Show the Gardai a letter and you're grand!

challengemaster

Why is it this will work for the full license but you have to wait for your provisional/learners permit before you can do anything. Silly tbh. :pac:

Hanley

DRice wrote: »

did you have plates up?

Yup. On both occasions.

The car I got stuck behind was an unmarked mondeo with only one guard inside, and yesterday I would guess that the guards were toold to do nothing but direct traffic since it was a major event.

techdiver

Boggles wrote: »

Sorry Techdiver, did you get any sort of letter before you complained. I know someone who applied online a couple of weeks ago and did't get any sort of correspondance even to say that payment had been recieved and processed and they would be notified of the test.

By the way from people I know I think the 6-8 weeks wait is the exception to the rule and 12+ is more realistic, will only likely increase further with the amount of applicants in the past number of weeks.

I did get my confirmation letter after the application was submitted.

After that I heard nothing what so ever form the RSA until I managed to get through by phone to them after 2 weeks of trying.

To add insult to injury, I received a letter from SGS the other day cancelling my test on the 7th of August and re-scheduling it for the bloody 9th of September. No excuse what so ever as to why this happened!!

So never mind the lies of the 7.7 week wait they are preaching in the national media, I will have been waiting 20 weeks.

That is well outside any deviation from the average that is acceptable!

Mr. Presentable

Seriously, the Gardai are not hunting Learner drivers. They have other things to do. You are not the centre of the universe.

However, if they stop you for another offense you may be prosecuted.

Waiting time for a test complainants. If you have a 15 week wait and its in late August you

a) Left it to the last minute to book
b) Are unlucky to have booked at a centre with a long wait. The published average waiting time is an average. This means in some centres the wait is longer and some it is shorter.

Boggles

nipplenuts wrote: »

a) Left it to the last minute to book

What do you mean by last minute?

Mr. Presentable

Boggles wrote: »

What do you mean by last minute?

Boggles, you are a smart enough bloke to know what I mean

Maccers55

Just wondering if the person I'm accompanied by doesn't have their full licence with them what happens then?

Will they just ask them to produce it in a garda station within 10 days?

Hanley

nipplenuts wrote: »

Seriously, the Gardai are not hunting Learner drivers. They have other things to do. You are not the centre of the universe.

However, if they stop you for another offense you may be prosecuted.

Waiting time for a test complainants. If you have a 15 week wait and its in late August you

a) Left it to the last minute to book
b) Are unlucky to have booked at a centre with a long wait. The published average waiting time is an average. This means in some centres the wait is longer and some it is shorter.

BS. Each centre has it's own average waiting time published on the RSA website. Every single person that I know that applied for tests recently has been waiting longer than the average time. Every single one. By the law of AVERAGES it should balance out and I should know at least one person who got in before the published average times, but I don't.

Mr. Presentable

Hanley wrote: »

BS. Each centre has it's own average waiting time published on the RSA website. Every single person that I know that applied for tests recently has been waiting longer than the average time. Every single one. By the law of AVERAGES it should balance out and I should know at least one person who got in before the published average times, but I don't.

I have highlighted the key word. How many people do you know who have applied recently? There was a rush of applications at the announcement of the clampdown, and another at the end of the amnesty period. Over 250,000 have not bothered to apply for a test yet :eek:

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/thousands-of-ldrivers-ignore-test-deadline-1418822.html

Alanstrainor

Hanley wrote: »

BS. Each centre has it's own average waiting time published on the RSA website. Every single person that I know that applied for tests recently has been waiting longer than the average time. Every single one. By the law of AVERAGES it should balance out and I should know at least one person who got in before the published average times, but I don't.

Did you not get your test in circa 8 weeks?

techdiver

Hanley wrote: »

BS. Each centre has it's own average waiting time published on the RSA website. Every single person that I know that applied for tests recently has been waiting longer than the average time. Every single one. By the law of AVERAGES it should balance out and I should know at least one person who got in before the published average times, but I don't.

Same here, me including many people I know are in the same boat. I have yet to meet or talk to someone who got it before the 8 weeks (All different centres). And to adjust the average for my 20 week wait is someone getting their test before they apply?? (Flippant comment by the way.)

TheNog

Maccers55 wrote: »

Just wondering if the person I'm accompanied by doesn't have their full licence with them what happens then?

Will they just ask them to produce it in a garda station within 10 days?

yes they can be asked to produce within 10 days

Hanley

nipplenuts wrote: »

I have highlighted the key word. How many people do you know who have applied recently? There was a rush of applications at the announcement of the clampdown, and another at the end of the amnesty period. Over 250,000 have not bothered to apply for a test yet :eek:

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/thousands-of-ldrivers-ignore-test-deadline-1418822.html

Shocking... the system couldn't handle a situation that pretty much everyone with two brain cells to rub together could see coming. What's the point in average waiting times if they can't be used as a guide? Everyone could see a bottleneck occuring, yet the RSA insisted they were testing people quickly.

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Did you not get your test in circa 8 weeks?

