Changes to the Driver Licencing System Mega Thread

wet-paint

You'd really wonder if any of this has been thought through AT ALL?

How is the present public transport system, nation wide, expected to handle with the added influx of people that aren't now allowed to drive? (Unless they presume that most people will continue to drive)

Are the present number of gardai meant to police this new law efficiently?

How this many drivers (presuming they all follow the law) will be inconvenienced by lateness, etc, how this will affect the people.

How much the waiting list will jump, and are they putting any staff on to deal with the increase in paperwork. The acceptance letter waiting list will now have to be shown on their fúcking website now too.
God I'm bloody livid about this. It's so frigging insulting, and half baked. Reminds me of the announcement that we wer egoing metric, there was f all time for that allowed too, wasn't there?

Caychadh

Is there anywhere where road crash statistics are available? I'd love to know how many accidents last year were the fault of L drivers.
Also I think the government should do something to help fund people's driving lessons. Having about 20 lessons and a few 'pre-test' runs with a professional is all well and good but who could afford the €800-€900 euro that'll cost? (I haven't had a €38,000 pay-rise in AGES) They have 'tax-saver' bus and rail tickets, there should be something like that for driving lessons.. or do Drivers Ed in school.

Does anybody know where I can get some pink dye for my green 'permit'?

Evd-Burner

Well im royally F'd, this means I will have to basically quit college and quit my job.

I currently drive to college, I take 3 other passengers with me. I had always planned on driving to college i got my licence a few months back and I did 6 two hour lessons with a driving instructor to ensure I could actually drive to college and do it safely.The journey by car currently takes me 40 minutes.

But the journey by public transport takes a whopping 2 and a half hours dependent if the dublin bus comes on time and if there is any seats left on the bus eireann bus. If the governemt or bus eireann created a new bus route for the students in my area that drive and take public transport the journey would only be 1 hour. I cant get student accomodation as i simply cant afford it.

What am i supposed to do now, im not a boy racer and I am an extremely safe driver, so safe that no matter what i always stay atleast 5kmhr under the speed limit at ALL TIMES.

I applied to get a full licence test around 2 months ago but I still havent been given a date, ive been told to expect 48 weeks from when they send me out my letter, thats nearly a bloody year...

SERIOUSLY WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW, the rsa should have given atleast a 6 month warning and introduced all of this in stages.

I feel like im just about to throw my life away.

Stark

wet-paint wrote:

Reminds me of the announcement that we wer egoing metric, there was f all time for that allowed too, wasn't there?

What?

How much time did you actually need, seriously?

Jessibelle

daveirl wrote: »

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I also chose to obey the law, and was perfectly within my legal rights to drive safely to and from my place of employment until today. As I said, yes I agree, changes have to be made, that is not my argument. My argument is with the implementation. A four day notice period in the land where a 2 hour commute from Carlow to Dublin daily for work is normal without an adequate public transport system in place to absorb some of the impact is unfair.

daveirl

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okcomputer

so annoyed I hope Gay Byrne gets lynched. literally

wet-paint

Stark wrote: »

What?

How much time did you actually need, seriously?

It didn't affect me as I wasn't driving at the time, but for something that affects so many people all over the country, more than a damn week would be good. More than two months would be better.

Hobbes

kbannon wrote: »

So its the governments fault that people may lose their homes becasue these people didn't apply for or pass a driving test? Still the electorate cannot give out about the politicians doing their job - after all they were elected by the people!

As has already been pointed out, the issue is with the time given to make arrangements.

It should be interesting next Tuesday in work. Because where I work anyone who owns a car lives about an 30 mins-1 hours drive from it at least. I know from experience where I live that a 30 minute commute each day would turn into 5 hours (for 8 hours work) if I was to take public transport. Thinking about it, if I was a restricted driver that would turn it into a 2 hour commute instead.

There are a few provisionals in work. So can see HR getting whacked.

We can give out about the provisional system because it is a mess. But the fact is it is an even bigger mess with regards to the alternative. Imagine the worse case scenario of an extra 400,000 on public transport. Would we even have the infrastructure for that? Or people not showing up for work?

My guess is most will drive illegally still.

Hobbes

daveirl wrote: »

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Does your job require you to drink while driving? Do you need to take a drink before you can drive to the supermarket? How about picking up kids from school?

Not the same tbh.

Jessibelle

daveirl wrote: »

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Should you just blindly accept changes in the law and never question them?

Stark

They said that about the Euro, and all it took was a week for people to get used to it. I can't see how it could possibly take more than a week to adapt to some sign changes, unless your IQ was so far below the median point that you shouldn't be driving anyway. I mean you have to adapt instantaneously every time you drive over the border to the North!

