Sir,
Although I welcome this long awaited initiative by the Road safety Authority in attempting to reduce the carnage we see on our road each year,I cannot help but wonder at the thinking that went into calling an immediate halt to the driving by drivers holding a provisional driving licence while unaccompanied. It once again shown the very negative attitude and lack of thought that went into the drafting of these new regulations without any consideration as to the implications such regulations would have on a considerable number of people who depend on the use of a motor vehicle in order to commute to work or to conduct other social activities.The Celtic Tiger brought a prosperity that enabled ery many people to take up something that they otherwise may not have done under different circumstances, drive a car.The fact that a considerable number of people now live outside the commuter belt of Dublin, should have brought some consideration and passion by the Authority for those who need their vehicles in order to do things that can easily be done by those who have public transport,taxis ect outside their hall doors.
A more simpler and straightforward system would have been as follows;
1. Close the issuing of provisional driving licences on the 25th October
2.Hold press conference announcing the new system on the 26th October.
3.Issue new driving permits from the the 30th October with all the restriction fully in place.
4. Allow all current provisional licence holders to use their licences until they expire (2years maximum)
5.All provisional licence holders must apply immediately for a date in order to take the test and must on request show a member of An Garda Siochana a booking form stating the date of that test.This booking date must be made no later than one month after the new system has come into operation
6.The current restrictions on third and subsequent provisional driving licence holders needing to be accompanied by a qualified driver should be lifted in order for these drivers to prepare for taking the test.(this original rule was absolutely mad and had no logical reasoning attached to it) taking into account that a second provisional licence holder could drive unaccompanied.
6.First issue provisional licence restrictions should remain the same.
With this system fully in place the objectives of the RSA would be fully met while at the same time allow all provisional driving licence holders to make adequate preparation for the complete changeover to the new system.This would also relieve considerable pressure on the various driving test centres in having to cope with the sudden influx of applications for testing.
It is also very important to note that to date the majority of well established driving schools in themselves have not come up to a standard of driving tuition that warrants such harsh measures when compelling provisional drivers to seek professional help and tuition.In my professional opinion and with extensive experience and research into the standards of the vast majority of our driving schools, I have come to a conclusion that it may have been far better to address the problems of both the shortfall in qualified driving instructors and the manner in which driving schools conduct their business that has directly contributed to the skills problems we see today by many of our drivers on the road. Waiting lists for driving tests have not been adequately addressed and waiting time till range fro 8 weeks to 50 weeks in some centre around the country.The taxi industry has remained untouched, despite all the evidence of bad driving by members of that industry throughout the country.
We all want to see a reduction in fatalities on our roads but we must also not forget that a government minister sanctioned the issuing of full drivers licences to those on provisional licences without them having to take the test.These people are still on the roads and these people are just a dangerous as those who want to apply for the driving test and are prepared to take that test.
While we understand and accept that the current situation cannot go on indefinatly, there must be a gradual transition to the new system so that people(and they are human) can adapt and make provision for the change taking place.
The RSA made a mistake that was ill thought out and exsecuted. The honourable thing to do now is to give people some breathing space in order to get their house in order.
In our modern society, driving to quite a number of people is a necessity in life. Its not like the smoking ban where there was an alternative to smoking indoors.This is different. Lives may be saved but there again this rule may cause provisional drivers to commit an even more dangerous action and one which might lead to more deaths, remove the plates that announce to others that they are learner drivers and need some space.
Like the FAI debacle the RSA has also plunged itself into the situation where ordinary mere mortals now question their professional ability. Unlike the FAT the RSA have it within their own ability to admit they may have been wrong. Its now up to them.
Regards
Jim Travers
31 Comments
I know a lot of people that this change will have a significant impact on and I do feel for them, but here's the thing I also know a lot of people who have lost friends and family on our roads. I am 100% behind this and the way that it is being implemented.
Everyday, I see posts here from people whinging that nothing is being done, now something is being done and people are whinging. Hypocrisy of the highest order.
