‘Ludicrous’ driver training real issue behind road safety, says top instructor
John Fitzgerald of Killarney, Co Kerry, called for radical steps to improve driver training, which he believes is at the root of problems on Irish roads.
“We’re being reminded all the time that speed, drink driving and not wearing seat belts are causing accidents. While these are contributory factors, there are also many more factors involved,” he said.
“The hard fact is that an extremely high percentage of drivers simply cannot drive properly.”
Mr Fitzgerald, the holder of three gold grades from the UK-based Advanced Drivers’ Association (ADI), said our whole approach to road safety was “just ludicrous” and people’s lives were being wasted.
“Our younger drivers are only being trained how to pass a most basic L test, which has an average speed of 38 kph, when they should be trained and tested doing higher speeds to prepare them for their long-term driving,” he said.
He also said it was a scandal that there were still no standards for entry to the driver training profession here. In the UK, instructors had to be certified by the ADI.
“Thirty-six years after a compulsory register for driving instructors was set up in Britain we’re still awaiting one here. We’re told there will be a register here in two years, but we’ll have to see that before we believe it,” said Mr Fitzgerald, who is one of six people in Ireland who are members of the British Institute of Master Tutors of Driving.
Calling for radical steps to develop a comprehensive new training system, he said tens of thousands of young drivers were being allowed onto Irish roads without proper training.
“These people can’t judge the road ahead and don’t know how to adjust speed to road and weather conditions. They can’t even read signs or road markings properly — and look at all the drivers who never do something as fundamental as using an indicator.
“If they were properly trained, they would automatically be aware of issues such as speed, drink-driving and safety,” he said.
