South Meath Driving School

The training programme for Learner Drivers is not the finished article – yet. After acquiring a full Driving Licence, the ‘graduate’ then commences a further learning process, maybe all alone and unaided. That is a grave shortfall in the present system. Driving on the Motorway is not permitted without a full licence, even for training purposes, accompanied by an instructor. Of course, neither is night driving, driving in inclement weather, changing a wheel etc, included.

Here I will outline some rules, in accordance with the RSA, that are legally required to be complied with on the motorway, as well as good driving practice which should be adhered to.

• Drive ahead only, no turning or reversing is permitted.
• You must progress at a speed and in a way that avoids interference with other motorway traffic.
• Do not drive on the Hard Shoulder or Hatched Areas, except in an emergency.
• You may NOT stop on the Hard Shoulder for a snooze!
• Do not stop or park on any part of the motorway unless directed by a Garda.
• You must not drive a type of vehicle that is restricted to a maximum vehicle speed of 80km/h or less in the traffic lane nearest the centre median of the motorway (i.e. the outside lane, whether a 2 lane, only, or more.)
• Do not pick up or set down anybody on a motorway.

Proper Use Of Lanes

It is important to understand the proper use of each lane on a motorway. To demonstrate this, each lane is given a number. The Hard Shoulder, to the left, is not a lane, remember. Lane 1 is to the left and may be referred to as the inside lane. On a two-lane motorway, the lane nearest the central median is lane 2, in that case, the outside lane. On a three-lane motorway, this (outside) lane is lane 3.

Lane 1

The normal ‘keep left’ rule applies. Stay in this lane unless you are overtaking.

Lane 2

On a two-lane motorway, use this lane for overtaking only and move back into lane 1 when finished overtaking. You may also use this lane to accommodate traffic merging from the left.

On a three-lane motorway, you may stay in this centre lane while there is slower moving traffic in Lane 1.

Lane 3

If travelling on a three-lane motorway, you must use this lane only if traffic in lanes 1 and 2 is moving in queues and you need to overtake or accommodate merging traffic. Once finished overtaking, move back to your left and allow faster traffic coming from behind to pass.

You must not use the lane nearest the central median (i.e. Lane 2 or 3, depending on the motorway width) if you are driving, as follows –

*  A  goods vehicle with a design gross vehicle weight of more than 3,500 kilograms (3 ½ tonnes).

* A passenger vehicle with seating for more than 8 passengers (aside from the driver,) or,

* A vehicle towing a trailer , horsebox or caravan.

You may use the lane nearest the median strip in exceptional circumstances when you cannot proceed in the inner lane because of a blockage ahead; also, if you are in an area of motorway with a speed limit of 80km/h or less. This is why it is illegal for lorry drivers to overtake vehicles on a motorway in circumstances outside the above limits. Ever noticed? Indeed, yes.

It is of utmost importance to keep back a safe distance from the vehicle in front: use the 2 second rule. Traffic is moving at a vastly faster pace than on lesser roads, so, it takes longer to stop in an emergency, perhaps leading to a pileup.

Use the signal to move from Lane 3 to Lane 2. If continuing to move to Lane 1, the signal should be cancelled in Lane 2, before commencing the move to Lane 1, when another signal should be given.

Check mirrors regularly, including wing mirrors. Be conscious of blind  spots and a quick glance over the shoulder before commencing a lane change may avert a collision. Apply the mirror, mirror, signal, manoeuvre rule. Measure the distance of vehicles to the rear in your internal rear view mirror, as the wing mirrors may give you a wrong impression of distance, they being of convex shape. Don’t allow your eyes to focus on the vehicle in front for long periods, scan up ahead and move the eyes about. It helps to keep more alert.

Avoid sharp braking and use hazard warning lights to warn traffic behind. Avoid causing another driver on the motorway to change lane or brake to accommodate you, apart from when you merge. Be conscious of all traffic around you and anticipate changes.

Overtake on the right only. Never, ever overtake on the hard shoulder. If traffic in the right lane is travelling slower than in your lane you may pass, or, call it overtake, on the left. Before moving from a slower lane to a faster one, adjust your speed: increase it. Check that the lane is clear behind and ahead and signal early. For someone driving on a motorway for the first few times, like the holder of a first full Driving Licence, the pace of traffic may be daunting and it is preferable that such driver should take a further driving lesson or, at least, be accompanied by an experienced driver.