The only way driving and road safety will improve is through better education and more stringent testing, what better way to start than insisting that there be an experienced qualified driver in the car to supervise the learner?
As for the lenght of notice that has been given all I can say is, when people are killed this weekend on our roads, as there always is on bankholiday weekends, why don't you pop along to there funerals and see what there families and friends have to say.
Agreed, invariably this site is an orifice of endless whinging, finally something is actually being done!!! and immediatly.
To the 400K 'L' drivers:
http://www.buseireann.ie/site/home/
Your welcome, glad to be of help.
The taxi industry has remained untouched, despite all the evidence of bad driving by members of that industry throughout the country.
And just how many people have been killed and maimed by taxi drivers? compared to the likes of bus drivers, mums driving to school etc.?
I'd say that the major nuisance regarding provisional drivers is those on their 3rd and subsequent license, or anyone who has been driving for several years+ who has still not sat and passed the driving test.
1st timers fair do's to them, they are the truly inexperienced and need to be supervised and should be motivated to sit and pass their driving test, but if you're sitting on your 3rd or more provisional, you are just plain incompetent. Prove your competence by sitting a test.
Having said that I've seen plenty of absolutely appalling driving from qualified drivers too. This needs to be brought under control as well, but before this I would place trying to improve the quality of new drivers, so that we start putting better drivers on the roads.
I also agree with some of the schemes across Europe, such as minimum number of lessons, or staged tests in different driving conditions, as well as – which is severely lacking here – starting to drive in an enclosed, safe, driving school area and not on a back road of the instructor's choosing that's not too busy at that time or whatever.
and jim – fair play to you, I'll read it all later some time.
personally i think all L drivers should cancel their insurance policies, and see how much pressure the insurance federation puts on the government.
as a driver on my second provisional i am OUTRAGED that they could do this overnight. what happened to the days of referendum, voting etc.
give all members of government a driving test and see how they get on!!! if they fail, give them a provisional.
Waiting time for test in Ireland up to 44 weeks. Waiting time in UK on average 5 weeks.
The new measurements are a good thing, but giving everyone on the road 2 days on a bank holiday weekend to get a full licence is simply daft.
It's total knee-jerk, badly thought out, probably even worse implemented and this is coming from a man who has railed against the undoubted insanities of the provisional licencing system time and time again.
Trumps and George:
You would most certainly whistle a different tune if it actually affected you personally (i.e. you're L drivers and lived in the a-hole of nowhere that 90% of Ireland is).
Can someone tell me where the bus, train, hoovercraft, subway, monorail or karibu sled from Ennistymon to Carran departs from?
Simply putting 400000 people off the road in 2 days with no viable alternative isn't good enough. If this is a strategy, then it must come from the same man who once said "wouldn't it be a good idea if all Jews where segregated into labor camps"
This is nothing but a knee jerk reaction to show that "something's being done", it doesn't have to make sense or add up. Or be realistic or enforceable.
And for a minister to say there will be "Garda discretion", is that a joke or what.
The government has sat on it's hole since I am here (13 years) and probably more, now they're like the husband who's been napping on the couch till the wife comes home and then jumps up and furiously pretends to do the hoovering.
It's a noble incentive and has some worthy and lofty ambitions, but it smacks a bit too much of panic to be plausible.
But you Irish like the "strong man beating his chest" approach, so most people (who are not on a provisonal licence) are of course taken it by this (and will probably vote FF AGAIN next time you bloody fools!).
Main point is lost here, nobody is denying that there is an urgent problem that needs to be rectified. Learner drivers are just one part of a bigger problem which over time has become part of our culture and our way of life. Irrespective of what rules and regulations that come into place, innocent people will continue to be killed on our roads by both learner and experienced drivers basically because they could not give a shit about anybody except them and theirs. The Road Safety Authority made a major mistake due to the fact that they did not take into account the problems such an action would have on the everyday lives of very many decent, honest and caring people who unfortunately require a car in order to conduct their daily affairs and who unfortunately are provisional license holders. Mr Byrne and Mr Brett got their licences at a time when you handed the cash over the counter and you got a licence that allowed you to drive anything short of an aeroplane. When a drunken politician and member of a political party decided to drive his vehicle down the wrong side of the N7, he was not a provisional driver, he had a full licence and still holds that licence to this day, despite the fact that he could have murdered many innocent people by his actions.