Yup. The published "average" time for Finglas is 6 weeks afaik. I was left waitign 33% longer!!

Morgans

Cmon, defenders of the RSA, surely if the anecdotal evidence from boards is anything to go by, with some people waiting a lot longer than the average, you'd expect some people to be waiting 3/4 weeks if the average means anything. I havent met one of these. If there is anyone who fits this description on boards, please shout out. if only to put my scepticism to bed.

As for the quote of waiting until the last minute. Waiting lists decreased over the lead in until the july deadline. SGS were brought on board, and still are. The last minute people are factored into the average times.

Alanstrainor

Hanley wrote: »

Yup. The published "average" time for Finglas is 6 weeks afaik. I was left waitign 33% longer!!

I think given the obvious surge of applicants coming up to the 30th of june deadline, 8 weeks is nothing to complain about.

Morgans

I read that article. Gay Byrne congratulating the RSA no doubt on its trojan work in getting through the provisional licences

"Gay Byrne, meanwhile, pointed out that 14 months ago a learner driver had to wait on average 64 weeks for a test. "

Its more lucidrous than driving to a test, failing, and driving home again. Given that there is a roughly 50/50 chance of passing the test (for whatever reason) it would have meant an average of approximately 2 years without legal access to the road network. I was advised to apply for my test before I even knew how to turn over the key!

Congratulations to the RSA and department for pulling their finger out, but it was a problem of the department's own making in the first place.

Still I would like to hear one instance of a person waiting 3/4 weeks - there ust be hundreds, if not thousands out there, and I am hoping one or a few read this forum on boards.

Hanley

Morgans wrote: »

I read that article. Gay Byrne congratulating the RSA no doubt on its trojan work in getting through the provisional licences

"Gay Byrne, meanwhile, pointed out that 14 months ago a learner driver had to wait on average 64 weeks for a test. "

Its more lucidrous than driving to a test, failing, and driving home again. Given that there is a roughly 50/50 chance of passing the test (for whatever reason) it would have meant an average of approximately 2 years without legal access to the road network. I was advised to apply for my test before I even knew how to turn over the key!

Congratulations to the RSA and department for pulling their finger out, but it was a problem of the department's own making in the first place.

Still I would like to hear one instance of a person waiting 3/4 weeks - there ust be hundreds, if not thousands out there, and I am hoping one or a few read this forum on boards.

Really good post.

techdiver

Alanstrainor wrote: »

I think given the obvious surge of applicants coming up to the 30th of june deadline, 8 weeks is nothing to complain about.

20 weeks is something to complain about!

lolli

I got stopped by the guards on Friday evening while driving on my own with L plates up. I almost had a heart attack when I seen the check point, but they told me to go on so they dont seen to be implementing it much. THANK GOD.

Boggles

lolli wrote: »

I got stopped by the guards on Friday evening while driving on my own with L plates up. I almost had a heart attack when I seen the check point, but they told me to go on so they dont seen to be implementing it much. THANK GOD.

Did they ask to see your license?

Pythia

I got my test within a month with a letter from my employer. I got a cancellation. Failed that, applied again and no sign of the test yet, been waiting almost a month to hear from them, which means it'll be at least 8 weeks I'd say.

The boyfriend applied in May and is yet to hear anything.

MrPudding

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Regardless of when you 'produce' (usually within 10 days) the licence/tax/insurance/NCT will be checked against the date in which the checkpoint took place.

It's irrelevant if you pass a test in the meantime as the Garda will be required to check what licence you held for the date in question.

Is not carrying the licence an offence in and of itself?

Morgans wrote: »

Its more lucidrous than driving to a test, failing, and driving home again.

No it isn't. I struggle to think of anything that is more ludicrous than sitting a very simple test of competency and failing that test and then being able to continue to do the thing you have been deemed incompetent at. :rolleyes: Seriously.

Morgans wrote: »

Given that there is a roughly 50/50 chance of passing the test (for whatever reason)

The test is not a game of heads or tails. There is little or no random chance. Over 50% of those tested fail because they were unable to give the impression that they were competent drivers. The examiner does not toss a coin at the end of the test. A properly prepared person stands a much better than 50/50 chance of passing.

Morgans wrote: »

it would have meant an average of approximately 2 years without legal access to the road network. I was advised to apply for my test before I even knew how to turn over the key!

Other countries have a learning process, I seem to remember, that can take 2 years to complete but they seem to cope.

Morgans wrote: »

Congratulations to the RSA and department for pulling their finger out, but it was a problem of the department's own making in the first place.

Regardless of who was responsible it did need to be addressed. I am not a huge fan, but I grudgingly believe they should get some credit for trying.

MrP

Morgans

"The test is not a game of heads or tails. There is little or no random chance. Over 50% of those tested fail because they were unable to give the impression that they were competent drivers. The examiner does not toss a coin at the end of the test. A properly prepared person stands a much better than 50/50 chance of passing."