Extra care is required at dusk, in darkness and in poor weather conditions. Larger lorries throw up spray on wet roads and wipers should be activated in good time so that visibility is not impeded. Should conditions be difficult to cope with, move to the left lane, at least until you adjust to the pace or, perhaps, until the heavier traffic eases.

Read the traffic signs on the gantries which are displayed  on motorways and dual carriageways. Get in the left lane in anticipation of moving off the motorway and be alert for the directional sign in advance.

There are many more rules that apply to motorway driving and I will look at them another time.

It may have been a while coming, but, alas, it is upon us, as The Late Late Show introduction went ‘To those whom it may cancern!’ — procuration of the new driving licence. It will cause some concern for future applicants, but fear not the unknown. It will be more benign, smooth, acceptable to all than the Press release may indicate. It will present our roads as a safer place for all with a more educated approach from our youth who will take it all in their stride.

Changes there will be and not before its time. Driver testing was introduced in the Republic in 1964 and its dated system remained until the Road Safety Authority was established just four years ago, modernising training, testing and licensing.

This new Graduated Driver Licensing System (GDL) will apply to learner and novice drivers for a period of two years after passing a driving test. The RSA has carried out research in Canada, Australia and the UK as well as the benefit of public consultation seeking measures to protect the inexperienced driver while trying to avoid penalising the responsible, compliant novice driver.

Here are some of the changes that will be effective next year:

To be continued.

It is now four years since the Road Safety Authority devised a plan for higher standards of driving, more arduous test standards, new standards of driving instruction etc., all with the aim of reducing road deaths and serious injury.  Noel Brett’s and Gay Byrne’s efforts, plus a cohort of others within the structure, have been remarkable when one considers that in 1978 there were 628 deaths on the republics roads, in 2005 – 396 deaths, reducing to 240 in 2009. That statistic is all the more stark when one realises that today there are over two million vehicles on our roads, whereas in 1978 it was c.50% less.

However, there’s a flawed area that requires urgent remedy in the form of inadequate regulatory signage and road markings as well as contradictory signage in our towns. Any driver who holds a full driving licence should be able to drive competently through any town to which he or she is a total stranger, should the proper signs be in place.

As an example, I take Navan town where the RSA Driving Test is held in Co. Meath.

Firstly, trying to find the test centre at Athlumney, Kilcairn, is in itself quite a test. There’s no sign whatever on the Navan-Dublin Road indicating the location of the Test Centre. However, just past Kilcairn pub, there is a sunken manhole lid to a depth of four to five inches which would do serious damage to your alloy wheels. So, take the Johnstown Road sign into Metges Rd. Three hundred metres on, behold, there’s a timid looking sign for the Test Centre into a side road. Drive in to the left, there’s no more signs, and arrive in a cul de sac by the Boyne . Return and search within the new Dept. of Agriculture buildings on the left and there’s a little sign in a window ‘Driving Test Centre.’ Navan is the only test centre for the county, so most drivers sitting their test is a stranger to the Athlumney area. A Nigerian or Lithuanian might have greater difficulty here.

I outline the more obvious problem areas that a student driver will encounter in Navan:

Traffic lights on the N3 at the Kentstown Road crossjunction are being upgraded for several months now: there was a pole erected which obscured the green light by more than 50%. Surely the job should have been completed in less than one week, rather than four months.

Further on the Ring Road, turn right into the two-lane Flower Hill: there’s no signs at the entrance to indicate it’s a one-way street. Some 200m on, there’s road markings in the form of two white arrows which give the  only clue. Continue on and driver ‘A’ arrives at The Round O roundabout and attempts the 3^rd exit for Slane (from right traffic lane of course). A path, c. 1 meter wide around the centre island, pushes him outwards and Driver ‘B’ taking the 2^nd exit (Kingscourt) is either blocked or side by side ‘ A.’  There simply is not enough room to accommodate two vehicles on the roundabout. Then, if ‘B’ is a lorry, ‘A’ is squeezed  into pulling back or onto the path. Why aren’t the lanes properly marked? Answer – because it’s too narrow to take two lanes: just leave it to the motorists to do their best. Suggested cure – Make the ‘island’ much smaller or have only one traffic lane at the approach point from Flower Hill.