What the Road Safety Authority had in mind was a smoking ban style of attack on motorists, which if successful, would have gone down as yet another political success and a major road safety coup.
We may all say "serves them right" but a couple with children, struggling to pay a mortgage, living outside the city boundaries and who require transport in order work and pay their bills, requires a system whereby the transition to full compliance is made as smooth as possible within a reasonable period of time. Telling people they will not be able to drive after the 30th of October or face a severe penalty for doing so, is but something you would not expect to be organised at a boys scouts meeting, never mind at the highest level of a road safety organisation.
We now hear Minister Dempsey telling us that the Gardai will use their discretion and then in the next breath says"the law is the law'. The Gardai on the other hand are telling us they will apply the law and discretion on an individual basis will not come into play.
All this unclear and straightforward information fuzzed by people in authority who basically do not know what they are doing. Mary O 'Rourke broke the news on Newstalk106 that the plan was scrapped until next year while Gaybo and Noel Brett were talking up enforcement on the 30th of October at the very same time. We now find that the whole scenario which unfolded has now been left to the learner drivers own discretion when deciding to driver a car after the 30th of October.
God help us if these people were the guardians of the nuclear button. We now pay our Taoiseach more money than what the President of the United States, the most power man on the planet, gets for an annual salary. And we still cannot sort out our own internal problems never mind a simple problem of finding a equitable resolution to our provisional driving licence debacle.
Its not good enough to hear claims and counter claims that it will be, it wont be and then it will be enforced on the 30th of October. Its either on or off, its either a bad mistake that needs to be resolved at a later date or it means learner drivers will be prosecuted on Tuesday morning if they are caught driving a car unaccompanied by a qualified driver.
All political parties including members of Fianna Fail and the Green party have said there is a serious problem with both the time frame for the application of this regulation and the thought which was placed in the method behind the regulation and for that Mr Byrne and Mr Brett must now step down.
Again: is this about shite driving ?
Basically the situation has been getting out of hand for a long time now. Something is finally been done & everyone is up in arms..
First thing to remember the Guards can use their discretion on this. If your going about your business & driving normally & are awaiting your test I dont imagine you been arrested & chucked in a cell. If you are a boy racer driving dangerousally & terrorising your housing estate then this gives the Guards an extra bit of power. That is a good thing. There are also a lot of lazy people out there who just could not be bothered taking a test. I personally know lots of people driving on a provisional licence for 7-8 years. You can not blame the backlog of tests for that. These people now have to sit a test. That is a good thing.
To people who have a test coming up I would say you have nothing to worry about. To those of you who are driving year on your provisional & never sat a test I would say thought.. You have had long enough…
The Nanny state.
CCTV – Watching us all day, both private and public Cameras
Cigarettes – Soon only to be availble from under the counter
Photographic ID – A mans word is no longer suitable
Insurance – Compulsary for everything, your own mother may sue you because you made her a cup of tea, and the shortbread gave her a salt overdose.
Internet – Every single bit of data sent across the wires of the internet can be and sometimes in Monitored or Recorded.
Why? – Because it is in the 'Peoples' best interest. To protect them from themselves. Sound like a democracy? We may elect a Government, but the real decision makers stay the same behind closed doors.
Some of these I do not agree with,
BUT The Learner driver change that is happening is for the good. Yes I agree people may be 'put out' who require their cars for work/college/shopping. Why on earth did they not keep on applying for a driving test if they failed it? The Irish driving test system for years has needed updating, to bring it in line with most other countries. Surely people must have seen this day coming?
To Jim Travers.