I think it is far more likely that test centres with higher pass rates are down to an easier test route, or easier testers rather than a set of better prepared drivers. I remember Newcastle West in Co. Limerick having a very high pass rate, and was recommended to try to my test there by friends who took it. I also wouldnt dismiss the ideas that quotas were being used out of hand. Of course, it isnt a toss of a coin, but for some reason RSA apologists appear to believe that there are no hard luck stories when it comes to driving tests, or that there is any chance that the testers themselves could be part of the problem.

Do countries with learning process of 2 years (proof please??) have adequate public transport systems? An average waiting time of 16 months for a test was a disgrace, so see if you were competent driver. Of course, this figure too is completely divorced from reality. Utter bullspit. I dont know anyone who had to wait this long, but its a figure being used by the RSA to overstate their sterling work. It was never that bad, but it makes the RSA once again appear to be doing a huge effort. Give it to us straight lads.

I still dont believe the average times that the RSA are publishing for waiting times. In fact, I dont believe much that they come out with. Their hand-handed patronising attitude and their complete blinkers that they wore when trying to implement the change in legislation last October sickened me, and I was delighted when the people spoke up and told them where they could shove their hand-wringing, consider the dead people on the roads attitude (Noel Brett on Ray D'Arcy was fantastic, admitting that l-plate drivers were involved in proportionally vastly fewer serious accidents despite the hand-wringing how it was essential that this measure was brought in overnight because of the lives that it would save) So the back-slapping they seem to be involved with since grates. As if the legislation made one whit of difference to anything. It just means that the consequences of being pulled by a guard is the same for all learner drivers. The hot air and worry that accompanied it all was akin to the Y2K bug on media hype. A sexy way of implementing what was essentially a tidying up job.

So, having looked through boards over the past while, anecdotally, the evidence seems to tally with those who I have met "in real life" where generally people are getting dates of waiting times of well over 8 weeks - 12 weeks would be about the average so far. Obviously far better than the 64 weeks that it was 14 months ago, but I am still waiting to see the corresponding people who are getting tests in 2/3 weeks to justify the average.

invincibleirish

Morgans wrote: »

So, having looked through boards over the past while, anecdotally, the evidence seems to tally with those who I have met "in real life" where generally people are getting dates of waiting times of well over 8 weeks - 12 weeks would be about the average so far. Obviously far better than the 64 weeks that it was 14 months ago, but I am still waiting to see the corresponding people who are getting tests in 2/3 weeks to justify the average.

Amen to this in particular, the RSA have done a good job in bringing down test times but preaching to the media that the average test time is only 4 weeks only infuriates me when here in Cork its been nearly 4 months ive been waiting for my test!(which is next week). its fine that in ballywherever up the country you only have to wait 2 weeks for a test but the RSA were/are being dishonest with people when they preach about the 'average' test waiting time on the radio, Noel Brett is more interested in good PR then telling the truth!.

Alanstrainor

but preaching to the media that the average test time is only 4 weeks

Where on gods earth are you getting that figure from?
The average waiting time across all test centres in Ireland is currently 7.7 weeks, this is an AVERAGE TIME. Waiting times seem to vary from 10/11 weeks to lows of about 4 or 5. I suspect that the waiting times for tests have increased in the weeks before the 30th of June hence people on here seeming to get above average waiting times. But that's not to say people aren't getting their tests in and around that 7.7 week average, Hanley for example got a test in 8 weeks, and others have relayed similar stories.

Morgans

Are you suggesting that there was a rush of people applying 6-8 weeks before the July 1st deadline or just applying now and due to get their dates shortly. Obviously more learners have applied in the past 6-8 months, with probably two bursts, but extra test centres were brought in to deal with the backlog. I would agree that most people are getting dates on the high side of 8-12 weeks. Its not bad, just that i havent come accross nearly as many who were getting their tests below the average. AS you would expect. I am not just basing this on the past month, throughout the last 6-8 months.

techdiver

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Where on gods earth are you getting that figure from?
The average waiting time across all test centres in Ireland is currently 7.7 weeks, this is an AVERAGE TIME. Waiting times seem to vary from 10/11 weeks to lows of about 4 or 5. I suspect that the waiting times for tests have increased in the weeks before the 30th of June hence people on here seeming to get above average waiting times. But that's not to say people aren't getting their tests in and around that 7.7 week average, Hanley for example got a test in 8 weeks, and others have relayed similar stories.

The minister committed that no one will wait more than 10 weeks for a test as soon as the new law comes into effect. This is not the case. If they told the truth I wouldn't have a problem. My problem is with misleading the public. You can dress it up any way you like but that is the case. A 20 week wait (me), is nowhere near acceptable based on their commitments.

Boggles

Maybe what is required is a how long it took to get your test thread. If enough reply should give a good snapshot of the actual averages.

techdiver

Boggles wrote: »

Maybe what is required is a how long it took to get your test thread. If enough reply should give a good snapshot of the actual averages.

Good idea

Boggles

techdiver wrote: »

Good idea

Go on Techdiver, it's all yours.