The junction of Kennedy Road , entering Trimgate St. – there’s no advance sign to indicate a left turn only. At the exit point there’s a zebra crossing which is in line with the very busy footpaths left and right. All such pedestrian crossings should be brought forward (c.5mts) from the junction as it is on the Continent, making matters safer for drivers and pedestrians. The road markings, here, take you left but there’s no upright sign to so indicate. Turning right from Market Square into Ludlow St. (at Clonard House, BOI) there’s a yield sign to the left. But, for the last few months that sign has been twisted around facing traffic approaching from the left. Who must yield here? [ The erection of new signs require sanction from the Minister for Transport in the form of a Statutory Instrument (S1) and publication before it becomes an authorised sign.

On from the Fairgreen is Churchill Rd. and into Bridge St (at the NewGrange Hotel); only on stopping at the stop sign can one observe that Bridge St. is a one way street , there being two ‘no entry’ signs to the left. Again there’s no one-way system sign in advance or at the junction.

Most drivers cope and make the sudden adjustments/corrections at the aforementioned locations. But they’re only in the penny halfpenny place in comparison to the crossjunction of Bridge St onto Circular Rd. – Academy St. This is the junction just down from the Palace Nightclub and Newgrange Hotel. It is Navan’s ‘Amen Corner’, the closest to impossible that I have witnessed in any town. The scene: At the exit from Bridge St., there’s an upright ‘Yield’ sign on the left (there should also be one on the right as this is a one way street with two lanes.)

Anyone’s interpretation of a yield sign is that the exit should be relatively easy to negotiate , or an area that shouldn’t pose any great danger. Driver ‘A’ moves to the mouth of this exit to take a right onto Circular Rd. – behold , there is a STOP LINE (a thick solid line, thus contradicting the Yield sign) in rainbow formation running across the junction and outwards for some metres either side. This area to the right and left of the exit lanes is ‘hatched’ to protect the exiting traffic; so traffic coming from the right is pushed outwards to their right. ‘A’s’ view to the right is about ten metres because of a high hoarding around a site. Question- how can one safely turn right here? Well, with great difficulty. Dash across to avoid a collision with whatever arrives from the right.

Not only must ‘A’ watch sharply to the right he also must cope with the flow of traffic from his left from the Ring Rd and Academy St., in front of him.

Driver ‘B’ wishes to turn left at this same junction and then left at the N3, about 20m away. Just at this point the single lane that is Circular Rd., now breaks into a two lane to accommodate traffic turning left and right on joining the Ring Rd. (N3.) But there’s a hatched area immediately to ‘B’s’ left as she exits from Bridge St.  The border lines of this hatched area have broad continuous white lines, so she cannot legally enter it. Rather, she must push out into the outer lane, turn left, indicate left, look over her left shoulder before coming back into the left lane. Why? Because most drivers ignore hatched areas and drive through them as if it was their right. So driver ‘B’ must avoid crashing into this traffic coming down Circular Rd. and intending to turn left at the N3. So why doesn’t ‘B’ drive immediately left through the hatched area? Because it is illegal for her to do so and in a driving test situation she will fail her test. So, what happens those who trundle through the hatched area: they are driving dangerously , selfishly, but sadly with impunity for unless a collision occurs, no Garda action will be taken, it appears.

Is there any easy solution? Perhaps. Remove the solid line of the hatched area on the near side of the left exit and replace with a broken line, thus allowing ‘B’ to turn left into the left lane as the outside ‘rainbow’ STOP Line should still force traffic from the right to stay outside that line. A second solution would be to remove//lower the hoarding to the right on Circular Rd. to give a view to ‘A’ who’s turning right. Erect a warning sign on approach road from (Fairgreen side) Circular Rd., like ‘Slow, Concealed Entrance’.

Erect two STOP signs at Bridge St. exit. Or, have a ‘No Right Turn’ off Bridge St. into Circular Rd..

The very high standard of driving that a learner must achieve in order to pass the modern driving test is in stark contrast to the standard exhibited by town engineers (Roads Section).