Jim, very asertive and I agree fully. I am however an Insurance Industry employee and I can say categorically, that provisional licence holders are responsible for a lot of accidents in this Country and you would not believe the indignant and ignorant attitude of some of these motorists. Dont get me started on Fianna Fail but in all the current hysteria over these proposed licence changes, I think people should stop for a moment and remember that the standard of driving in Ireland in 2007 are absolutely dreadful and action is required. You are correct in that the manner in which this has been introduced is atypical of the Fianna Fail Farce, i.e. without ensuring that there exists a quick turnaround system for processing tests beforehand to facilitate the rush for them but the philosopy that its time for action, despite the misdirection, must be welcomed and I for one, agree. The writing has been on the wall for years.
I can't wait to see an end to all the 17 year olds trying to intimidate the rest of us with their '95 civics or their mammy's ford focus as they lap pointlessly round town every night. I have a total pain in my arse not being able to get half a mile in less than 15mins as they crawl bumper to bumper looking to see who's impressed with their boot spoiler & sound system. Then when the audience have all gone home, it's off to the nearest straight stretch for a race/burnouts/donuts etc., Do they ever stop to think of the other drivers they endanger or the people they keep awake at night ? No they don't, coz they don't give a shit about anyone but themselves - that's the way mammy & daddy have raised them. So good riddance to the lot of them. If they were serious about driving they would apply for a test as soon as they get their 1st provisional licence, take at least 10 driving lessons, stick to the industrial estates to practice until test time, then play ball like the rest of us. They have been a serious nuisance to many people all over the country for the last number of years, and now that something is going to impinge on their lifestyles, they are all whingeing in unison. Where's my f***in' violin ? The only problem with the new regulations is that they should only apply to 17 – 26 year olds(didn't Gaybo say that was the target age? Why upset thousands of older, more responsible drivers as well ?). Also, and this to my mind is the single biggest thing that could put an end to the carnage: Every vehicle driven by a Learner driver (regardless of age), should be fitted with a restricter limiting the speed of the vehicle to 80kph. It should be mandatory for the insurance companies to request a certificate confirming the fitting of such a device before cover is issued. And anyone caught without it should be fined €1000 and banned for 2 years. After all, they won't go fast if they CAN'T go fast !
The ideas of phasing the system in is not the logical solution. It needs to be implemented in one go.
Allowing current provisionl holders to continue to drive unaccompanied is not taking away from the problems we ave already. There will still be crap learners driving on the roads for 2 more years.
The phased implementaion is like the old one of moving to driving on the right, trucks this week and cars next week.
The state should have made sure there was better transport infrastructure in place and more examiners before dropping this bombshell on people but, they should never have allowed l drivers to be unaccompanied in the first place.
You cannot sit on your hole for 20 years and then expect the system to sort itself out in 2 days!
This is unrealistic, oirish, badly planned, knee jerk and the stuff you would expect to happen in this joke of a country!
And since the average IQ here seems to be around room temperature a little 3 watt bulb starts to glimmer behind the rather thick brow of the average joe soap (FF voter) who then says "dem's great dese guys whose runs der country"
You cannot put 400000 people out into the cold and expect everything to be rosy!
This is the Irish States fault and half a million people are made suffer for it, because no one has the common sense, intelligence and cop on to come up with a better implementation! And this plan is just other countries strategies as implemented for 20 years or more, just copied and pasted and presented as their own. These guys went for their first job with their mammie, they never left the country, it is a travestie they are in charge. In any other country they wouldn't even have made it to the rank of organ grinder, maybe not even monkey!
And if you can't see that, buy a crow bar to prise the rather thick plank from you forehead!
ray: do you think L drivers should be taken off national roads too? Not all routes are wide, purpose-built dual carriageways where the 80 kph'ers can be overtaken, or use the slow lane. I can't see all drivers in the tailbacks being sympathetic to the L driver that's holding them up, sometimes for several miles. Then the queue of L drivers gunning at 80 kph, not being able to overtake one another, worse still, cars behind them either putting up with their extended journey time, or being unable to overtake the queue of L drivers, unless they leapfrog. Anyway, we shall see if limiters enter the arena & how they are implemented.
