Traffic

On this month’s Programme Crimecall went on patrol with Garda Derek Cloughley and Garda Adrian Corcoran with a focus on unaccompanied learner permit holders, amongst other offences.

The message Gardaí want to convey to the public is that while it has always been the case for many years that learner drivers cannot drive unaccompanied, (and must display L plates front and rear), that now there is a power to impound the vehicle since 21st December 2018.

The owner can also be prosecuted, (if different from driver), if they knowingly allow the vehicle to be driven by an unaccompanied learner.  

The message is clearly not getting through to some, as over 1,100 vehicles have been detained nationwide. In addition to the vehicle being impounded, which costs an initial €125 to release, plus €35 per day – the driver faces penalty points and a fine – so the consequences are significant.

There is no real excuse for not progressing to full licence status. The RSA have informed us that the average wait time is now 7.6 weeks, and there are now over 150 testers and 54 test centres.

There are also some who will renew their learner permit holder for many years, in some cases because they don’t turn up at the driving test deliberately. That whole area of multiple learner permit issuing is being re-examined by the RSA. One of our recent social media posts was of a driver who had a learner permit for 15 years!

This is all about safety, and helping inexperienced drivers progress to full licence status. An Garda Síochána are actively focused on protecting learner drivers and all other road users that share the road with them.

Learner drivers have been involved in fatal road traffic collisions, and in some cases they have been unaccompanied.