NEW legislation making it illegal for learner drivers not to be accompanied by a fully qualified motorists at all times will cause real hardship for people living in rural areas, a Killarney politician has pointed out.
Senator Marie Moloney said the new rule is stopping young people in rural areas from working and it is particularly difficult where there are no DART, Luas, public bus or train services.
“Many have to get their parents, brothers or sisters to drive them to work, causing a great deal of expense and inconvenience, before making the same round trip again in the evening,” she said.
Speaking in the Seanad, Senator Moloney said research shows that only six per cent of all fatal accidents involved learner drivers, which means 94 per cent did not.
“It seems that we are coming down very hard on learner drivers. While I do not advocate that people break the law, I ask the minister if the problem can be addressed to alleviate the hardship caused to young people as a result of this requirement,” she said.
The Killarney-based senator suggested that in the case of a learner driver who has spent more than 12 hours under a professional driving instructor and has applied for a driving test, the current restriction could be confined to the hours between 9pm and 7am.
“That would allow people to go to work. I suggest we could make more use of approved driving instructors.
“They could assess learners as they progress through lessons and judge whether they have reached an approved standard,” the Labour senator stated.
Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe said he noted Senator Moloney’s concerns but his main priority must always be the safety of learners and other road users.
He said he would look at the legislation, the impact it is having on road safety and any consequences it could have.
