The L plate education

A Learner Plate (L-Plate) is a rectangular plate consisting of a large letter L, issued by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to indicate that the driver is a learner.

In pursuant to Regulation 34 of Road Traffic Regulations, 2021 (LI2180), the learner plate must be affixed to the vehicle for easy visibility, one of which shall be on the front and the other at the rear.

The L plate is a universally accepted symbol which when displayed indicates the individual or individuals are in the process of learning the needed skill required in the use of a given machine, in this case, a vehicle. The capital L letter of red is displayed on a white rectangular background and the red border is indicative of a novice being instructed on the use of the vehicle under
specific conditions.

The L plate further requires the REGULAR DRIVERS following and coming towards the said vehicle to exercise extra care and give more room of accommodation for possible mistakes from the learner not to become fatal errors. In short, the L plate is supposed to aid the Learner to gain confidence as he or she interacts with traffic quickly.

Unfortunately, the L plate label in Ghana has rather become a direct source of Intimidation, bullying and display of gross disrespect against its users be it a driving school or private vehicle.

Ghanaian regular drivers have an unruly urge to push learners off the road. They Drive at high speed toward L-labeled vehicles, overtake and cut right in front of learners, crossing them at junctions, and display all manner of aggressive driving behavior and in some cases pure road rage for no reason.

Regrettably, the police who are supposed to know better also display the same tendencies such as brazing questions including why are you not training in a park? You are not supposed to learn on this road (city and town roads) why are you moving so slowly on the road. Why did you not stop immediately when I asked you to? These are some of the questions that you will receive from a policeman as a top-up for the molestation of regular drivers.

To correct this, there is the need for a continuous nationwide re-education of all drivers on basic rules of traffic engagement. Drivers and other road users must rather encourage Learners by being patient and accommodating. They should remember the Popular saying WE WERE ONCE LIKE YOU... and as such make the learning process for the new entrants easier and safer than they had it.

Public education on the curtesy required and due to the L plate from the NRSA, the police MTTD, and of course, DVLA itself can improve the safety required on our roads. Let us create more room and a safe zone for an L-labeled vehicle and for that matter learner drivers.