18/05/2012

Learner Drivers Involved In 45 Fatal Crashes

A total of 45 learner drivers were involved in fatal collisions over the past three years while travelling illegally without a qualified driver, according to Minister for Justice Alan Shatter.

Some 74 unaccompanied learner drivers were involved in collisions resulting in serious injury over this period, the Minister has told the Dáil. He said the Courts Service had no information on the number of unaccompanied drivers convicted following involvement in a fatal or serious collision.

However, the involvement of unaccompanied learner drivers in fatal collisions is falling; from 21 in 2009 to 10 last year.

Operation Learner Driver, carried out in March and April, involved stopping 2,200 learner drivers. It found 43 per cent were not accompanied by a full licence-holder. It also found that 30 per cent of learner drivers were not displaying L-plates.

Since 2008 learner drivers on a second provisional licence are required to be accompanied by a fully qualified driver. However, almost half of such drivers are flouting the law, a recent Garda operation found.

(H)


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