Learner drivers ask (i) How a Yield sign can be followed by a STOP line. Which are they to obey?

(ii) How come so many other drivers ignore Hatched Areas, yet they will fail their test should they encroach? (iii) How are they to know which direction to take when there are no signs to tell.

One student adeptly described the signage in Navan as akin to the ancient milestones which were read by pedestrians or horsemen.

I have a few questions for the roads engineers responsible for the likes of Navan’s ‘Amen Corner’. Do you not have a duty of care to motorists who must comply with your drawings? Of late, a banker and a chief fire officer have been arrested for matters related to their negligence and alleged criminal offences. The days of allowing STOP signs etc. to be twisted around by some dopey yob and left so twisted for weeks or months by Co. Co. authorities has passed. Responsibility has taken on a new meaning, thankfully. Marie Antoinnette  reputedly said ‘Let them eat cake.’ The people of France replied swiftly, they had had enough cake.

In the light of those road sign anomalies in Navan, I wonder if the place is at all suitable for the Driving Test. I suggest that consideration be given to changing the centre to Trim which has the highest standards of road signage and all else that’s required for such an undertaking.

The Christmas rush was on last year when a young man phoned me for a few driving lessons. Appointment made, I met him and he advises that his driving test was one week hence, it being his first. Fine, “So you must be well prepared, have you already had some lessons?”, I enquire. “No, I just picked up driving tips from my father and friends for the past two years. I know I wont pass the test this time and I suppose I’m as well admit that the reason I’m doing it at all is to renew my Permit,” he said.

I sat into this youth’s car and after the usual preliminaries, he took off, like a kangaroo, without signalling, let alone checking the ‘blindspot’. “Enough!” I called out. We returned and continued the lesson in my dual controlled car. I enquired if he had driven on his own. “Sometimes”, he replied, “a few times a week, don’t they all do it.”

Some have a natural talent but this young man would not acquire the skills easily. No harm in that, he’s not alone, the harm lies in the Road Safety Authority regulations. Those regulations were drawn up in 2006 after much research and decades of neglect. It was incorporated into the Road Safety Plan to 2012 to substantially cut road deaths – to 252.

Significantly that has already been achieved and must be worked on to further reduce road deaths, like the erection of more speed cameras and a Leaving Certificate programme involving the training of our youth in Road Safety appreciation and driving skills.

But there are other factors which contribute in no small way to that early achievement of the 2012 plan, like the emigration of c.100,000 people in recent times, or the unemployment rate of 13.5% and the reduction of some 12% in tourist numbers visiting Ireland. All that reduces traffic volume on our roads, coupled with motorway/dual carriageway development.

I’ve pointed out before that in a EU country like Portugal where wages are only a ¼ of those in Ireland, (though that may be levelling out!) the holder of the Learner Permit (or equivalent) cannot drive on a public road unless with a driving instructor and must take 32 compulsory driving lessons before sitting a driving test.

The RSA will state that the holder of an (Irish) Learner Permit must legally be accompanied by a qualified driver. That’s balderdash- the great flaw is that the beginner may take a car onto any road while not having acquired the necessary skills to cope with the multiple tasks involved in safe driving. I demand to know what power has a person in the passenger seat to correct/assist a learner driver when even a small problem arises, let alone an emergency. Just imagine that young lad or lass, their heart pumping, and they have to simply overtake a cyclist: wet road, car close behind, approaching bend, continuous white line. A nightmare. What then of an emergency? Does Daddy have one hand on the steering wheel, the other on the handbrake while shouting “ I told you brake, not accelerate, you little bag of soot!”

It may be of help for the learner to be accompanied by a qualified driver, but there are many who chance going it alone. The seasoned driver may be trusted, but what of the rookie? He’s tantamount to a child with a loaded shotgun.

I’m informed that compulsory lessons are imminent, that it will be 12 or 15 that’ll be required. The sooner the better for all. Last year there was talk, too, of the Graduated Driving Licence being introduced in 2010, but there’s no sign of it yet which is a pity as the research has been done and it will only cost a little more for administration purposes.

