Robin Piggott, the blog's favorite Irish instructor, is back again with some myths and facts about the Irish driving test. It's quite long, but it's related to driving anywhere, not only in Ireland. Definitely worth a read.
The Driving Test in Ireland... Fact or Fiction? An Instructors View
The Driving Test here in Ireland has assumed epic stature and is now a more popular subject then the latest Harry Potter Movie or Spy Blockbuster.
As with any exam, Written, Oral or Practical the reasons for failure can be attributed to just about any natural or unnatural phenomenon that you can think of.
Anything but the truth!
Myths and horror stories surrounding the Driving Test are the stuff of Legend and grow exponentially with each passing day as new legions (Nay Armies!) of Driving Test candidates exchange their experiences with anyone who will listen.
There is a very willing Audience since one in Ten of the Population in Ireland are Learner Drivers on a provisional license!
Yes... Nearly one in five of those individuals you see behind the driving wheel are Learner Drivers. That is twenty per cent of the total vehicle traffic in Ireland, discounting commercial vehicles.
Why with these numbers there should be a new T.V Channel devoted to the issue wouldn't you agree? Certainly the level of media coverage has been on the increase for the last while perhaps due to the approach of the General Election next year.
Learning the ropes from someone who has been there, done that, whether successfully or not, is a very worthwhile use of your time and could even be entertaining at a pinch. However, and here's the crunch...listening to tales of woe or the usual litany of excuses dished out by most failed candidates will not help you to any great extent. In fact they won't help you at all!
Why? Because there is no short cut to Driving Test Success, although it would appear that the average Learner Driver in Ireland believes that there is.
Let us have a look at some Fiction...
There must be a magical potion that should surely be available over the counter without prescription?
It would contain the following benefits (apart from being easy to swallow!)
(a) An inalienable right to sit behind the wheel.
(b) A complete "get rid of your Driving Instructor and forget Driving Lessons" side effect.
(c) Instructions on how to start and move your car down the road after purchase (essential).
(d) On the dosage instructions there should also be an extensive phrase book with useful and character enhancing quotes to impress all your friends. This would be something on the lines of:-
(e) "All a complete load of baloney "
(f) "A government money making racket."
(g) "A Driving School money making racket"
(h) "Get lessons from your Sister, Brother, next door neighbour and you'll be fine"
(i) "The Driving Tester's are all useless and wouldn't recognise a good driver even if they collided with one"
There is no short cut to Passing the Driving Test in Ireland.
Now for a Selection of the Facts.
(1) While it is a sample of some of the skills needed to survive and stay alive the Driving Test is only the beginning of a Driving Career and the start of the Learning experience.
(2) The Driving Test continues to evolve and with each new addition to the test curriculum it is becoming more difficult to pass.
(3) If it is becoming more difficult to Pass the Driving Test then it follows that more study and preparation, not less, needs to be faced.
(4) Taking the Driving Test before you have learnt not just the basics but more advanced techniques will lead to disappointment...often more times than once.
(5) The number of Candidates just not turning up for the Driving Test has quite an impact on the lengthening of the waiting list for an appointment.
(6) No Shows run at sometimes as much as ten per cent at Driving Test Centres.
(7) The New Test Centres on Ireland's East coast and the couple inland that are hosting the one year, privately contracted Driving Tests will only keep the waiting list from growing longer. This move to a one year privatisation of additional Driving Tests will not achieve the comparable reduction in waiting time for a Test of just a few weeks, as in the U.K.
(8) The growth in numbers of Learner Drivers appearing on the Driving Scene in Ireland, due to demographics and immigration, will make the Test Date reduction times a significant obstacle for the next few years.
(9) The many new pieces of legislation in the wings will have a beneficial effect in time but not overnight. Driving School Accreditation Registration and Monitoring will bring a new dimension to the whole area of Learning to Drive in Ireland as European standards are embraced.
(10) Currently there is no culture of Driving Tuition in Ireland and a vast majority of Learner Drivers take no professional lessons which of course has lead to a skills level that is way below par.
(11) The below par, and below European Standard of a vast majority of Drivers in Ireland has naturally led to one of the worst positions in the accident league table.
(12) Every adult driver and parent in Ireland can play a part in improving the attitude of Beginner Drivers from the moment they put a passenger in their car, whether a child or an adult. There is a need for Parental awareness which is lacking. Parents can influence the behaviour of any child from a very early age
It is obvious, even to the casual observer from any other European country or further distant land that the solution to the poor standard of Driving in Ireland lies in Driver Education that is formally structured, monitored and enforced.
There is a very good chance that any young driver, with the proper tuition and encouragement will turn out to be a competent and safe Driver and having achieved a reasonable level of understanding will sail through the Driving Test in Ireland.
Robin Piggott is a Driving Instructor in Ireland who brings four decades of experience to his Astral Driving School based in Limerick. His newly refurbed web site can be found at http://www.astraldrivingschool.ie Here you can find a treasure trove of everything for the Learner Driver and also pages for the visitor who is contemplating Touring Ireland by Car. Pick up a free seven part mini course"Passing the Driving Test First Time" and stack the cards in your favour.
Source: EzineArticles.com.
Thank you, Robin!
Nadav
nadavs
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