Dunno what ye're all getting so excited about.We all know whats going to happen,big hubbub for a week or two then back to normal.Same as the phone law.It will make l drivers more careful though,cos they wont want to draw attention to themselves.By the way,whats all this about 'no decent public transport'.If the bus doesnt drive up to your door and the driver carry ye onto the bus ye dont want to know.Ye dont need a car ye WANT a car.Come on minister,show youve got some cojhones and implement the law,you never know it might save a life or twenty.
sham rogue, I don't know what country you live in, but it's not Ireland. The transport system here is non existent. It's a few bits and pieces that exist completely seperate from each other, completely unconnected and no cohesion whatsoever.
It's more like they put 10 guys in charge and then told them "work against each other and never communicate"
But one thing is true. Big new law, big bruhaha for a week and all's well and forgotten again.
Learner drivers will still drive unaccompanied in 2 years time. Because if you cannot implement something in a proper manner, people will laugh at it and ignore it.
But a public transport system? Sorry no, I've seen better in Eastern Europe and Africa.
Everybody here thinks the profile of a Provisional Driver is an 18 to 26 year old "Learner". I'm 50 and have been driving for 30 years on a Full Licence from North America, In Ireland I am a Provision Licence Holder.
I cant rent a car in any country in the World with my American Licence, including Ireland. I just cant drive MY car in My Country without being accompanied by an "Experienced" Driver and I pay more for Insurance.
The Government are threatening that I will lose my high paying job and go on Welfare. After I lose my job I will probably lose my House and my Family. I have never in 30 years had an accident where I was at fault, my last accident was 17 years ago. I had special Driver Training and drove Emergency Vehicles from Ambulances to Fire Trucks, I failed the Irish Drivers test that I waited 14 Months to take.
Before anyone else makes stupid remarks on this website you should consider the facts;
Provisional Licence Holder does not necessarily mean Learner, it does not mean 18 to 26 year old and does not necessarily mean accident prone.
Most of the lunatics I see on the road dont have "L" Plates, they usually have signs like "Taxi".
sham rogue: to quote Joe "I don't know what country you live in, but it's not Ireland." Don't kid yourself there buddy, a car is a necessity here. That's why I never bothered to learn in the UK as there was no need – now _there_ is a public infrastructure. Cork to Kildare 53 eur return? Via Heuson? Thats half of my weekend gone already.
Joe: you make a very valid point, which highlighs some of farce of the system. I have a friend from the US who has been driving for some 20 years, she's in the same boat as you now. If anything came to a court appearance for driving unaccompanied, I wonder if you could submit evidence to support your driving experience? They are most likely thinking about the blanket 'provisional' drivers i.e. newbies and the mostly younger age groups, but in my opinion they ought to take account of this stupid law for those who have driven for many years (esp with no claims), in another country. Addendum: and can prove themselves to drive respectfully and safely. I'm thinking of those shisters from Eastern Europe in particular.
There is a good reason that there is a 44 week waiting period. Testers have a quota of people they have to fail. That means that even if they test 10 people in a day and they are all excellent drivers, he will have to fail 5-6 of them. And on the other hand if he tests 10 people and they are all useless or dangerous, he will still pass 4-5 of them since the quota demands it. In 50% of all cases your ability to drive has nothing to do with a fail or pass. People had a look at their blank chart before the test even began and saw the only word filled in at the bottom was "fail".
Best way to pass: leave a €50 in the ashtray and leave the car for a minute (also works for the NCT), or turn up for the test in a hearse. A friend of my wife did and he passed first time, the tester not to keen to see him again for some reason.
However now the government will have to pass almost half a million people in a few short months. Now's the time to go for your test, since standards are guaranteed to hit rock bottom! 90% pass rates! One for everyone in the audience, courtesy of Uncle Gaybo! This is nothing short of a second amnesty in disguise, there won't be one for another 20 years when the system undoubtedly will be in a total mess again.
