Almost 50% of drivers believe accompanied driver rule should be scrapped

Can’t believe they even print this tripe. Given Breaking News was part of the Cork Examiner I’d wager (tin foil hat time) that this was written by a journo sympathetic to Michael Healy Rae. He was banging on about people leaving school with a driving licence last week.

A few years ago, in very poor taste, he launched a blistering attack on the legislation to seize cars off unaccompanied learners. This law was brought in as a result of the unaccompanied learner that blew through a stop sign, hit another car. That car rolled into a water filled ditch. The doors of the car couldn’t be opened and the mother and daughter drowned in their car 400 metres from their front door a few days before Christmas.

I was so disgusted by this I sent a letter (physical) to MHR to tell him. Never got a response.

No Government TD or Minister will ever row back on road safety measures. This is just click bait that plays well with people who think ‘sure everything was grand years ago, why did things have to change?’

Healy Rae and the rest rattle cages about this stuff to get votes. What they are in fact doing is railing against law and order and the authority of the legal system. Then they go out on the other hand crying about the victims of crime, gangs and lawlessness.

How can you expect people to obey any law and you (TD’s) are giving them a nod and wink over driving licences and publicly calling for laws to be reversed?

The chancers of the world take that as ‘if I can get away with this, what else can I get away with?’

It’s grossly irresponsible of politicians.

And for Breaking News, usually quite a responsible site, to spin the survey as ‘nearly a majority support this’ is not just click bait but irresponsible stuff. 51% of a very small group surveyed still think learners should be accompanied, the status quo. But there is no clicks in that headline….

I learnt to drive and did my test in a country where this was the rule, and indeed, the test had to be taken in a car with dual controls (I wonder whether that was brought in because of people trying to take their test when they really weren't ready for it). I'm not sure whether it took me longer to get to the standard required because I didn't have the opportunity to practice outside of paid for lessons.

Also, looking at the ages in the survey, it's not really a surprise that quite a few of those who are learning (the 18-24s) and those who might have to be supervising (the 45-54 cohort probably covers quite a few parents of that 18-24 cohort) want the accompanied driver rule to go away.

I thought it was obvious, its to stop teenagers driving by themselves being reckless or showing off in front of their friends in the car, while still giving them some freedom to practice driving with a responsible adult. Teenagers are more responsible with an experienced fully licensed driver beside them. (Usually a parent or guardian).

Scrap it, don't scrap it, what's the difference. Enforcement is selective. Just listen to the barrage of bangers every night.

Thanks for trotting out all the old arguments for why we shouldn’t bother to change our laws or driver training and testing systems. They’re all self serving sh one t e

Watch Jeremy Clarkson try the Cork Screw at Laguna Seca to see why SIMs don't work. The hardest part of driving is learning how the vehicle handles different conditions and SIMs don't teach you that.

Well, the data shows road fatalities in Ireland are at close to historically low levels

Given that some percentage of those road fatalities are intentional, ie, suicides, and another percentage of those are not related to driver training or excessively lenient legislation and would likely occur regardless of what the laws are (eg, criminal activity, and deliberate breaches of the law) , then the question has to be asked, Is there much we can realistically via legislation, training or enforcement do to improve the situation?

What is an acceptable level of deaths? If deaths are preventable, shouldn’t we try everything that we can to prevent them?

This is the RSA’s plan to 2030 anyway

https://www.rsa.ie/about/safety-strategy-2021-2030

A lot of people fine with new restrictions as along as they only effect those coming after and not themselves.

Of all the clowns you meet on the road not all of them are unaccompanied learners, or banned, or never had a license to begin with. Plenty bad driver out there could do with a refresher but the backlash when it'll effect anyone other than the young/new drivers would be unreal.

I've gotten car and bike under the current system, and being able to go out on bike alone after the more extensive training that they require for that made it so much easier to do the test.

Get them to sort out the waiting list for a test. That might help.

As of right now I'm scheduled to be 'invited' for a test at the end of November. I've been waiting a year.

Did 12 EDT lessons a year ago. Cost 600 quid. Pointless.

EDIT: Just checked the RSA portal out of interest. my estimated test time has been pushed back to mid December.

That will be nearly 13 months. You just have to laugh at this point.

Deaths are not preventable though , life is risky , people die prematurely in all sorts of ways, swimming, cycling ,falling down stairs, its part of life .

The accompanied rule is unworkable , people need to get around the country for work etc we dont have a public transport system fit for that purpose , what options has a young apprentice but take to the road. Provisional/young drivers are not the problem on the roads, Bad drivers are .

Completely disagree; that might be a reasoning for incorporating driving skills into the secondary curriculum so as to ensure parity of access/opportunity regardless of income. It’s not a reason to allow unaccompanied unqualified drivers.

Learner drivers aren't driving loud cars at all in general. It's the fastest way to attract attention from the guards.

Plenty of N drivers yes but learners no.

Learners are in by in large driving their parents car or a nearly new small car.

Ah I get ya. Tbf that relatively low level public order enforcement has always and it appears will always be non existent.

Whatever about complaining about waiting lists, there is an issue with allowing people to keep on renewing a learners permit an unlimited number of times, many without ever sitting a test at all.

If someone can not manage to pass a test in 10, 20 or even 30 years I am not sure if they deserve to be let drive, let alone drive unaccompanied.

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2023/10/02/revealed-tens-of-thousands-of-people-have-been-driving-for-years-without-ever-taking-test/

It doesn't actually mean that they have been driving though.

I know someone who got their Provisional years ago, before the mandatory EDT. They keep renewing it so they don't need to do the EDT (I know.....), but they never actually drive a car. Anecdote of course, but 1% of people who hold licenses are on their third provisional, and many don't actually drive on the road.

Similar to the figures published about uninsured vehicles. For a time, 2 cars outside my family home were taxed but uninsured, but that says much more about out nonsense tax system which forces people to over-tax their cars. The theory was that if a car was taxed, it was actively being used on the road, but that just isn't the case.

There's a growing problem with drivers driving with no license. A lot of those who previously drove for years on constantly renewed provisional licenses stopped doing so when the learner permit was introduced. They just drive with no license. Never enforced as Gardai simply dont check licenses anymore.

This would seem to be the way forward. People should be required to do a sim test before being allowed apply for the real one and those with licences should do a sim test every 10 years.

In a sim you could simulate something like a child running out, the driver in front braking suddenly etc and you could do night driving and snow as you say

Maybe don’t be logging on to your daddy’s account if you can’t handle an adult conversation.

The driving test is too basic and too easy to pass especially for younger people/lads who will know.and do all the right things on the day.

The bad driving is also passed down with crappy full licenced drivers helping their kid learn. Does anyone actually think that these people will pass on good driving behaviour.

These are the same people who don't abide by speed limits, sail through roundabouts and generally treat the road as though it's they're own to control.

Arrogant pr|cks. Imo.

I think it should be scrapped only because my Daughter is a learner and when I accompany her I'm fuckin petrified!