Thread: P Plates......are they really needed

I was tested by the local Sargent. Asked questions and I took him for a drive. Had to dodge a horse and cart and a large pothole by driving on the grass lawn. Tried to reverse park. Tried twice before he said it was ok and that I would get it eventually.

Originally Posted by Tombie

Yes but it states they must be clearly visible - hence on tinted vehicles should be displayed externally

It's an offence that is usually reserved for when they deserve a "talking to"

Yes they should but how many do you see inside the car and they have tinted windows, they do not police it. Heather

Originally Posted by Roverlord off road spares

Yes they should but how many do you see inside the car and they have tinted windows, they do not police it. Heather

They do here however I consider it low on the totem for things to Police.

If all rules were policed all the time we would be in big trouble. Discretionary policing is important.

One of the biggest examples is US interstates..
The police won't pull over vehicles going well over the posted limit when all of them are doing it.. they consider traffic flow more important.
The stand out driver weaving through traffic however....

I got my leaners the day I turned 17,started driving a 14,used to drive myself and girlfriend to high school (sergeants daughter),then with the pre-booked test in a driving school Morris Minor got said license then home to get my 35 Ford Coupe, Aah!. That was in 1959 followed by my truck in 1961. that was all before seat belts.


cheers

Originally Posted by Tombie

Ahh the old plates.. a distant memory!

I was on "L"s for 3 days and "P"s for 3 months before I was issued a full licence...

I'm sure some on here just went for a drive with the local Cop and got their licence...


What I don't like is P2s in SA... they're restricted to the 100km/h limit but not required to display a plate in SA...
So you don't know just why that vehicle is only doing 100 in a 110 zone.

That's exactly what happened with me. My father knew the local cop who knew I had been driving tractors and utes around the farm for ages. "Hop in and run me around the block," the cop said, so I did. Then he did the paperwork and that was it. Took about 15 minutes, all up.

I don't see the point of restricting P platers to a different speed to the rest of the traffic. All it does is mean they hold up other vehicles and cause impatient people to try to overtake them. They have to learn to drive at the same speeds as everyone else, so why set a different speed?

I agree that red P plates mean the driver is inexperienced, while green P plates mean the drivers think they are Lewis Hamilton. Had one rush past me last night, doing at least 30 km/h over the speed limit. The worst offenders are young males, from what I've seen.

Yep!

Speed differentials are a hazard for that vehicle if it is smaller than the rest of the traffic.

We managed to get rid if the Pillion Limit years ago, but it is still dangerously enforced on P plate riders.

Cheers

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No such thing as P plates back in the 70's, you sat your test and got a full licence, as soon as you could manage after your 16th birthday. The visual clue as to your newbie status was the size of the rust holes in your 'Olden or MK1 Cortina.

Even graduated licences for bikes and trucks didn't appear until after I got my car licence, I had to wait 12 months in each case to get rubber stamped for the full truck and bike licences. No extra tests or anything and most of us survived.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

That's exactly what happened with me. My father knew the local cop who knew I had been driving tractors and utes around the farm for ages. "Hop in and run me around the block," the cop said, so I did. Then he did the paperwork and that was it. Took about 15 minutes, all up.

A friend of mine had an even simpler and quicker experience getting his motorcycle licence.

It would have been about 1967. He turned up at the St Ives police station on his Honda CB72, having ridden it from Armidale the previous day on his L plates.

The cop looked out the door, saw that it was raining and said,"I'm not going out there; it's raining. Can you ride that thing?"

My friend said, "Well I got here didn't I."

The cop said, "Fair enough," and went back to the desk and wrote out his licence.