Learner drivers finally being held accountable? No way!
Apparently measures that have been talked about for yonks (yes, that is a word) are going to be implemented in the very near future - the lack of a need for new legislation for the first bits being the key to this speediness. I’m delighted. I know it will interfere with my plans to be designated driver for the month of September (rugby season - yuck), but if it interferes with the deaths of hundreds of people then frankly I’m happy to pay for the taxis.
The first set of measures include banning of “Ooh I have my second provisional so I’ll just drive by myself despite being completely unqualified to do so” and ensuring that you can’t apply for your test until you’ve had your provisional licence for six months. Later steps will apparently include a mandatory level of professional driving instruction, which I think is a fantastic idea though I would wonder about the feasibility of it if lessons cost €40 a pop. Multiply by 20 and suddenly the system becomes a little more elitist than might be productive.
I know I’ve mentioned this previously, but it really bugs me that there are people giving out about this.
I do have a certain amount of sympathy for, say, a mother of three young children who has to drive them to school and is about to be banned from driving by herself - but realistically this is a person who has been blatantly flouting the law of the land for years. A group of people I have absolutely no sympathy for is/are those who claim it would be too difficult for them to pass a test now because they’ve been driving for years and picked up too many bad habits. Is that supposed to be a joke? Does it not tell you something about the way you’re driving?
A close friend of mine who is racing me to the driving test was shocked when I mentioned last week that these new measures may be coming into force. I’ll be the first to admit that the ability to just get out and drive is what has given her 99% of her driving confidence, but in all honesty I think I’m gaining just as much confidence with someone in the car despite the fact that legally at the moment I could drive to Mayo and back by myself.
This shouldn’t be a news story, this should all have happened years ago. The sooner they get everything sorted the safer our roads will be.
August 4, 2007 at 9:53 am
Great to hear a voice of support … It’s not so much the driving alose - but the fact that it totally de-values the licence so that people consider it a right, not a privelige.
Cost of learning? Probably the cheapest driving related expense you will ever have - €40 x 40 is nearer the mark if you want to learn safety … A one off of €1600 - try buying a decent car for that!