Uku

daveirl wrote: »

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There's a big difference there...the only way your example would be relevant would be if you were out at the pub, had sufficient to take you to 0.79, you had to get your car back to a particular place that night or lose your job, you're about to leave the pub at 10pm and then at 9:59 the government announces the limit is going down at 10, leaving you stranded

wet-paint

Sure, but we had loads of notice about the euro, I'm sure some people were hoping it'd come sooner. Springing such a short time frame on us smacks of trying to keep it a little bit quiet.

MisterAnarchy

flogen wrote: »

No doubt that it's not a good idea to have so many unqualified drivers on the road but in my mind the most dangerous drivers I see tend to be ones that are qualified and have decided they don't need to remember the rules of the road anymore because of this.

Never a truer word spoken.
These new laws are utterly pathetic.
I'd like to see what % of serious accidents are actually caused by provisional drivers.

Goldenquick

kbannon wrote: »

So its the governments fault that people may lose their homes becasue these people didn't apply for or pass a driving test? Still the electorate cannot give out about the politicians doing their job - after all they were elected by the people!

Yes it is indeed and if any of them were standing in front of me now I would challenge them with that statement. They allowed this to build up into such a farce that we are actually the laughing stock of Europe, visitors come here and laugh about it, the fact that Irish people can drive around on provisional licences for years and years and get away with it, yes the government are to blame, not just this government, but each party that has been in the Dail and has therefore allowed this to happen all these years.

How can they reconcile giving people notice that they cannot drive from Tues unless they are fully licenced drivers when The Road Safety Authority (RSA) announced that the average waiting time for a driving test is 23 weeks. That just dosen't make sense.

The total number of test centres in Ireland will be 83, when the promised new centres open, can they cope with the amount of provisional drivers that will be wanting to do their tests? Not a hope in hell of them even being opened when they were supposed to be so there's no chance of all those people getting their full licence.

As a poster said already, they should have given 6 months notice, (even 3 months), I agree totally with that. If they had announced, 'By April 2008 anyone that does not have a full licence will not be allowed on Ireland's roads', people would then ensure they have their test done, fail it or pass it they would have had notice that this was going to happen but a few days is ridiculous.

They say this is being implemented to stop boy racers, but they are penalising ordinary folk who need their cars to get to work, other than that, introduce a proper public transport system in the country.

Arathorn

It needs to be done, but the sensible thing would have been to announce it in advance, at least the average waiting time for a test + take into account the extra surge in applications

wet-paint

Exactly Arathorn, your sentiments echo mine.
I learned to drive by getting two lessons, and going out on the road. I don't use L plates, and rarely have a licenced driver. I wouldn't call myself a very good driver, or experienced, but I feel in control of the situations I put myself in.
Now please stay off the oh so comfy high horse, but I presume most people are learning the same way, discounting those who never go anywhere without a full licencer, and those who never got lessons and can't drive for shít.

This gets rid of the easiest, cheapest and best way of learning to drive. More people are going to be failing their tests.

Agh, I need to go to bed and this is getting me too riled up.

will_c

Hobbes wrote: »

My guess is most will drive illegally still.

I can tell you now i will be one of those people.
I have been now waiting nearly 8 months for a date (im on my first provisional), i have taken 12 lessons (which i need not have taken, having known how to drive for many years but still wanted more supervised road experience), i need my car for work full stop: there is no public transport from my home to my place of work (im an apprentice mechanic) short of a €15 taxi each way..[if i was to spend €30 a day on a taxi to and from work, thats €150 a week, and when i make only €180 a week im clearly cutting it fine cash wise) i simply do not have any other option but to drive "illegally".
And if i am prosecuted, i will fight it in court, regardless of how thin my defense is.
I refuse to bend over to more goverment ***** until they get their act together.

Goldenquick

daveirl wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

It's a lot easier to refuse a drink than it is to get a driving licence by next Tues

Stark

And it's the "two lessons and straight onto the road" brigade like yourself who've taken the Government/Gardaí's leniency and taken them for a ride. The leniency was to give a break to people who've done the necessary lessons and gained the necessary experience but found themselves with a need for a car before their test date. Now those people have to suffer because of the people who decide "I've never driven before but I think I'm going to cash in my god given right. Time to go out, buy myself a car and hop straight in without regard for myself or anyone else".

