L-plate drivers: Thousands fined for going solo

Hundreds of L-plate motorists were penalised every month last year for getting behind the wheel without a fully licensed driver in the car.

Figures released by the Courts Service show 3,272 L-plate motorists were issued summonses for driving unaccompanied in 2012. There are currently 219,207 learner drivers on the road.

Since mid-2008, all categories of learner drivers on provisional licences must be accompanied while behind the wheel and display L-plates on their vehicle.

Drivers convicted of driving unaccompanied or failing to display L-plates on their vehicle face fines of up to €2,000 and/or three months’ imprisonment.

However, despite the law change in 2008, a Garda operation carried out last year found 43% were unaccompanied when stopped and 30% were not displaying L-plates.

Chief executive of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) Noel Brett welcomed the fact that gardaí were increasingly looking to enforce the law in relation to learner drivers.

“A learner permit is just that, a permit, it is not a driving licence. A learner permit allows an individual to learn to drive under certain conditions, until they are ready to take a driving test. These laws are there to protect this group who are vulnerable road users by the fact that they are inexperienced drivers,” he said.

Mr Brett said also said improvements in waiting times for tests meant that no learner drivers had an excuse to break the law.

“Waiting times for the driving test have been cut dramatically and are below a 10-week national average and in some places this waiting time is lower. If someone needs an urgent driving test, for example to secure a job, we can prioritise that candidate for a test. Waiting times for a driving test or access to quality tuition are no longer excuses for driving long term or breaching the terms of the learner permit,” he said.

AA Ireland director of policy Conor Faughnan said the detection rate seemed “quite low” considering the large numbers of people driving on L-plates but stressed that the system had improved immeasurably in recent years.

“A figure amounting to eight to ten people being pulled in by gardaí is quite low considering the scale of the problem but to be fair to the RSA and the Garda, it’s a lot better than it used to be.”

The Insurance Federation of Ireland said in relation to a learner driver having an accident without a licensed driver in the car, any claims would likely be covered. It stressed that, in practice, an insurer may reserve the right not to pay, but it depended on the conditions outlined in the policy.