Glorious "P"

Yes, "P" can be glorious, but not the kind that you are thinking of. Here is the wonderful land of OZ they have a good way of making sure drivers know how to drive. Well, now that I am trying to get my motorcycle license I find myself subject to the system!

This last week I took a day off work to go in for a full day class and one hour test to move from my "L" (learner) plates to my "P" (not sure but I think it is practice) plates. I know you are all excited that I can now go 90 KPH (56 MPH) instead of the 80 KPH (50 MPH).

This will be for the next year while I get some more experience below my belt (or should I say on my tires).

The one thing that is interesting to me is the following:

• There is a rule that if you are over 30 when you pass your motorcycle "P" test that you don't have to get your "P" for a year, you can just get your full motorcycle license at that point.


• Of course there is an exception to that rule that you have to have a NSW drivers license for 5 years before that applies to you. So, because I have only had my license for one year I have to go through the complete "P" process!

I have to say that I understand that the purpose of the "L" plate is to cleary show others that you are a learner and so they can give you more room to drive. However, it is my experience (now having been a part of the system) that there are a large number of drivers out there that get very angry when they see that they are behind an "L" plater!

I had one person riding my tail so close that I could have probably leaned back and touched them and then they whipped around me while they were 3/4 of the way in my lane. So for the majority of the people it works but it makes a number of people unreasonable. Interesting!