New driving license laws.

[Declan]

1. If you haven't passed your test you should not be able to drive unaccompanied. This is logical. If you are on a provisional just pass your test.

Agree but due to the incompetence of the Dept of Env and govt there are a huge number of people in limbo as they are waiting on their test. Suddenly it was OK for them to drive today but not on Monday A lead in time should have been considered

[Deal_Me_In]

Was listening to today FM on the way into work this morning and the road safety authority was on saying that they are not going to be providing any more people for paper work, judicatore etc, they said that it was always supposed to be that learner drivers were supposed to have someone with them in the cars but it wasn't law so it wasn;t enforced. They also said that driving instructors will not have to be fully certified having to pass 3 tests - an intensive theory test, an intensive driving test and a test to prove they can actually teach properly.

I personally think itis a great idea and it will reduce the risks on the road but it will not eliminate road deaths, accidents etc but should help

[lynchbhoy]

what this will do if not ignored and if enforced, is to take a lot of traffic off the roads...which is partially the gov's objective here I'd say...

[Gnevin]

How many of you would support a retest every 5 years?

[Captain Scarlet]

Thats something worth looking at too.

What about the people who were just given licences years ago?

[lynchbhoy]

How many of you would support a retest every 5 years?

being lazy, not me - or too many others id say
it would be a thing the gov would love to bring in - a money making exercise
but they would have to clear the current test backlog before they could do that

[An Fear Rua]

How many of you would support a retest every 5 years?

would prob have to give consideration to age , driving exp, etc and the detail of the test. You could also include a requirement for a certificate from a doctor and /or optician for suitability. It would make money for some government department somewhere, but could/should in theory bring insurance down?

In principle id have nothing against the idea, if your driving well and responsibly then what to be worried about?

[myball22]

If we can't get waiting lists down to am manageable size then it's hard to see that working.

The issue of long waiting lists has been around for a long time, it was an issue when I first did my test
in 98 or 99. I think they had an amnesty in the mid 80s such was the numbers waiting for a test.

I have to say these new rules, were they not in law previously but just not applied?

[galwayman]

The way I see it, it is speed (i.e. dangerous driving at high speeds and dangerous overtaking maneouvres etc at high speed) that kills people on our roads. People who speed and drive dangerously are naturally not going to do this in a driving test situation, so whether they pass or fail the test will not determine the speed they drive at once they leave the test centre imo.

[Captain Scarlet]

Its just on the rte website now

http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1026/roadsafety.html

[An Gaeilgoir]

It didnt take long for all the "how am i going to get to college" an Tuesday brigade and Dymphna from Dundrum whose daughter needs a "cur" for her Sat. job in town to come out of the woodwork. This decision has been taken for the greater good,i have seen an instance this week in Dublin where a girl in a car had to let another motorist move her car away from traffic lights because she couldnt do a hill start!!! We face competence tests all our life and driving should be just another one. One serious issue will be however, that if an un-accompanied learner driver is involved in a crash their insurance will be null and void. This could have major implications for all learner motorists. The waiting times for driving tests is on average down to 10 weeks now. To start this iniative should really target people who have 2 or more provisional licences. It seems that the Govt. and us as a nation are finally getting serious about road safety. Who knows these iniatives might save one our of our families the nightmare that is a death on the roads. What price can we put on that.

[stpauls]

The way I see it, it is speed (i.e. dangerous driving at high speeds and dangerous overtaking maneouvres etc at high speed) that kills people on our roads. People who speed and drive dangerously are naturally not going to do this in a driving test situation, so whether they pass or fail the test will not determine the speed they drive at once they leave the test centre imo.

people dying on the roads is not just solely down to speed, it is also down to people not driving with the due care and attention that they should, people taking risks when driving, whether it is at speed or not and people driving without the common sense to know when they are not driving outside of their own limits or abilities!

[ildanach]

it seems there is going to be a lead in period before a total ban (similar to the child car sat law a couple of years ago). This should give time for people to apply for their test or arrange to get to work another way. It is about time there was a crack down. It will also be good to see less boy racers many of whom have not a full licence off the road.
I heard some one on the radio today saying they had sat their test 4 times and failed it. She then had the cheek to ask how was she going to get her kids to school. If she is that bad a driver does she really think she is safe to be driving her kids? The system up to now has been a joke. I have seen L drivers weaving in and out on the M50 in the mornings. My only concern is that if the insurance stop covering them and an L driver hits you who picks up the tab?

[An Gaeilgoir]

It seems that the other driver involved will be covered by the provisional drivers insurance,this is regardless of liability...the provisional driver will have no cover for him or his/her passengers.

[ildanach]

thanks for that.