The Irish driving test has changed a lot in the last four years and more changes are likely to come in the future as new EU directives come into force and the example of other nations becomes the accepted norm.
Global concern about poor driving standards within the Younger Driver Fraternity has led to much debate and numerous changes in legislation in North America, the UK, Australia and most importantly Ireland. on the European continent.
While the Irish driving test still has a way to go to meet the standard of other EU countries, including the UK, it nonetheless provides a basis for changes in the future that will affect every new driver taking to the road. .
The level of change in driving standards promoted from within the European Union will lead to an improvement in the volume of serious accidents, especially those involving young inexperienced drivers who occupy a large proportion of the statistics and who currently consider them unnecessary. driving lessons.
It often happens that lessons are only taken in the last minute before the Irish driving test with predictable results. First-time pass rates on the Irish driving test are currently around 55%, but the figures vary from center to center and perhaps if the Irish driver went to the trouble to find out what was actually required of him, then these rates would be higher.
The long-awaited reduction in waiting times for Irish driving tests has already been underway since July 2007 with the award of a contract to carry out 100,000 driving tests over 18 months, to the company that currently manages the national test service vehicular. This service is mandatory and tests the mechanical efficiency and safety of cars that are four years old.
The compulsory tuition and minimum prescribed driving lessons before taking the Irish driving test will have the effect of vastly improving the standards of learner drivers entering Irish roads, just as the national car test improved the overall standard of all cars on the road in Ireland. Before the introduction of the NCT, it was very common to see vehicles on the road that were in such poor condition that the negligence of the owners in question could be considered a crime.
Strict legislation that is effectively controlled also has the effect of gradually improving driver performance, sometimes reluctantly, as bad habits are slow to be replaced by more acceptable driving skills. Random breath tests have produced a significant increase in the number of arrests for driving under the influence in the year since their introduction and the likelihood that driver’s license will be mandatory in a very short time will accelerate the behavior improvement process of the driver.
The introduction of technical checks under the hood in the Irish driving test in early 2005, at least now, means that beginning drivers should be given some sort of instruction on the basic functions of the vehicle’s equipment and how to interpret the warning lights of the vehicle. the instruments.
Eco-driving principles and techniques, although part of the UK driving test procedures, are not yet part of the Irish driving test but will be taught in any case by instructors providing a full driving license. These very essential skills are mostly common sense for an experienced driver, but they don’t make the list of essential requirements for most young drivers, especially those who don’t take lessons.
When it is known that eco-driving skills can benefit drivers’ pockets, as well as improve the environment by reducing exhaust emissions, there will be, by default, improvements in driving standards. There is nothing like a financial incentive to accelerate behavior change. An improvement in test drive results should also follow which will consequently lead to a further reduction of the waiting time for the Irish test drive.
Waiting times have been quite staggering in the last three to four years as large numbers of new drivers have hit the road, many of whom are new immigrants looking to make a new life on this green island of Ireland. . The result of this long wait for a test appointment has led to many learner drivers ignoring the law and driving unaccompanied, which in turn has led to very poor standards and equally poor understanding of the driving test. If the laws are broken and the authorities do not respond, then the appreciation of the reasons for having a driving test drops dramatically and the whole thing becomes a joke.
Irish driving test, As a criterion of driver competence, it still has a considerable distance to go before it meets European standards and is seriously considered by most Irish drivers. Change is coming and hopefully it will serve to influence a new generation of Irish drivers and perhaps help improve the behavior of existing drivers at the same time.