And so my Christmas student of ’09 underwent two driving lessons with me. A further 8 or 10 would be required but he played the system and won! Well, did he? He succeeded in getting in and out of the gates of the test centre and returning in jig time because the tester survives on a 6^th sense. He received a blue certificate of incompetency as expected but drove home, alone. Now, he could get a licence for another year. That is not beating the system, rather it’s the system letting us down. What’s another year with a wink and a nod, for good auld Ireland didn’t go away!

Road markings give information and warnings. Their advantage is that they can be seen when other signs are hidden from view and they can give a continuing message as a driver progresses. The earliest road markings were the simple continuous (or broken) white line on the centre of the road but now with much upgraded roads, dual carriageways and motorways, road markings have developed into a world of their own. The hatched area markings has become a very prominent feature of late and appear not to be understood by many motorists: or might it be a case of they simply ignoring them altogether? Hatch Markings indicate a dangerous area where it is necessary to separate the streams of traffic completely, such as at a sharp bend or where traffic is turning right and requires protection. Such areas are painted with white chevrons or diagonal white stripes.

Where the boundary line is solid do not enter except in an emergency. Where the boundary line is broken you should not drive on the markings, but, if it is safe to do so, one may enter such hatched area when turning right so that traffic intending to go straight ahead is not unduly delayed.

Locally, a good example of those markings is on the approach roads from Navan and the bypass from the Boyne to the traffic lights at Navangate. It is at those locations that flagrant disregard for safety can be regularly observed. For example, a driver approaching those traffic lights from the Navan direction indicates to turn right in the Athboy direction, but correctly stays in the single lane and left of the hatched area in the centre of the road: but just as he ‘ rounds’ the paintwork and into the turning lane, a looder trundles down through the whole hatched area as he (or indeed, she) is also turning right, narrowly missing the driver in front. That is nothing short of dangerous driving. Sadly it is happening by the hour with impunity. Traffic Corps members might take note and either educate or prosecute offenders. I see the likes of that driving as a call for the need of everyone taking compulsory driving lessons every three or four years, even with a full licence. Afterall, us driving instructors have a stringent instruction test every two years with a RSA examiner; Gay Byrne, start reading ‘Focus!’

The Yellow Box Junction is another distinctive road marking consisting of a pattern of criss-cross yellow lines. The simple rule states that you must not enter the box unless you can clear it without stopping. The exception is that you can enter the box and stop in it if you are turning right. The RSA ‘ Rules of the Road’ book states so but, I think, falls a little short on that rule as it is silent on the fact that a driver exiting from a minor road and turning left can also enter the yellow box and stop in it. Of course the reason one doesn’t enter the box unless it can be cleared when going straight on is that traffic crossing from left or right can proceed; and of course it’s a lot simpler and cheaper to paint a junction yellow than to erect sets of traffic lights.

Incidentally, us folk on Marcie’s Road are still waiting for a yellow box at the exit onto the bypass. During the last Local Elections a few firm handshakers promised that the junction would be looked at urgently – they’re still looking and I am waiting for them to come back when the next election approaches.

Cats Eyes are a prominent feature on most roads and are to be found on the centre or edge. They are especially helpful in fog or reduced visibility in that they reflect light to guide the motorist. The cat’s eye consists of four reflect lenses, two facing fore and two aft. It was invented by Percy Shaw in the 1930s.

The centre white line was first applied in the USA in 1911 in an effort to curb the high number of crashes especially on narrower roads despite the small number of cars then in use. In 1971 they switched to a yellow centre line.

There’s a vast array of other recognisable road markings, like rumble strips to slow traffic approaching a dangerous bend; hard shoulder defining the left edge of a traffic lane; cycle lanes with solid or broken white lines; zigzag lines indicating the approach to a pedestrian crossing; bus lanes have a solid white line on their outer limit.

Many motorists do not heed those road markings. If you are a seasoned driver with the benefit of a full driving licence, you may not be up to date with the vast array of recent road signs, road markings, motorway regulations etc. An idea is to purchase the RSA Rules of the Road book or read it on the internet. No, it isn’t going back to school: it makes interesting reading. I do harp on about it, but, the cost of losing your no claims bonus is damaging to the health, perhaps all for the lack of just a little knowledge. It pays dividends. Take heed.