Let’s banish our reckless driving habits
Public representatives should be accountable for their actions — but so should we all, writes
IT is no surprise that Agriculture Minister Barry Cowen has been the focus of attention after it emerged he was subject to a fixed charge penalty fine and disqualified for three months for drinkdriving in 2016 while on a learner permit. It also became apparent that Cowen, 49 at the time, had been driving for decades without passing a test.
While it is reasonable to assume most drivers at that age would by then have a full licence, he is not alone.
Of the 244,627 who held a learner permit at the end of December 2018, 43pc were over 30. In fact, 58,834 learner permit holders were aged between 30 and 39 and 27,976 aged between 40 and 49.
However, age does not indicate the length of time they have been on a learner permit, as some may have come late to driving. What this case points to is the continuing problem of long-term reliance on learner permits, unaccompanied learners driving and our “one for the road” culture.
Historically, our blase attitude to learners driving unaccompanied came from the time when you had to wait years for a driving test; it was an Irish solution to an Irish problem. Reductions over the past few years in waiting times for the test means there is no longer an excuse for those breaching the terms of the learner permit.
The pre-Covid waiting times around the country were an average of six weeks and in all centres priority is given to those who require a test urgently for a job, or who can be flexible with their schedule.
Yet after decades of steady improvements in road safety and significant changes to the way learner drivers are instructed, 19pc of those driving on a learner permit have held four or more — and more than 6,000 people have held 11 or more.
So how is it still possible to drive for 13 or more years without passing a test?
Currently, you can move from a first learner permit to a second by simply applying for one. When the time comes for a third or subsequent one, you must provide confirmation that you have applied for a driving test or that you have failed a driving test in the past two years.
But therein lies the issue: you don’t have to have taken a test — simply provide proof you have arranged to attend one. Surely the requirement to take a test would be a useful regulation designed to protect all road users — so why is this not the case?
The Road Safety Authority argues that making it mandatory to sit a test may not alone solve the problem as it does not mean that the learner is going to pass it or be motivated to pass it. Instead, they have submitted a number of measures to the Department of Transport to tackle this issue such as an increase in the cost of a permit; a decrease in the duration of a permit; a requirement to take mandatory lessons with an approved driving instructor or a requirement to take a driving test before another permit can be issued for a fifth and subsequent learner permit holder.
All of these measures would indeed deter people from flouting the rules but there is no silver bullet.
The law making it illegal for all learner drivers to drive a vehicle unaccompanied is not new and has been in place since 2008. More than a decade on, however, and the message is still not getting through — even the introduction of penalty points in 2014 has not discouraged learner drivers from driving alone.
This year, despite the lockdown and a 70pc decrease in traffic levels, 1,346 penalty points have been given out to learners for driving unaccompanied. In addition, learner permit holders face higher insurance premiums and if they drive unaccompanied run the risk of the car they are driving being seized by gardai and a hefty fine imposed due to the introduction of the Clancy Amendment in December 2018.
Critically, the greatest deterrent should be the fact that unaccompanied learner drivers are eight times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash.
Meanwhile, a mandatory driving ban does little to deter drink-driving and alcohol is a factor in 38pc of all fatal crashes. Research tells us there is no such thing as a “social pint” — any amount of alcohol impairs judgment.
Novice, learner and professional drivers are subject to a lower limit and much has been made of the fact that Cowen would not have been over the limit if he had held a full driving licence for more than two years.
Is the real issue not why we have two different alcohol levels? Is it not time to hold all drivers to the same strict standard?
At the lower level, a glass of beer would put a driver over the limit, therefore removing any safe level of alcohol. This would effectively break the association of drinking and driving and put an end to the “one for the road” mentality.
Irish roads are among the safest in Europe but road death statistics never capture the full picture. The accounts heard last week on RTE’s Liveline from mothers and fathers bereaved by a drunk driver or unaccompanied learner remind us of the devastating impact the decisions we make behind the wheel can have. And while there is no doubt more rigorous enforcement of road safety legislation is needed there is also a role for personal responsibility.
Let us fool ourselves no longer; driving unaccompanied on a learner permit or after even a small amount of alcohol is not acceptable and is an attempt to normalise life-threatening and reckless behaviour on our roads. We should expect more from ourselves — and from our public representatives.
‘More than 6,000 Irish drivers have held 11 learner permits or more’