New driving regulations come into force in the Irish Republic on April 4th. The Irish Times reports that instructors think the system is “unworkable”.
I’m no authority on the Irish learner driving system and can only go on what I’ve been told by my Irish pupils. Apparently, until recently you didn’t really have to do much in order to get out on the roads and drive for the rest of your life, and you had almost no fear of being pulled over (this is what I’ve been told, remember – not necessarily a statement of fact). However, Ireland is also influenced by Brussels (being an EU member state) just like Britain is, and the previous state of affairs was a long way away from what the EU is aiming towards. So they’ve been improving things and getting much tougher with illegal driving over the last couple of years.
The new Irish system is as follows (from the Irish Times):
From April 4th, those applying for their first driving licence will be required to complete 12 hours of tuition with an approved driving instructor before they can sit the test.
Under the new rules, a driver will receive a logbook when they sign up for lessons. The instructor will be required to sign the logbook to confirm the student has completed each lesson.
The RSA says learner drivers must successfully complete the 12 hours of driver training over a six month period with an average of one lesson every two weeks before they can sit the test. In order to get the maximum benefit from the lessons, the RSA recommends learners complete at least three hours of practice with a fully-qualified sponsor in between lessons.
Now, just as Ireland is subject to the same regulations as other EU member states like Britain, so its instructors appear to be just as opposed to any – ANY – change, just like ours are in the UK.
It seems that the argument is over the amount of time allocated – there is a syllabus that has to be covered and it would appear that instructors are claiming that it will take 75 hours to cover it. This cause célèbre has been taken up by the Irish Driving Instructors Association (IDIA).
It’s like there is a parallel universe outside the UK, isn’t it? The names are just a bit different, that’s all. But otherwise, it’s following a clear script.
To counter this, the RSA is pointing out that the system is very simple and learners are expected to do private practice as well as the lessons. All the instructor has to do is certify that the lesson has been completed – not that the learner is fully competent on the topic.
The RSA also points out, however, that learners do not have to take more than the 12 hours. But my thinking there is that they won’t pass the test if they aren’t good enough, so it doesn’t matter. They’ll have to make sure they ARE good enough.
Irish Insurance Federation (IIF) public affairs spokesman Niall Doyle said the federation had been calling for compulsory basic training for more than a decade.
“We need learner drivers trained as a matter of law and we’ll get much better drivers as a consequence,” he said.
But as usual, there is an organisation to oppose that sort of sensible thinking!
The Independent (Ireland) reports the same story from a slightly different angle. It covers the points mentioned above, but the concerns being raised appear to be a confusing mix of how much it will cost to do the 12 hours, that 12 hours isn’t enough, that no one can be forced to do more than 12 hours, that parents being involved is not what instructors want, and so on.
Already, a price war looks set to break out with discounts being offered on the set of 12 hours in order to capture the market (will they never learn?) Aviva is offering free insurance to learners if they sign up with their school.
The one thing that isn’t mentioned anywhere is that failing the Irish driving test is still possible. It is, isn’t it? Surely.
And finally, the same story covered by RTE suggests that there is union involvement (as if the IDIA wasn’t close enough).
The GMB union says it has grave misgivings about the scheme, particularly the role of the sponsor driver who supervises the learner.
It says the sponsor, who will be typically an adult relative or friend with at least two years driving experience, will not be qualified and may pass on bad habits to the learner.
The union says it believes that all lessons should be delivered by a professional instructor.
It also criticised the RSA for its lack of consultation and communication with instructors.
Remember what I said about parallel universes?