Learner Drivers in Ireland to Come of Age.

Learner Drivers make up one tenth of the Irish population.

Yes it s a fact hard to believe but true nevertheless.

Immigrants have been arriving in Ireland in substantial numbers for several years now as a result of the booming economy and have swelled an already expanding Learner Driver population. For the foreseeable future numbers of Learner Drivers are unlikely to be reduced despite the moves afoot to improve the antiquated Driving Test system.

The Demographics in Ireland are such that, notwithstanding a global recession, Learner Drivers will continue to grow in number as the average age for car ownership comes down. Years ago it was quite normal for someone not to learn to drive until their late twenties when some kind of financial stability was reached usually.

Today financial freedom in Ireland is coming at a very early age, sometimes even before the age at which you can take to the road legally. Part time jobs for school kids and Teenagers are the norm although it can be argued that this interferes with essential studies. However, money in the pocket has a powerful influence on immediate future aspirations and here in Ireland droves of seventeen and eighteen year olds are commencing the tortuous journey to a Driving Test. Note the absence of the phrase Learning to Drive!

It has been estimated that as few as twenty per cent of Learner Drivers in Ireland are taking Driving Lessons and those that do often only contemplate professional lessons when the Driving Test is looming.

Rather a case of putting the cart before the horse wouldn t you think?

It is somewhat understandable that this situation pertains in Ireland since there has been a total lack of commitment on behalf of successive Governments to both tackle the Road Safety nightmare and the accompanying comical situation surrounding Learner Drivers that are allowed to drive away unaccompanied after failing a Driving Test!

Things are about to change however for the better as the avalanche of backed up Legislation is due to be released, tsunami-like, on the Irish Driver population in 2007.A greater part of these new moves will focus on the Learner Driver population which occupies twenty per cent of all Drivers on the road. In other words, one in five car drivers in Ireland is a Learner Driver!

Expected changes to the Irish Driving environment include:-

(a) Speed Camera Rollout under private Contract.

(b) Registration and Accreditation of Driving Schools.

(c) Mandatory Tuition for Learner Drivers.

(d) Minimum Number of Driving Lessons before sitting a Driving Test.

(e) Tougher regime to cope with Drinking and Driving (already underway )

The Year 2007 should go down in Motoring History in Ireland as the year when Driving finally came of age and commonsense prevailed. Let us all hope that this proves to be the case.