I notice the fact that most if not all the people that agree with the implimation of the new laws are full licence holders……if it doesnt effect you why care?? forget about the near half a million people that overnight are being told they cant drive…
not all young or provisional licence holders drive wrecklessly, I myself am 19 and on my second licence, there is no direct bus route to my job so io need the car to travel to wrk. Not everyone is directly on a bus or train route to their place of employment.
In preventing people from driving their cars because they do not have a full licence will cause further problems…..i personally dont like the idea of having to walk around on my own in the dark for fear of being attacked, raped, murdered…..we are living in dangerous times and it is unsafe to walk alone anywhere at anytime.
I understand some changes are needed but they are going about it in the wrong way!
There are only two things in life to worry about.
Either you are are a qualified driver or you are a learner.
If you are a qualified driver, then there is nothing to worry about.
But if you are a learner, there are only two things to worry about.
Either you will pass your test or you will fail it.
If you pass your test, there is nothing to worry about.
If you fail it, then there are only two things to worry about.
Either you will find a driver to accompany you or you will not.
If you find a driver to accompany you, then there is nothing to worry about.
But if you do not, there are only two things to worry about.
Either you will get someone to give you a life everywhere or you will be forced to use the public infrastructure.
If you get someone to give you a lift everywhere, then you have nothing to worry about.
But if you will be forced to use the public infrastructure then there are only two things to worry about.
Your well earned money funding no progress at all, whatsoever, nada; and your life on a dim, dark alley, when you're walking home alone on a cold winter's night cos you couldn't find anyone to give you a lift everywhere because no-one would accompany you because you failed your test and are still a learner.
taxi….
….actually, I'll just stick the meter on there, la, and drive myself away.
OK, seriously though, the whole thing is a shambles. They didn't even think through their u-turn properly! Or was that an 'about turn' manoeuvre?
Some changes really do need to be made to make Irish Roads safer and while I agree with bringing in some new regulations, I honestly think it wouldn’t hurt to think these through fully first, before making them law. And the government’s timing was strange too… Could this just be slight of hand to take the people’s focus off the huge payrise the Government members have given themselves…? Shame on them using the road safety forum like that!
Well, the smoking ban was introduced to divert the focus away from the health crisis and Patrick James has a point here. It's the 911 principle of burying bad news with even worse news. Well, we're paying those bastards, so vote for me and I'll send them to Siberia so they can work for their money for a change. Though they'll never survive long enough to pay much of it off, but a few months of breaking rocks might do Mary Harney no harm.
Ok Fuman and John,but what if you couldnt afford a car or the insurance?what then?You would have to share the bus with the smelly pensioners then.And whats all this talk about "new laws",these laws have been in place all along,just havent been enforced.This is the only country in the world where unsupervised learners are allowed drive on the road.Its maddness.By the way John,like the conspiracy theory.
I have to agree, as a provisional driver on my 2nd licence, I don't mind the new law, although I am a bit bothered that the government were allowed to implement it over night..It has got myself in gear and applied for my test but does this now mean that there have been or will be over the next few weeks 400k+ applications for the driving test?? Is the waiting now going to increase because of this? I am only asking as I'm not sure..Hopefuly some one will have thought of this and the system will get a move on and not just clog up the system and set everyone who applies up for a year wait and failure…
sham – I've been living here for 5 years and didn't drive until last year. I was used to using Shanks' Pony and public transport. And it is still as crap as ever. Cobh is some 15km outside of Cork and when I was living there, visiting friends in the city meant finishing up at 9.30 to get the last Cobh train at 10.30, or a 30eur cab ride. Or the first train from Cobh to the city on Sunday was after 12 noon and last from the city was 8.30pm ish. The train before the last was 6.15 if I recall. Forget about a day trip to West Cork.
I'd be doing the same if I couldn't afford a car or the insurance. Not sure what you're saying there, it's like saying you've a right to smoke but can't afford the cigarettes.
Some of the laws have been in place all along and not enforced. That's a big huge effing hole they let fester and now they want to turn on a sixpence. Get a grip!
And given these laws, I don't believe that 'one size fits all' – why would someone with 20 or 30 years of competent and claim-free driving experience need to be accompanied by someone who has at least two years driving experience, just because the law doesn't recognize foreign driving history.
