driving licence changes - did you know ?

[richard]

 

[Chris Thomas]

Dear All

I have just returned from a business trip to Ireland where I needed a hire car to get to a remote location reminisant of  Craggy Island (Terminfeckin), and remembered to download and print off my driving licence documentation. It was good to have an official document that said in big letters    Offences Zero, points Zero

The Irish car hire man was slightly surprised that I had it, so it would seem that not everybody remembers. I still had to show my credit card driving licence as well. Perhaps they should include our mug shots on these new paper documents, or would that be a security risk!!!

I found the system worked well provided you had a colour printer and a computer. As you say god help you if you have not.

Chris Thomas

[marcus]

Craggy Island eh?

Giiirls! Drrrrink! Arrrse!

"Father Ted, will we walk over to the gate now?"
"No Dougal, I think we've had enough fun for one day"'

"Alright Dougal, let's try it one more time: this cows.... SMALL, those cows......FAR AWAY"

Love it!

[Chris Thomas]

A friend of mine is a music teacher and was teaching in a big Catholic school where there were a lot of nuns on the teaching staff and one or two priests who floated in and out.

One day somebody in the staff room was talking about Father Ted, and some passing nuns overheard and stopped to listen. My friend asked "Have you ever seen Father Ted on the TV" to which they replied that yes they never miss it. My friend explained that he was surprised that they never missed it and what was it that they liked about that particular program, to which they replied "We LOVE Father Ted and the stories are so realistic".

Chris Thomas

[AndrewG]

So, accessing the DVLA site to practice for an upcoming hire, I looked at the other info - and was disappointed to find I have only a provisional licence for road rollers.  That's going to limit my employment prospects...

[richard]

Glad I posted this one , it's certainly got legs 

[Big Al]

Only if you have a licence to walk on them.

Funny we were discussing this only tonight. Old fogey rights, if you applied before time, out of certain vehicle groups, to retain rights otherwise lost. Means you cannot drive a Forklift, tracked vehicle and a road roller. They are across the board new tests for these. But you could have retained Bus, unloaded of paying passengers or with a number , 6?, nonepaying passingers. Not to be confused with Minibuses. Unloaded locomotives with trailer up to 12 tons. Think its the same with unladen buses to a total of 12 tons. Van and trailer where the load is up to 71/2 ton rules, effectively your in the goods vehicle territory which most folk need another test for. This last one catches out quite a few campervan folk, as well.
 I kept up all my rights so other than the three first ones and the HGV classes I can drive the lot. Many micronauts ought to be the same, but only if you claimed your rights at the time.

[marcus]

The oddest vehicle I have driven on public roads is my Drum Car but the licence categories do not seem to have it listed.

As for Ted, I know a musician and writer who married an Irish woman and moved over there and after a couple of years said that longer he lived there the more Father Ted seemed like a "fly-on-the-wall" documentary! I love the place.

[Big Al]

Its a bet beat up now, Marcus. Is it for a digger?