What’s Happening out there in 2007?

After many years of talk and no action on the Driving front finally there are changes imminent, which in time, will ensure a better standard of Driving amongst all drivers, not only Learners and  improve dramatically the accident rate on Irish roads!

 We will have a look at some of the planned changes to legislation that are under way and are expected during 2007.

1.     Regulation and Registration of Driving Schools and Instructors.

The examination and departmental control of Driving Instructors was due to have been implemented over five years ago in line with European standards. The newly established Road Safety Authority (RSA) will have the job of setting up the Examination procedures which all Instructors will have to sit .This is currently underway  as this article is written (23.05.07) and it is expected that by the end of 2008 that all Driving Instructors will have passed through the new registration and accreditation procedure.

Briefly this means that unless you have passed the Examinations and complied with other stipulations you will not be allowed to practise as a Driving Instructor! This will ensure that standards are very high and that Learner Drivers will be coached to an acceptable level of Driving Skill and not just taught to pass a Driving Test which is very much the case at the present.

Passing the Driving Test, while quite an achievement in today’s environment, does not mean that you are a competent and safe driver or that you have the skills needed to stay out of trouble on today’s roads. It means that you have performed to a reasonable standard on the day in question …it does not mean that you have the experience to cope with  the many scenarios that you will face in your Driving career.

2.     Mandatory Tuition

Mandatory Tuition for Motor Cyclists is about to be introduced. It must be obvious to all drivers that letting Motorcyclists loose on the roads without any training has led to the excessive accident rates among this category of drivers. Young drivers do not often have an appreciation of the dangers out there when they are in charge of a lethal weapon, be it two wheels or four and need to have a basic grounding before being allowed out on the road.

When this is running smoothly it is anticipated that Mandatory Tuition for Car Drivers will be introduced .This should over time again bring down the accident rate significantly.

3.     Speed Cameras

 The introduction of speed cameras on a nationwide basis is long overdue and will mean that many motorists will be “snapped” .This will inevitably lead to many more losses of Driving Licences than the current 200 hundred or so Drivers who have currently been put off the road since the introduction of Penalty Points. Many people think that this project is just a money gathering exercise for the Government. NOT SO! The cost of accidents to the State currently is estimated at One Billion Euro per annum so there has to be a way to reduce this drain on funds that could be used for more productive purposes. When drivers start getting the fines in the post and the points on their license may be, just maybe, they will look at their driving skills (or lack of them) and start to improve. Most drivers seem to be incapable of adhering to speed limits simply because they have never been taught the basics of eco driving and in a lot of cases couldn’t care less anyway!

There are several other areas under consideration such as insurance monitoring given that it is estimated that nearly 100,000 drivers in Ireland are driving without insurance. These entail a further investment in Technology to bring all these criminals into the net and probably will be in the longer term.

 The change to a graduated License for Learner Drivers will begin after the Driving Test waiting list is reduced. The existing Provisional License system, which is unsatisfactory from many viewpoints, will be scrapped and a much tougher regime will be put in its place.

(c) Astral Driving School.Ireland.2007