I'd agree with them needing to sit a test to satisfy the authorities that the guy claiming he's experienced has what it's got, in the same way that I'd agree with being re-tested every 5 years, much as I don't like the idea of sitting another test (I don't think anyone does tbh).
But I also think that this 'mature' driving test should not be the same as the one that a learner sits. Perhaps something in the area of a defensive driving test might work, as a suggestion. I've not sat the Hibernian Ignition course, so don't know what it's like, but for example the ploy is that if you sit our test and can demonstrate to us that you're a safe driver, we'll lower your insurance premium. I doubt they sit a theory and a practical that scrutinises every muscle twitch.
An experienced driver will (should!) have an awareness and knowledge that a novice wouldn't have, so scenarios or questions can be asked that a novice couldn't be expected to answer. So, off the top of your head then, what is the stopping distance in wet conditions for a car traveling at 85kph? I forgot the answer probably within a week of passing my test and never drive analyzing how many car lengths or meters I have in front of me in order to stop in time. Besides, the answer is different for a saloon with one passenger or an estate with 2 in the front and 3 kids in the back with fully laden boot. Reaction time might be the same, but overall stopping distance wouldn't be.
As for conspiracy theories, I also think they're covering up one sham with another. It's politics, which is about your ability to divert people's attention to the way you want them to think. It's despicable.
The stopping distance in your book was set in 1970 in a ford anglia so you may as well forget it.And just because someone has been driving for 20 yrs dont make them a good driver.You live in Cork so you may have heard the woman on prendivelles show last year who failed her test 18 times(i think cant remember exactly)so he sent her off with a driving instructor to evaluate her driving.He reckoned she was one of the worst drivers he had ever seen.She thought she was great cos she never had an accident.
Anyway my son just turned 17 so im thinking of getting him a shotgun and a big bag of shells.All his friends have one so he wants one too.They can go off around town with them and have some fun,sure wheres the harm.
Of course Im not going to do that,that would be stupid.Almost as stupid as giving him a skyline,gti,type r,or even a fiesta.
Let me put this in language ye can understand.Every time 1 person gets killed on our roads it costs the state approx.1 millon euro.If this law saved just one life that would be an extra 1 mill in pay rises for the lads.
The Law won't save anyone in the way it was originally intended.
Surely it's laudable that they paid some "consultant" (i.e. lazy waster and parasite) to download other countries road safety strategies and copy and paste them into a word document for which he no doubt was paid my yearly salary per hour, but grinning for the cameras and reading some prepared documents don't make it all good you know.
Also, with several hundred people applying for tests, claims that waiting times will come down would only be made by a moron or a liar. Strangely enough that's what the politicians (morons and liars) are saying.
All this can't be good for standards. Education is the most important and vital tool in road safety. With hundreds of thousands of people being rushed through the test over the next few months, surely there will be a few passes that don't necessarily should have gotten through (total free for all).
Next comes enforcement. Well, that's us buggered then. As long as you stick to the limit on Motorways everything else goes. Partytime!
Also, the absence of an air ambulance and closing down of many A&E departments will ensure that the state saves a few bucks on the backs of our dead friends and relatives. This is nothing short of murder for profit.
So, Sham Rogue, if you're actually blinded by all this political rasmataz, think about the above and honestly tell me that what we're hearing from those wasters, liars, conmen, thiefs and crooks is nothing more than the usual incompetent drivel of the terminally insane who call themselves our leaders.
How do you know when a politician in lying?his lips are moving.
Its always the same,they have to be seen to do something so they go for a knee jerk reaction.Look at the points system.Speed is the easiest thing to measure so guess what is the most enforced.They say speed is the biggest cause of accidents,yet they have no figures to back it up.The percentage of accidents caused by speed according to the latest figures from the uk is 7%.Yes 7%.Driver error is up there at 90% but they cant measure that so they ignore it.How can you take the points system seriously when you can get more points for driving without insurance than for driving on the wrong side of a motorway?
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