This article isn\u2019t so much about things you need to know if you still have the L plates on your car. This is more about what to do and what not to do if you spot a learner driver on the road near you.<\/p>\n
You might wonder why this sort of post is necessary. Shouldn\u2019t we be concentrating on what the learners need to be doing? Well, sort of. The learners out there on the road are doing all that they can to clock up skills and experience, and that sort of thing can only be gained by actually getting out there on the road. And this means that when they\u2019re out there, they\u2019re going to make mistakes. Drivers on P-plates are also going to make mistakes as they still lack experience. <\/p>\n I\u2019m sure of us who have reasonably good memories of their own P-plate days can remember similar things happening. I remember getting the horn from a number of people behind me because I didn\u2019t take small gaps at intersections or roundabouts \u2013 I was utterly paranoid about not being able to make it through the gap quick enough (and what if I stalled because I didn\u2019t give it enough accelerator or hadn\u2019t got the right gear?) so I waited for a nice big one to come along rather than taking what I thought was a big risk. It took years for this over-cautious and irritating habit of mine to die and it was finally cured, more or less, by (a) a Saab 9000 with very responsive acceleration that could get into those little gaps and (b) a diesel-powered Isuzu Bighorn that was next to impossible to stall. \u2022 Remember that they\u2019re still learning and will make mistakes. It\u2019s part of learning. Give them a bit of space. This article isn\u2019t so much about things you need to know if you still have the L plates on your car. This is more about what to do and what not to do if you spot a learner driver on the road near you. You might wonder why this sort of post is necessary. Shouldn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-home"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2421"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12234,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2421\/revisions\/12234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n A lot of drivers do get annoyed about L-plate and P-plate drivers. Now, I have to admit that a stroppy teenager on a P-plate who thinks that they are entitled to do as they please and is pushing the limits now that Mum or Dad aren\u2019t in the front passenger seat is a right pain in the butt. But sometimes, P-platers and L-platers earn the ire of experienced drivers by being over-cautious and simply making mistakes. A story from across the Tasman<\/a>\u00a0tells the tale of a younger driver being hassled by older drivers because he slowed down and took it slowly and easily in difficult weather conditions. (Note: In New Zealand, they don\u2019t have the P-plate but drivers on their \u201crestricted\u201d licence don’t have to use an L-plate like a learner driver.)<\/p>\n
\n So what should you do if you spot a P-plater or an L-plater on the road near you? Here\u2019s a few hints.<\/p>\n
\n \u2022 Don\u2019t harass them by doing the sort of thing described in the story at the link above \u2013 overtaking then jamming on the brakes etc.
\n \u2022 Give them time as well as space. If you\u2019re used to tackling intersections at biking or walking speed, you aren\u2019t used to taking smaller gaps. A nervous and timid P-plater who takes their time at an intersection and doesn\u2019t try to take silly risks does not really deserve to have the horn blaring, let alone the one-finger salute or a barrage of abuse out the window. The more aggressive P-plater who charges into an intersection expecting to get into a ridiculously small gap and who makes you hit the brakes hard does deserve a good honking, though. But just keep it to the honk.
\n \u2022 If you\u2019re the parent of a P-plater, you still need to be there and provide some instructions now and again if your teen is going to be tackling something they haven\u2019t done before (e.g. off-roading, driving in extreme weather conditions, going on an interstate road trip). Ride with them now and again to make sure they haven\u2019t picked up any bad habits. On this topic, have a chuckle at this road safety video<\/a> from the other side of the Tasman. Sound familiar? http:\/\/credit-n.ru\/offers-zaim\/zaym-na-kartu_migcredit.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"