How many times have you seen this happening? Road Safety Authority expert touches a couple of sore points on our attitudes Its a nerve-wracking experience. Youd think that, fully licenced drivers, having been through this experience, would have a little sympathy for learner drivers. But its not always the case according to some of the feedback we get from candidates and their instructors. Learning to drive can be intimidating for novice drivers, especially when they meet an impatient and aggressive driver. Ive seen it first-hand around some of our driving test centres. A local Approved Driving Instructor, car branded up to clearly show that a driver is under instruction, taking a learner driver out for lessons, only to be blasted off the road by impatient drivers. Why? Because they were delayed by an obviously cautious driver. This can put not only the learner driver in danger, but other road users too. If you are a driver and you encounter a learner out practising please give them a break. Allow plenty of distance between their vehicle and yours. Dont sound the horn if the learner is taking more time to get through a manoeuvre. This may put them under unnecessary stress and make the situation worse – and cause you further delay. Dont make any impulsive manoeuvres like overtaking when its clearly not safe to do so. Be patient and give them the time and space they need to learn. Learning to drive now is a lot more demanding than when I first got behind the wheel of a car more than 20 years ago. The bar is definitely higher. Learners now need to complete a structured package of mandatory lessons with an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) and lots of practice with an accompanying driver to become a skilled, confident and competent road user. There are just more than 200,000 permit holders learning to drive at the moment. If you do encounter one on the roads, please be patient and considerate. Remember how nervous you were when you learned to drive. Show good example through your own driving and give the learner space and time. Of course learner drivers have a responsibility to ensure they are using the roads legally. A learner permit is not a driving licence; it only allows you to learn to drive under certain terms and conditions.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 11:00:01 +0000
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