationwide down to 8 weeks maximum. After that the issuing of drivers permits should have been done.

It also might mean a huge influx into the 2nd hand car market if 400,000 people have to sell their cars all at once. I'm sure the dealerships wouldnt be too happy with that thought!

Until it is rolled out properly and possibly revised (which might happen with at least 400,000 protesting) there is no way of really knowig how it will work.

To be fair and not to be picking on people driving on their provisional licences, the ball had to start rolling somewhere with provisional drivers being the first to be affected, followed by people like myself who have their full licence less than 2 years, who can't accompany their spouses/sibblings while they drive which again means that parents will have the task of becoming designated drivers/accompanying their children that hold provisional licences.

It's definitly interesting to see how this works out.

NBar

Henry Ford III wrote: »

If this sticks, thousands of everyday drivers will be literally forced off the roads.

Great more road space for the rest of us and it might make car pooling a thing of the future

NBar

And its alos an offence not to have your licence with you as well so if you produce in 10 days a provisional one after telling a porkie you will have a day out in court I bet, it will be some fun for motorcyclists with their L plates on display etc

DublinDilbert

Phoole wrote: »

And I thought I couldn't despise this government much more.

I'm not a fan of the irish government (mainly cause most things they come up with are just to grab headlines and are fogotten about within a week! ), but they are just doing what every other government in the first world done 20 years ago...

Its amazing they would not make it compulsory for poeple to carry their drivers licence at all times... in other countries if you were stopped by the police and did not have a valid drivers licence you would be pulled from the car... how are they to know you have a valid licence? why should they let you continue on your journey in a "letal-weapon" without any proof you have a licence? This "ahhh sure bring it down the station within 10 days" is stupid.

Someone above quoted about waiting time for tests, but these shouldn't matter, as you can not sit your test till you've atleast held your learner liecence for a min of 6 months. Anyone who thinks that you can learn to drive in under 6 months is mistaken....

biko

Discussed at length in After Hours and Learning to Drive forums in case you don't usually visit those forums.

Nephew

I passed my test a month ago. Am I correct in thinking it is only people who pass their test after October 30 who'll have to put up the probationary R plate or whatever they are calling it?

Dish

Pile of <snip> this law is as usual coming from the genius in Dublin that we call our Government!!!

Also congrats on Beritie and all the ministers for their 16 million salaries! Way to run a country! We're looking forward to the tax increases that your party claimed would reduce!

EDIT:No offensive/foul language here Dish

macplaxton

DublinDilbert wrote: »

Its amazing they would not make it compulsory for poeple to carry their drivers licence at all times...

It is compulsory as far as I know and has been since 2003. I think you mean they don't bother with it. Two slightly different things.

DublinDilbert wrote: »

in other countries if you were stopped by the police and did not have a valid drivers licence you would be pulled from the car... how are they to know you have a valid licence? why should they let you continue on your journey in a "letal-weapon" without any proof you have a licence? This "ahhh sure bring it down the station within 10 days" is stupid.

Never know someone to pulled out the car for not carrying their licence in the UK. 7 days to produce there. I wouldn't like it to change, as it would be one step closer to the nonsense ID card scheme the powers-that-be want to introduce.

DublinDilbert wrote: »

Someone above quoted about waiting time for tests, but these shouldn't matter, as you can not sit your test till you've atleast held your learner liecence for a min of 6 months. Anyone who thinks that you can learn to drive in under 6 months is mistaken....

I think you can learn to drive in less than six. I did so in 20 days. Time alone isn't that important - Competency and attitude is.

bazz26

It is good bringing in this type of legislation but how is it going to be enforced? Are the Gardai going to stop every car on the road with L plates up and check? They hardly have the resources as it is.

They need to tackle enforcing the existing laws before introducing new ones imo.

DublinDilbert

macplaxton wrote: »

It is compulsory as far as I know and has been since 2003. I think you mean they don't bother with it. Two slightly different things. .

Possibly....

macplaxton wrote: »

Never know someone to pulled out the car for not carrying their licence in the UK. 7 days to produce there. I wouldn't like it to change, as it would be one step closer to the nonsense ID card scheme the powers-that-be want to introduce..

I hold a full canadian licence as well as an irish licence, and they would pull you from the car there, thats for sure... how are the cops supposed to know if you even have a licence?

macplaxton wrote: »

I think you can learn to drive in less than six. I did so in 20 days. Time alone isn't that important - Competency and attitude is.

Ummmm i think your possibly confussing passing the irish driving test, with learning to drive... in ireland we teach someone to pass a test.... but we don't teach them how to drive, this is the problem... In ireland you can not do a driving leason on a motorway legally, none of the driving test is on a motorway, yet the day you pass your test your allowed drive on the motorway for the very first time, yea makes sense...

Dish

Its bull****!!!

SImple as! Tits in the government cudnt hold a game of cards never mind run a country! More fun for me in my car! Wooop woop!

Anybody know if there is an objection going for this law? Or petition against it???

Saruman

To be honest, i think every fully licensed driver should have to take another test, after doing a driving course with proof of attendance. Not one as rigourous as the current test, just one that tests basic stuff like how to use a bloody roundabout.

This morning i was stopped on the roundabout at westpoint gym heading towards the traffic lights to go across the flyover up towards the NAC. Traffic starts moving, i let the guy to my left pull in and the guy behind him keeps going going and i had to stop and let him go? I beeped him and he looked at me beeped back as if i did something wrong (i had right of way) and i noticed he was reading a map on his steering wheel???
For feck sake.
Oh and...

