New Driver Changes in Northern Ireland

HoneyAndLemon

caz2703 wrote: »

There's not that much motorway over here and I'm not familiar with your side of the world but I imagine they could substitute motorway for major A road.

If you lived over near Belfast you'd know how dodgy some of the motorway driving can be. I think the biggest thing is teaching learners how to safely change lanes at speed. When you're restricted to 45mph and you have cars whizzing past you at 70mph+ and you need to make lane changes it is scary.

Thinking of a manoeuvre such as coming onto the M2/M5 from Shore Road (if my geography is correct) and needing to travel on the M5 involves moving into the M2 inside lane, M2 outside lane and then finally the M5 inside lane. That's a lot of lane changes especially when most traffic is 70mph but you are limited to 45mph.

Tell me about it. I join the motorway at the short strand junction, coming from Ravenhill road, its a nightmare having to cut across 3 lanes in rush hour traffic, nevermind having R plates and having speed restricted too.

lazer

caz2703 wrote: »

There's not that much motorway over here and I'm not familiar with your side of the world but I imagine they could substitute motorway for major A road.

If you lived over near Belfast you'd know how dodgy some of the motorway driving can be. I think the biggest thing is teaching learners how to safely change lanes at speed. When you're restricted to 45mph and you have cars whizzing past you at 70mph+ and you need to make lane changes it is scary.

Thinking of a manoeuvre such as coming onto the M2/M5 from Shore Road (if my geography is correct) and needing to travel on the M5 involves moving into the M2 inside lane, M2 outside lane and then finally the M5 inside lane. That's a lot of lane changes especially when most traffic is 70mph but you are limited to 45mph.

I lived in Belfast for 10 years, so I know where you mean, but i don't see how changing the driving test to include motorway driving is even remotely practicle in NI - which only has a very limited number of motorways, which are basically all in and around Belfast.

For someone learning to drive, even if the have experience on a motorway(or a busy A road), lets say the M2 (Northern Section) for example -it is still not going to be easy to negotiate the M2/M5 junction (Which there a a number of ways to avoid usually anyway - when my friends was an R driver, she never went near this junction as she didn't feel ready for it), and didn't until a number of years after passing her test. Everyone drives where they feel capable. My Mum rarely drives on motorways, other than the M1 in the south (but never as far as Dublin).
The M2/M5 is probably the most difficult stretch of road to negotiate in NI, closely followed by the Broadway Roundabout IMO (although much better now the M1 - Westlink connection is complete), and no other road in the country can prepare you for these difficult junctions.

I do not think new drivers should be allowed to drive at 70mph, it is simply too fast, and they don't generally have instinctive enough reactions to cope with the unexpected well at that speed. A new driver needs to focus more when driving generally, as things that are second nature to the experienced driver, such as indicating to change lanes, changing gears etc, are not automatic reactions for them yet.

I crashed when I was 17/18, had passed my test 6 months - was it becasue was doing anything wrong - not really, it was because a car was alongside me on a single lane road, because they turning right, I now know, that this is a regular occurence on many roads, but I did't then and assumed that it didn't matter if i was driving close to center white line or close to the edge of the road. Just before i crashed I seen the car in the mirror, and didn't react instinctively by moving back to the left (which comon sense would dictate).

As for limiting passengers - again no, I don't agree with this, and actually see it as age discrimination, why can someone of 25 or above just passed their test have younger passengers, whereas someone of 24 can't. Think about this practically, you're 23, have a boyfriend of 22, who has a child of say 3, so you can't have a day out with them to the beach or the country as you're not directly related to them. Or you can't pick up your friends child from school as again not directly related?

The only good thing about this is that it may bring insurance for young people down

GlynD

The R plate is being scrapped and so is the 45mph limit. It is to be replaced by an N plate which is to be kept up for a year (I think).

Am I right in thinking that this is still the only country in the UK with compulsory R plates?

lazer

GlynD wrote: »

The R plate is being scrapped and so is the 45mph limit. It is to be replaced by an N plate which is to be kept up for a year (I think).

Am I right in thinking that this is still the only country in the UK with compulsory R plates?

Think the N plate is for 2 years

And yes we are the only part of the UK to have compulsory R plates - but that doesn't mean they are a bad thing

NAR

Just by the way folks, these proposed changes will not come about until April 2014 at the earliest. So no need to panic about rushing to take the driving test, plenty of time to make use of the current system.

GlynD

lazer wrote: »

Think the N plate is for 2 years

And yes we are the only part of the UK to have compulsory R plates - but that doesn't mean they are a bad thing

I would say R plates are far from being a bad thing. I can't understand why the rest of the UK didn't introduce them into law either. I applaud the new system but my God it is so changed from my day. Then again I got my driving licences in the army and my training was fairly intense. It wasn't a car I learned to drive first but a 56 ton tank.