Still on learners or lunatics

As I conclude on the piece today, let me fulfil my promises by throwing light on the Graduated Drivers Licence introduced by the Federal Road Safety Corps in 2007 as part of measures to restore the integrity of the drivers licence. Before this novelty, the relevant traffic regulations such as the National Road Traffic Regulations, […]

As I conclude on the piece today, let me fulfil my promises by throwing light on the Graduated Drivers Licence introduced by the Federal Road Safety Corps in 2007 as part of measures to restore the integrity of the drivers licence. Before this novelty, the relevant traffic regulations such as the National Road Traffic Regulations, 2004, Section 22, Sub 3-7,and Sections 23,24,25 and 26  provided for an applicant for the driver’s license to meet the following conditions; be 18years and above, be physically and mentally fit, pass a driving test and pay the prescribed fee. After these, such an applicant will then qualify for a drivers licence valid for three years .However, in the face of the spate of road crashes in the country and the need to conceptualise new ideas in keeping within global best practice, the Corps through the driving school standardization progrmmane made it mandatory for fresh applicants to attend certified and approved driving school.
 The three stage Graduated driver’s licence is the first in the Country and an improvement from what had existed before now. It is broken into three parts-The first part is the pre-adult (18-25) years category. Those within this group after complying with the relevant tests and other procedures as stated in the quoted sections, if found suitable, are issued with a drivers licence that is renewal after every year. Applicants under this category are only qualified to pick up a private Class B licence. The second is the adult (26-64) years category.
Drivers licence issued to this category is renewal every 3years.Only applicants within this category are qualified to apply for a commercial driver’s licence. However, for such applicants who already possess a class B(private) to qualify for a commercial drivers licence, they must belong to a transport union, attend a driving school and pass a medical test in a government hospital. The last category is the post adult meant for people between the ages of 65years and above. Like the pre-adult category, this group’s driver’s licence is renewal every year after proof of a medical test to ascertain medical fitness.
Last week, I cited the example of Australia. Today, I wish to look at examples from Canada, United Kingdom, and France among   others. In Canada, Motor vehicles are provincially regulated and so regulations vary by province. In British Columbia, following the instructional phase and after passing a road test, new drivers are required to show a green N (for novice) plate until they have passed an additional road test, usually after 24 months.
In British Columbia, a red L (for learner) plate is required for 12 months before the N can be issued, and new drivers with this marking are not permitted to drive without a licensed driver over the age of 25 present in the vehicle. In the case of France, after passing their driving test, learners must display an A-plate (for apprentice) for 3 years (2 years for those who learned with their parents. In the case of the United Kingdom, all new drivers in Great Britain, upon receipt of a provisional licence, must display L plates at all times and be accompanied by another driver who is over 21 years of age and has held a full and valid licence for the type of vehicle being driven for at least three years. In Wales either red L plates or red D plates are permitted, due to the bilingual legislation in force within the country, while a learner is driving the vehicle.
After learners have passed a driving test for the appropriate vehicle, they may opt to display green P-plates (P for passed) to show that they have less experience than other drivers. These plates are voluntary and not required by law or the Highway Code
L plates are required to be displayed at all times whilst riding a motorcycle or moped of no more than 125 cc (7.6 cu in) after passing motorcycle compulsory basic training (CBT). This sub-licence allows the holder to ride any motorcycle up to 125 cc without a full and proper licence. Therefore, it is mainly used by younger motorists (16-19) who are legally allowed to ride motorcycles up to 125 cc but cannot afford to buy full lessons to gain a restricted licence (enabling the holder to travel on motorways and carry pillion passengers but only able to ride motorbikes up to 33 hp (25 kW) after 2 years). Riders over 21 may opt to train for a full licence therefore a CBT is just a ‘stepping stone’ to this.
The story in Northern Ireland is almost similar. One year after the passing a driving test, the driver is defined as a “restricted driver” who must not exceed 45 mph and must display an “R-plate” consisting of a red sans-serif R on a white background. L-plates in Northern Ireland commonly have an R-plate as a reverse side. “R-plate” drivers are often viewed as a nuisance on motorways, due to their limited speed, resulting in many restricted drivers not displaying their “R-plates” or not keeping to the restricted speed limit.
In the Republic of Ireland, you can obtain a learners permit at the age of 17. Before applying for your first learners permit, you must pass a computerized Driver Theory Test. When driving on a learners permit, you must display L-plates (one front, and one rear) and be accompanied by a driver who has held a full licence for at least two years. These laws were not routinely enforced. However from 30 June 2008, all learner drivers, including those on legacy provisional licences, face a fine of €1,000 for a first offence and €2,000 for a second. Similar penalties apply for not displaying L-plates. These laws are enforced more often than before, even though they are still mostly ignored. These examples underscore the point made last week that no country toys with laying the foundation for safer roads through proper inculcation of safe driving habits.