Here’s a new slant on the story I posted about the changes to the Irish Driving Test a few days ago. This is from IrishCentral, and involves the views of an American living in Ireland.
This American (known as “The Yank”) says:
The new Irish law requires that the trainee take 12 one-hour lessons with a minimum of two weeks between each lesson. That means it will be a minimum of six months before someone can even take their test. Oh, and the lessons cost about €30-€35 per hour, which means the trainee driver must pay €360-€420 ($500-$590) before they can take their driving test.
To me, the only bad thing I can see here is that 12 hours is not nearly enough if pupils end up with a licence out of it. As I mentioned in that last post about this, there is absolutely no mention anywhere that people will likely not pass their tests after 12 hours (the Irish system was weak before and there is the strong suggestion here that it still is). Over in the UK, virtually no one would pass after just 12 hours – not unless their parents were driving instructors and their “private practice” hid the fact that they’d been getting good tuition behind the scenes.
However, The Yank sees things somewhat differently. He says:
This law is an insult to parents because it implies that they don’t impart sufficient safety instruction to their children despite the fact they obviously want their children to take care of themselves and their cars.
I’m sorry, but it is people like this who – as part of a larger group, not as individuals - are absolutely and completely responsible for the problems with young drivers killing themselves and others in cars. They are the absolute cause of the idiocy with which many youngsters take to the roads.
The Yank mentions his own driving lessons from his parents, completely ignoring the different licensing system in America – which is currently the subject of major legislative debate in every state. He ignores the mass of data confirming that the teen death rate (not to mention that among the “expert” older drivers) in America is deplorably high as a result of this system, which can put 14 year olds on the roads in some states.
He continues:
Back when I was a teenager I knew plenty of young drivers (all boys) who passed Driver’s Ed without any problem, but still drove like lunatics. It wasn’t that they didn’t know how to be safe, it was they didn’t want to be safe.
Yes. We have that same problem – and it’s caused by people who want a licence to be a right (as it currently is in America) instead of a privilege. But another much more significant factor – which the Americans are slowly waking up to – is that if you are going to try and show off to your mates and girlfriends, having the basic skills to handle the car tends to make the chances of a fatal crash considerably less. This training didn’t previously happen in Ireland, and still doesn’t in the USA. The death rate is largely result of being able to get a licence and drive unsupervised without adequate skills training.
The Yank fails to appreciate that those boys he mentions actually didn’t know how to be safe. They just thought they did.
He also says:
The law may indeed have some merit as it applies to young drivers. However, it seems pretty silly that it also applies to those who take up driving after the age of 25. And it is downright ludicrous that it applies to licensed drivers who move to Ireland from outside the EU and a handful of other countries.
That means that any American or Canadian moving here after next week will have to go through this process as if they’re a 17-year-old just learning how to handle a car.
I guess by this he means that Americans moving to Ireland will have to pay for lessons, and he doesn’t like it. But what’s that comment about over-25s? I think I made the point above – new drivers need to have the right skills, and that applies to any age group. Attitude, though, is predominantly (but not exclusively) a teen issue.
And again he continues to miss the point:
What makes this requirement farcical is that an American or Canadian can actually move here and drive for 12 months without an Irish license on an International Driving Permit.
Yes. That applies in all EU states – the idea is that the 12 months allows temporary visitiors to get around, or gives longer term visitors ample time and opportunity to get a proper licence (I think a similar rule applies in the US). It is the system WE – in the EU – use, so get used to it. The only reason it perhaps didn’t apply in Ireland until recently is because of the aforementioned lax system they had.
The sooner mandatory lessons and fixed training periods are introduced elsewhere, the better it will be. Then, parents will have to start doing their jobs properly to prevent little Jonny or Casey developing an attitude problem in the first place.
EDIT: The Yank might also want to look at this link. Not quite the same as what he claims his driving teen-hood was like, is it?
Most of us were behind the wheel at age 16 driving at all hours of the day and night with as many of our friends in our vehicle as we could fit. The radio was blaring with the cassette player playing our favorite ’80s songs and we took to the streets like we owned them.
I can remember fitting 17 friends into my Mom’s station wagon and driving to Taco Bell after gymnastics practice. The thought of worrying if everyone had their seat belt on wasn’t on my mind or my passenger’s. Those days are gone and I don’t know about you, but I’m so glad they are.
That’s the reality over in the US. Not what The Yank claims.