Dish wrote: »

Its bull****!!!

SImple as! Tits in the government cudnt hold a game of cards never mind run a country! More fun for me in my car! Wooop woop!

Anybody know if there is an objection going for this law? Or petition against it???

This goes to show why its needed... for feck sake.. are you so ignorant of the driving laws in the country that you do not realise it is ALREADY ILLEGAL for a learner to driver without a fully licensed driver! This is NOT a new law its simply an enforcement of the existing law. The only difference is even a second provisional will not get away with it.

Sizzler

How many Skanger Starlet Galanzas (and similar dirtboxes) have you ever seen with L plates? Are you telling me they've all passed their tests?

smemon

hang on a second here...

i've NEVER seen anyone stopped or been stopped myself (when i was on a provisional) by a guard and had them look for my passengers license, even comment on passengers..

"can i see your licence please", "thats grand, go on"... even though i often got stopped on my own on my first provisional :rolleyes:

no guard is gonna look for passengers license, then check to see they have it for two years or more... they don't even check the details of your license... i.e if you need glasses or can only drive an auto..

someone on full pink license could be driving without glasses when they need them, and have passed in an auto and are driving a manual etc..

at checkpoints, guards don't want queues building up... they're not going to check the fine details like this imo.

if L plates come down and you grow a beard/get older looking you'll be grand imo and just waved on anyway.

macplaxton

DD,

The police in the UK would ascertain your identity and do a PNC check and find out if you had a licence or not. Ditto insurance and road tax and MOT. Besides that they'd follow up "information received". The traffic cops there have good instincts and local information.

Yes, I'm talking about passing the test. I passed a UK test. Passing a test doesn't teach you how to drive. It demonstrates you're competent enough to drive alone. Yes you could include lots more training, but that cost everyone more. The authorities would love to do it, but they also know it's pie-in-the-sky because the more expensive you make it, the more unlicensed drivers you have on the roads.

DublinDilbert

macplaxton wrote: »

DD,

The police in the UK would ascertain your identity and do a PNC check and find out if you had a licence or not. Ditto insurance and road tax and MOT. Besides that they'd follow up "information received". The traffic cops there have good instincts and local information.

Yes, I'm talking about passing the test. I passed a UK test. Passing a test doesn't teach you how to drive. It demonstrates you're competent enough to drive alone. Yes you could include lots more training, but that cost everyone more. The authorities would love to do it, but they also know it's pie-in-the-sky because the more expensive you make it, the more unlicensed drivers you have on the roads.

I see where your coming from alright.... just pisses me off that our learners aren't thought do drive on the motorway by an instructor, its mad really...

gaeilgegrinds

Any bets this will NOT be implemented correctly. Have never been stopped...ever! When I was na L-plater or since! This is just going to lead to a lot of L-plates being binned!

Pherekydes

Dish wrote: »

Anybody know if there is an objection going for this law? Or petition against it???

For what?

Do you think it's a good idea for unqualified drivers to be driving on the road?

DubDani

I heard the responsible Minister (sorry, lost the name) today on the Matt Cooper Show on Today FM. He said there will be hardship to some who are on the waiting list or have an appointment for a later date, but that was just tough luck. If someone really needs to drive on it's own before that time provisions would be made to get some kind of "emergency test date" on the quick.

He said that the Gardai was on the panel who recommended this as well and would def. start enforcing this strictly.

As far as I could make out the Penalty was a fixed penalty of 1000 Euro for everyone who would get catched on it's own, and not a maximum penalty of 1000 Euro.

I personally think this has been long overdue. It will make Irish Roads a better place. I still can't understand (as I am not Irish) how anyone could be allowed to drive a car without passing the driving test first.

Stark

Dish wrote: »

Anybody know if there is an objection going for this law? Or petition against it???

I'd get on it, but I'm not having much luck with my petition for an increase in the blood alcohol limit so far. Those old cranks in the Dáil are wrecking everyone's buzz, man.

And jesus, how many more of these threads do we need?

certifiable365

rbd wrote: »

not a penal offence tho

Whats the difference between it being "illegal" and now a "penal offence". I'm getting confused.

unkel

Two threads merged!

Henry Ford III

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

....(Govt pay rise)...It was recommended by an independent pay review body - not by the Government themselves.

So just out of interest who pays for this independent body?

Any politicos on it?

Cionád

DubDani wrote: »

As far as I could make out the Penalty was a fixed penalty of 1000 Euro for everyone who would get catched on it's own, and not a maximum penalty of 1000 Euro.

The guy they were nterviewing on rte news said "up to" 1000 euro, i doubt he'd say that if it was fixed.

commited

FANTASTIC News.

About time.

antodeco

Personally, I think they should have waited until people were actually able to do a test, as oppose to having to wait 12 mnoths to sit one. This will cause a lot of people to have to change jobs I rekon. Theres somebody I know who travels from Carlow to Dublin every day and is on a provisional. They have never had an accident, and I would consider them a very safe driver. They're kinda screwed now!

chris85

I am glad i got my full licence earlier this year.

I feel sorry for everyone on second provisionals who were able to drive unaccompained in a car this week. And now told they have a week and must have someone with them. I have a feling they will enforce it as they have made a big deal bout clamping down on learner drivers.

They could have planned it a bit better so people could make other arrangments.

Another goverment thing not planned through all the details and the consequences.

macplaxton

Short notice and nice-on-paper new rules aside, I think it's always daft for any government to introduce new laws when they do such a lousy job of enforcing the existing ones.