There has been a 63% surge in the number of learner drivers in Cork caught behind the wheel unaccompanied. 

In the second quarter of 2023, 117 fixed charge notices were issued by Gardaí but, in the same period last year, the figure had jumped to 191. 

The increases in fines coincided with the introduction of a mandatory 30 minutes of road policing during each Garda’s shift. 

On Newstalk Breakfast, driving instructor Brenda Bolger said more Gardaí leads to greater detection. 

“It’s definitely a case whereby we have a Garda presence on the road and they are actually catching people who are driving when they shouldn’t be,” she said. 

“Imagine what we could accomplish if we had that on a regular basis nationwide, how much the safer the roads would be.”

'L' plates on the car of a learner drivers Picture by: macana / Alamy Stock Photo

Currently, people with a learner permit can only drive if accompanied by someone who has had their driving licence for at least two-years. 

While many learners find this rule irksome, Ms Bolger said there is a good reason for it. 

“The issue that we have is that the unaccompanied drivers are inexperienced drivers,” she said. 

“That’s not to say that all the experienced drivers are better drivers but they just have more experience behind them to handle different driving scenarios. 

“The hope would be the more experience you have, the better off everybody else on the road will be because those skills are meant to be enhanced, encouraged, developed and then applied.”

A Garda from the Roads Policing Unit carrying out a speeding checkpoint using his mobility device. Image: X/@GardaTraffic

Ms Bolger added that it is “really tough” to be a learner driver and there is significant frustration that waiting lists are still long - years after COVID saw a huge backlog build up. 

This, she believes, is one reason why so many learners ignore the rules and drive unaccompanied. 

“I don’t condone it but I do understand it because I do live in rural Ireland as well,” she said. 

“We have customers on our books that have applied for driving tests and we were told that the driving test wait list would be tackled by June of last year. 

“That hasn’t happened and you can’t not live your life, you can’t not go to college, you can’t not work.” 

According to the RSA, only 53% of driving tests resulted in a pass in 2022.

Main image: A learner driver adding 'L' plates to a car. Picture by: True Images / Alamy Stock Photo