fully licenced drivers treatment of learners

Pedro K

I am very patient when it comes to peolpe learning within the constraints of the law. After all, I was a learner too, we all were.

However, a while ago, I was driving down the Belgard Road in Tallaght and I saw a girl in a car (can't remember what it was, may have been an old suzuki alto or something along those lines) by herself with L - plates up. At the lights near IT Tallaght this lady cut out twice. The first green light cycle I sat behind her patiently and missed my go at the light. Didn't beep or anything. Next green light comes round, and... *CONK* car cuts out again. I went around her.

I didn't beep, but I was going mad in my car! I heard a few people beep. Like I said, I have no problem with learners in general. But if you can't actually drive the car, you really shouldn't be in morning traffic, on a main road and unaccompanied.

That drives me mad!

jordainius

Pedro K wrote: »

I am very patient when it comes to peolpe learning within the constraints of the law. After all, I was a learner too, we all were.

However, a while ago, I was driving down the Belgard Road in Tallaght and I saw a girl in a car (can't remember what it was, may have been an old suzuki alto or something along those lines) by herself with L - plates up. At the lights near IT Tallaght this lady cut out twice. The first green light cycle I sat behind her patiently and missed my go at the light. Didn't beep or anything. Next green light comes round, and... *CONK* car cuts out again. I went around her.

I didn't beep, but I was going mad in my car! I heard a few people beep. Like I said, I have no problem with learners in general. But if you can't actually drive the car, you really shouldn't be in morning traffic, on a main road and unaccompanied.

That drives me mad!

Sorry you were held up! And fair play to you for not beeping at her, how people think that beeping helps I will never know...

But I take issue with your final paragraph. A learner can't be expected to be as technically skilled as a full licensed driver, it doesn't matter what time of the day they drive be that morning, afternoon or otherwise, and they are allowed to drive on main roads as much as you and I (with the exception of motorways).

However she should not have been unaccompanied, and you had every right to be frustrated at that!

Pedro K

jordainius wrote: »

and they are allowed to drive on main roads as much as you and I (with the exception of motorways).

However she should not have been unaccompanied, and you had every right to be frustrated at that!

Thats the thing, They're not allowed unless accompanied, that's what got to me. I don't mind learners driving too much because I, like a lot of others, drove unaccompanied on a provisional licence quite some time ago. (long before the introduction of the permit laws) However, I never would've dreamt of going out at rush hour by myself when I was still at a stage where I couldn't take off from a set of traffic lights. That would just be putting myself in the firing line

When I learned to drive I went to Citywest with my dad later on in the evening, and drove around the business park there. Minimal traffic, plenty of roundabouts. Seemed like the perfect place to learn, and it did the trick for me. When my dad and I thought I was ready, we took the motor onto the main roads. It was a progressive introduction, but this girl seemed to just throw herself in the deep end on this occasion.

I just wonder, how many of the learners in this thread that have experienced abuse, were blatantly disregarding the laws and putting themselves into a situation that they weren't ready to handle. That's all.

(once again, I don't have an issue with Learner drivers. I'm only new here and don't wanna go making any enemies this soon! just saying what I saw)

jordainius

Pedro K wrote: »

I just wonder, how many of the learners in this thread that have experienced abuse, were blatantly disregarding the laws and putting themselves into a situation that they weren't ready to handle. That's all.

That is a good point actually! (Not that I think any abuse should be justified. I'm not saying you are either!)

I myself do feel that the gardai should be doing more to enforce the accompanied driver rule. I hated the rule myself as it really restricted the times I could practise, but I obeyed it. And to be honest it did annoy me a little when I saw fellow Learner drivers driving unaccompanied.

