Why Are We Waiting? Ten Reasons For The Lengthy Delay In Getting
By Robin Piggott, Tue Dec 6th
The long waiting time to get a Driving Test Appointment here inIreland is of course the responsibility of the Department ofTransport. Or is it? It is so easy to blame your Government forevery ill that assails us, but let’s look at the real reasonsfor the delay. There are many factors leading to the incrediblewaiting time for Driving Test. 1.Demographics --- here in Ireland we have a very highproportion of the population in the age group 17 to 30 which isthe prime time for learning to drive. 2.Immigration --- As a result of our new-found prosperity:Celtic Tiger Economy and all that, we are not only attractingback expatriates but we have become flavor of the month forthose looking to find a new life from both the European bloc andfurther distant countries. Since the accession of 10 new Statesto the EU during 2004 there are numerous ethnic groups wendingtheir way to Ireland. Most of these families will ultimately bein a position to own cars and the children of these familieswill also aspire to drive when they are old enough.
3.Government Legislation --- introduced in JAN.2003,as part ofEU Directives ,has led to a large chunk of drivers being forcedto sit a Driving Test instead of being happy to drive on aprovisional license for upwards of 25 years! In the lead up tothis legislation, on one day alone, upwards of 8000 applicationswere received by the Driver Testing Section. 4.Candidates failing to turn up. Many Test candidates justdon’t turn up at all. A recent grapevine comment from a DrivingTester indicated that four of his first six appointments on oneday failed to show. 5.Cars not being up to the required Standard---Despite anextensive two page list of requirements on the Day, which issent with all Test Appointments, cars are still being turneddown .Some of the most common faults are :- Faulty Brake Lights;Cracked Windscreens; Faded and unreadable Insurance Discs; PoorTyres. 6.Novice Drivers Unprepared---Learner Drivers are to a greaterdegree
not taking adequate Driving Lessons. The result of thisis a high first time failure rate. Lack of practice, in additionto Lessons is also contributing to candidates having to re- sitthe Test. 7.Driving Test standards and requirements unknown---The changesdue to recent Legislation will not always be known unless thecandidate takes the trouble to enroll with a professionalDriving School. Recently introduced on 14th February 2005 arethe Technical checks which require a candidate to know their wayaround under the Bonnet (hood). 8.Cancellations ---Obviously there will be genuine reasons forlast minute cancellations such as family problems, healthproblems and so on but there are too many cancellations frompupils who are chickening out at the last moment .A recentcandidate told me that her car had been stolen twice and ofcourse hiring a Driving School car for a Test at the last momentis not an advisable course of action. Getting used to strangecar is not something that you can do in just a few minutes. 9.Overconfidence---It is a myth that the longer you are drivingthe better you become. If a learner Driver hasn’t been taughtthe basics and some more advanced skills at the start of theirdriving career they will very quickly pick up poor techniquesand habits which will be difficult to rectify at short notice. 10.Learning to Drive with Mum, Dad, Boyfriend, Girlfriend.---Many Adult Drivers have never taken a Driving Test, particularlythose over 60 years of age and are not equipped to teach theiroffspring. In fact a high proportion of Adult Drivers exhibitsuch disregard for the basic Rules of the Road that theyshouldn’t be permitted to be behind the wheel themselves, muchless try to teach their children.
About the author:Robin Piggott is a professional Driving Instructor who runs aSchool in Limerick, Ireland.To help the undecided learner drivermake an informed decision and to get a head start, they shouldcheck out his web site and blog for the latest developments inthe Driving Scene in Ireland. http://www.astralmotoring.iehttp://astralmotoring.blogspot.com |
