80,000 people on drive test wait list, RSA figures reveal
THERE are currently just over 80,000 people waiting for their driving tests across the country – with an average wait time of almost 13 weeks, figures released by the Road Safety Authority show.
Of those 80,000 people waiting, just over 18,000 have received the date for their driving test, a further 42,533 have yet to receive a date for the test, and 19,444 have applied for a test but are on hold because they have not completed their required number of lessons.
Public service trade union Fórsa warned that it expects a surge in demand for driving tests on foot of proposed new sanctions on car owners who allow their vehicles to be used by unaccompanied learner drivers.
Fórsa official Ashley Connolly said: ‘Fórsa supports the measures in the Road Traffic Bill because they will improve road safety.
‘But we need to quickly put the necessary measures in place to prevent a huge back- log of driving tests and a potential trebling of waiting times.’
Ms Connolly said the Fórsa has discussed other ways of reducing waiting times with the RSA and was willing to looking into additional measures. ‘The number of driver testers has fallen from 126 in 2007 to 102 today,’ she said.
Meanwhile, in a statement yesterday, the RSA acknowledged that waiting times had increased over the last year.
‘The driver testing service has seen increased waiting times nationally over the past year. This is due to a sustained of applications being received, alongside a reduction in driver tester numbers due to retirements,’ it said.
‘Recent poor weather, including the severe weather events Ophelia and Emma have also contributed to the loss of over 4,000 driving test appointments which is something beyond our control.’
The RSA acknowledged that the waiting times were ‘too long across all the service’, but said it was starting to see improvements and plans to get back to a national average of ten weeks later in the year.
There are currently 103 driver testers employed by the RSA.
It began recruiting driving testers in December last year and said it had received more than 4,000 applications.
In a statement, the Department of Transport said it was currently working with the RSA to ensure measures were put in place to deal with the current backlog as well as a possible surge in demand in the future.
It also suggested it would begin taking measures to reduce the number of ‘noshows’ for driving tests but declined to say whether this would involve measures such as fines, or being put at the
According to the RSA, there was a total of 19,000 candidates who didn’t show up to their test in 2017, a trend that is continuing this year with an average of 300-400 people per week not showing up for their test.
Fórsa said it had put the RSA under pressure to hire more testers and warned that a failure to do so could lead to a trebling of waiting times.
Under legislation proposed by Transport Minister Shane Ross, car owners who loan their vehicles to unaccompanied learner drivers could be prosecuted with up to six months in prison, or fines of up to €2,000 as well as confiscation of the vehicle.
The law will also apply to those car owners who lend their vehicle to someone without a licence.
These measures will apply to all private, agricultural, and commercial vehicles and will allow the gardaí to seize the vehicle if it is found to be driven by an accompanied driver or someone without a licence.
Tough new rules for learners