RSA disputes driving test wait concern

THE Road Safety Authority has moved to assure drivers seeking a driving test as an emergency that it will facilitate them.

The RSA was responding to concerns raised by Independent Senator Victor Boyhan over ongoing waiting times which mean learner drivers can face a wait of up to 13 weeks to secure a driving test.

The figures were secured in response to queries by Mr Boyhan on waiting times for driving tests.

Responding, the RSA revealed the main testing blackspots are Carlow, where the wait is 13 weeks, and Ballina, Naas, Gorey and Limerick which all have a 10-week waiting list.

Monaghan, Castlebar,

Shannon, Dungarvan and Limerick all have nineweek waiting periods.

The most recent figures also reveal there are 10,433 learner drivers waiting to even get on the waiting list.

However, an RSA spokesman flatly denied there was a problem, saying: ‘There are no blackspots, there is no backlog, we don’t have delays.

‘Often the problem is that people are being called too soon. They call us and ask can you put me back a few weeks.’

The spokesman went on: ‘By contrast if someone calls and says we have an emergency, we will tell them to come in.’ He said the figures cited by Mr Boyhan were worst-case scenarios and that most tests were conducted well within the 10-week timeline set by the Road Safety Authority.

Driving test waiting times, he said, ‘have never been lower. We can plough through four or 5,000 a week.

The queries from Mr Boyhan have revealed that in October, 21,937 people were on a waiting list for driving tests and a further 10,433 were on a waiting list to get on to the test waiting list.

The most recent figures reveal the highest waiting list is in Tallaght in Dublin with 729 people.

Other blackspots are Naas, 636, Cork, 562, Limerick, 485, Dún Laoghaire, 426, Carlow, 396, and 359 in Churchtown which is in Transport Minister Shane Ross’s own constituency.

By contrast the two best performing centres of Clifden and Buncrana had waiting lists of 31 and 42 respectively.

Mr Boyhan said: ‘This is another classic example of the failure of joined-up Government.

‘If we are going to clamp down on learner drivers, we should at least ensure we allocate resources to ensure people who have spent a great deal of money on learning to drive can be speedily tested.’