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  • Wet Weather Driving

    First and foremost: slow down! It takes longer to stop or adjust in wet weather. Stay toward the middle lanes – water tends to pool in the outside lanes. Maintain proper following distance (3 Second Rule). This needs to be increased in wet weather. Drive in the tracks of a car ahead of you.

    Don’t follow large trucks or buses too closely. The spray created by their large tires reduces your vision. Take care when passing them as well; if you must pass, do so quickly and safely. Be more alert when driving in wet or slippery conditions. Watch out for brake lights in front of you. Avoid using your brakes; if possible, take your foot off the accelerator to slow down. Turn your headlights on even in a light rain, or in gloomy, foggy or overcast conditions. Not only do they help you see the road, but they’ll help other drivers see you. If your car has daytime running lights you still should put them on, so vehicles behind you can see you better. Before it starts to rain, replace old or brittle wipers.

    Avoid off-road driving: it’s hard to judge the actual depth of puddles and you can easily become stuck, even in a 4WD. Never drive beyond the limits of visibility. At night rainy roads become especially treacherous. The glare of oncoming lights, amplified by the rain on your windscreen, can cause temporary loss of visibility while substantially increasing driver fatigue. In rainy conditions pedestrians, livestock, and wildlife are extremely hard to spot and even harder to avoid. Never drive through moving water if you can’t see the ground through it; your car could be swept off the road. When driving through a puddle of uncertain depth, go slow. If it’s deeper than the bottom of your doors, turn around and find another route. Deep water can cause serious damage to a modern car’s electrical system.

    Avoid splashing pedestrians. If possible, stay off the road during heavy thunderstorms. Large flashes of lightning can temporarily blind and disorient drivers, and the accompanying high winds and heavy rain can create deadly driving conditions. Slow down! This should be obvious but it also very important. People are so used to driving certain speeds on certain roads that sometimes they forget the need to slow down when inclement weather presents itself.

  • How do I apply for a learner permit

    Before applying for a learner permit, you need to make sure you are eligible to learn to drive in Ireland and have the documentation you require.

    Rules

    To apply for a learner permit for any vehicle, you must:

    • Be normally resident in Ireland. You are considered to be normally resident in Ireland if you usually live here for at least 185 days in each calendar year.
    • Meet the age requirement. Before you can apply for a licence to drive a vehicle in Ireland, you must be a certain age. If you are under 16 years of age, you must not use any vehicle in a public place. For more information, see our document on categories of motor vehicles and minimum age of drivers.
    • Pass a driver theory test. Before applying for a learner permit, candidates must pass a test of motoring theory appropriate to the category of vehicle (pdf) they wish to be licenced to drive. This rule applies to anyone applying for a first learner permit in any vehicle category. If your learner permit expired five or more years ago, you must pass the theory test again before a new learner permit will be issued. You can read more about the driver theory test.

    How to apply online for your first learner permit

    If you have a Public Services Card (PSC) and a verified MyGovID account, you can apply for your first learner permit online. To do this, you need:

  • Applying for the Driving Test

    To apply for a driving test and add yourself to the waiting list, visit  MyRoadSafety.ie and follow these steps: 

    Step 1 

    Log in or sign up using your verified MyGovID or register your details with the RSA. If you have any difficulties, please read the RSA’s  registration and login FAQs

    Step 2 

    Choose your vehicle category (e.g. car, bus, truck) and set your goal 

    Step 3 

    Scroll down to the driving test step and click on ‘book a driving test’ 

    Step 4 

    Choose your test centre. If there are no appointment slots available click on ‘join waiting list’ 

    Step 5 

    When appointment slots become available at your chosen test centre, the RSA will email you an invitation to book a test. 

  • NCT test

    Book or Manage your NCT

    Bookings can be made online for all NCTS Test Centres

    NCTS has put detailed measures in place, in each test centre to mitigate against the spread of COVID19 and to protect both customers and staff, more information on what you should expect are outlined in the NCTS FAQ‘s.

    NCTS has now updated all records for those customers’ vehicles that qualified for the 4 month test extension as announced by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Mr Shane Ross in April 2021. A vehicle with a test due date on or after 28th March 2020 has now had its test date extended by 4 months.

    All Vehicle owners are encouraged to check their new test due date on Check NCT Due Date.

    Please note, vehicles first registered on or after 1 August 2016 are not eligible for the 4-month extension

    NCTS are reminding customers that if they book a test that is more than 90 days earlier than the test due date, the test will be a voluntary early test and the NCT certificate issued will be valid for 1 or 2 years (depending on the age of the vehicle) from the date of the successful test.  NCTS are asking customers to note carefully the website messages they receive throughout the course of the booking process.

    To check when your vehicle is due its NCT please click here

  • man with a seat belt

    Driving Safely for Life

    Defensive driving is an art.  When you drive always think about what can go wrong? What cannot go wrong? What could reasonably happen?

    Defensive driving is designed to heighten your awareness of everything happening around you while driving. It is important to develop these habits early and to realise that every time you get into a car there is risk involved.

    To lessen your chances of being involved in a car accident,

    1. practice checking your mirrors constantly. Always be aware of what is on your right, your left, and behind you.

    2. Check the road ahead. What is on the horizon, what is happening in front of the car ahead of you?

    3. Learn to make eye to eye contact with drivers and pedestrians so that you know they see you.

    4. Look at the front wheels of the cars parked on the side of the road. If you see a car with the wheels turned to the right, smoke from the exhaust, or the lights on, be aware that it might suddenly pull out.

    5. Always remember, you may have the right away but the other driver could pull out in front of you.

    It is better to arrive to arrive late than not arrive at all!! If you assess the situation constantly, you will be a safer driver for life.