Burtchaell

Pedro K wrote: »

Thats the thing, They're not allowed unless accompanied, that's what got to me. I don't mind learners driving too much because I, like a lot of others, drove unaccompanied on a provisional licence quite some time ago. (long before the introduction of the permit laws) However, I never would've dreamt of going out at rush hour by myself when I was still at a stage where I couldn't take off from a set of traffic lights. That would just be putting myself in the firing line

When I learned to drive I went to Citywest with my dad later on in the evening, and drove around the business park there. Minimal traffic, plenty of roundabouts. Seemed like the perfect place to learn, and it did the trick for me. When my dad and I thought I was ready, we took the motor onto the main roads. It was a progressive introduction, but this girl seemed to just throw herself in the deep end on this occasion.

I just wonder, how many of the learners in this thread that have experienced abuse, were blatantly disregarding the laws and putting themselves into a situation that they weren't ready to handle. That's all.

(once again, I don't have an issue with Learner drivers. I'm only new here and don't wanna go making any enemies this soon! just saying what I saw)

Man thats like the best point i've heard in a while! When I was on L plates I never drove unaccompanied. Biggest pain ever but you will learn so much more from driving accompanied and in the case of that girl at the lights in heavy traffic then at least the fully accompanied driver could have calmed her down and got her to concentrate again, advised her of an easier route (dont know the place so its just a suggestion) or if worst came to worst taken over for when she missed the first sequence of the lights. You never stop learning just because you dont have L plates. Everyone on the road continues to learn! Those people who beep and overtake eratically are just arrogant and think they know it all. I think Pedro K handled that well though.

timmywex

Some drivers attitude to learners is a joke lets be honest!

Ive been a learner about 4 months, and the amount of idiotic driving people do towards me is unreal, i can only guess to make me nervous, once i was been tailgated by someone with full headlights on(long story but they were tryimg to annoy me basically!)

I drive without someone with me more times than i drive with someone, i reckon when unaccompanied, people think your a fool, drive straight out in front of you at junctions and the like, they become stupid towards you nearly.

Ive been taught about defensive driving, and its saved me from others stupidity on more than one occasion!

Behaviour is the problem with driving in this country, any learner driver can see that much!

david

I always give learners extra space/time to make manouvers whenever I can. However there are a shocking number of learners that are downright dangerous on the road, still unaccompanied. In particular, last night I had a learner rev the crap out of her corsa on a hill whilst in neutral near Dundrum and roll very slowly backwards into my bumper (just scratched her own yoke off my number plate thank God). I sat on the horn which definitely made her panic even more and she proceeded to stall twice and miss the lights. Thats the last time I beep a learner. I can definitely see why people with high stress jobs/in a rush may be inclined to resort to road rage.

A bit of advice to all the learners; keep calm. Take your time but if you're noticably holding up traffic don't panic, pull in, mirror signal manouver back onto the road.

TheElf

I was driving to Carlow last night from Kilkenny in my girlfriends car, my golf is in the garage getting some TLC for the NCT. Her car is a 01 corsa with L plates, I have a full license btw, and I actually couldnt believe the treatment I got on the road. I was tailgated the whole way, had people over take me on bends, flashing lights, in other words "pull over and let me pass ya". I actually had one lad in a bmw flash for about 20 seconds while coming up behind me, then beep until i gave him the room to overtake. But then the icing on the cake was going through paulstown I had some ejit overtake me in the middle of the village, nearly taking out traffic on the other side of the road.

I've been driving it about 2 days now, and I've noticed the same in town, I'm getting no time on junctions, if i'm the frist in a line of traffic at a light,stop sign, the car behind me cant wait to get past.

It's actually amazing to watch the treatment i've been getting, I have to say though most of it seems to be from people, lads, in there 40's.....

cuckoo

Some of the driver behaviour I've experienced has been unreal. I'm in the driving school car, maybe the big red 'L' on the roof is a red rag to those road bull(ie)s?

My experience though is that this behaviour seems to be limited to people in big cars, and that the 'professional' drivers (ie those who drive for a living, taxis, delivery vans, trucks, etc) tend to hold back and be patient.