[HPFGU-OTChatter] The Knight Bus and Driving in England

[Shaun Hately]

On 1 Jun 2003 at 13:43, Ladi lyndi wrote:

> Can anyone tell me what the green L's and P's
> mean that I saw on people's cars?  Someone said
> they meant that it shows someone is a new driver
> and I was to either avoid or harass the driver. 
> So, I'm now confused about what those things
> really mean.

We have them in Australia as well.

L indicates a learner driver - somebody who is unlicensed and learning to drive with an 
experienced driver in the passenger seat. P indicates someone with a probationary 
licence - a newly qualified driver - somebody who qualified in the previous 2 years (in 
the UK).

It's intended to alert other drivers to the need to be careful around these people and not 
to put them under undue stress. The 'harass the driver' comment was probably 
(hopefully) a joke. It lets you know that they *may* do unusual things due to 
inexperience - thry may still be at the stage that they have to think and remember rules 
on who gives way to who for example, rather than knowing those rules like the back of 
their hands.

It also lets police know who they are. Police tend to come down much harder on 
Probationary licence holders for reckless driving and the like, but *may* be more tolerant 
of some mistakes, provided they are not dangerous ones.

I'm not sure of all the rules in the UK - here, P-Plate drivers also have restrictions that 
fully licenced drivers do not - for example, a fully licenced driver can legally drive with a 
blood alcohol content of up to 0.05. P-Plate drivers must have a BAC of 0.00.

Yours Without Wax, Dreadnought
Shaun Hately |webpage: http://www.alphalink.com.au/~drednort/thelab.html
(ISTJ)       |email: drednort at alphalink.com.au | ICQ: 6898200

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