lynski

I agree that having untested, unqualified inexperienced drivers on the road is a bad situation; I would love a stringent, rigorous licensing approach. In the past 10 years, in the pursuit of economic goals, the Gardaí, the RSA and the government have allowed the current situation to develop where many, many people drive and break the law; because they have to. The waiting lists for tests are so long. Now, with no real notice - because we are talking 2 business days here - 10s of 1000s of people cannot drive to work on Tuesday. What are they supposed to do?
The public transport system is bursting at the seams already, but imagine 20% of those could squeeze in there, and in a very optimistic way imagine another 20% could car-pool or share; that is still going to leave 10s of 1000s of people who will have to risk a fine and penalty points or not go to work.
This is going to cost businesses - Where is the notice to companies that from Tuesday many more of their workers will have to take public transport and the accompanying delays; or that companies may lose workers who have to drive for their jobs but can't now until their test is passed.
Even worse it puts a lot of people in risk of financial ruin. If the main wage earner has to drive for work and is waiting for a test (remember the average waiting time is 'only' 23 weeks or almost 6 months), Is the RSA going to pay the mortgage while they stay away from work until their test comes up? Are they going to help their company defray the cost of an accompanist? Are they going to bring the test forward for all those who can prove they will lose their jobs if they can't drive?
This government is a joke. On the day that Bertie got a wage raise equivalent to most people's salary they have put people who are doing their best to get by at risk of losing everything.
What will we do though? Are we all going to take to the streets of Dublin over the weekend and protest? Probably not, the same sheep who elected this muppet show of a government will just bleat and try to muddle by.

cregser

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

Never a truer word spoken.
These new laws are utterly pathetic.
I'd like to see what % of serious accidents are actually caused by provisional drivers.

It's often said that a lot of crashes invlove young fully licensed male drivers who have gotten complacent. I remember Gay mentioning it. But I can't rembember any ideas put forward or any legislation proposed that would in any way tackle this...

DonJose

kbannon wrote: »

With more and more checkpoints put in place because of this and the run up to Christmas, that will mean that a lot of Provisional drivers will earn themselves up to €1,000 fines and possibly a few points thrown in for good measure!

From the RSA website,
"To drive unaccompanied will be a penal offence and the person will be subject to prosecution."

Punchy07

I couldnt believe it when I read this in the paper today.I've taken 6 driving lessons with 1 more to go to fine tune everything ive learned and now this,what a disaster.Im training to be a pilot at the moment and live 25 miles from where I train.I fly on saturday and sunday morningsat 9am and at the moment I have to wake my dad up and have him drive me out there,have him sit in his car and wait for 2 hours and drive me home again.I also have ground school on Tuesdays and Thursday nights so my dad has to drop me out for them too straight after work and sit around aswell.What a joke,I cant continue to depend on my dad like this.I'm starting a new job in a few weeks time aswell which is quite a step away from my house so I'm going to be set back for that too.I dont know what they expect people to f***ing do but this isnt going to solve any problems:mad:

Stark

So let me get this straight. You've taken a grand total of 6 driving lessons, and now you expect to be allowed drive everywhere as you please on your own? Sure maybe you can persuade them to leave the plane at your house, then you can take that out whenever you please to learn in it.

People like yourself are just going to have to plan in advance from now on and actually learn to drive before they have a need to be driving on their own. That's what I did. I didn't need a car when I went to college, but I knew I had to learn anyway, because I'd have noone to be in the car with me after I'd finished college and moved out of home. And despite only having my parents take me out 2-3 hours a week in the car, I had to pay a whopping great insurance premium to fund the people who decided that they were fine to drive around as they pleased on their provisionals

Wishbone Ash

Hobbes wrote: »

btw didn't they have an Amnesty some years back that gave everyone on the road a free license?

In October 1979, because of a 2.5 year waiting list, the Government granted a full licence to everyone who had applied for a test and who was on their second provisional licence.

steveland?

Does anyone know if they changed today the document on the drivingtest.ie website outlining the waiting times/pass rates of testing centres?

I applied for my test this afternoon in Finglas (yes I've been driving a good while but only recently thought I was confident enough to do my test, this was the "kickstart" to apply) and when I looked at it earlier I could've sworn it said 36 weeks was the maximum wait for a test. Now it says 21 weeks (and says 25/10/07). Was this just updated today? Didn't notice this afternoon what date was on it.

irishgeo

having read through these posts , will people stop whining about the new laws, its always been the law, its not a new law. Your breaking the law when you drive with out a person with a full licence and you have a provisional. the only bit that is new is that they removed the loophole about the 2nd provisional.


this will stop the school kids with honda civics i meet every day flying about the roads at lunch time. dont give crap about kids needing cars to get to school. its bollox.

we need to get more like the uk cops and they way they check every driver out on the computer and know straight away whether they are insured taxed and have a licence.

Hobbes

Have a thread in politics on the other aspects but as an example, have the petrol stations wondered what will happen when potenically 17.6% of their customers may be off the road?