Despite the introduction of a wide range of measures to speed up the process, waiting times for driving tests were reduced by just two weeks last year, writes David Labanyi
Waiting times for a driving test have fallen by just two weeks last year, despite the introduction of a range of measures to tackle the problem.
For the 431,895 drivers on provisional licences as of December 31st last, it will offer little comfort. New figures show learner drivers are waiting 31.9 weeks on average for a test in the second week of January, compared with a wait of 33.9 weeks 12 months ago.
The figures, released to The Irish Times, will disappoint Minister for Transport Martin Cullen, who has set a target of reducing the number of people waiting to no more than 50,000 and the waiting time to no more than 10 weeks by the middle of this year. More than 140,000 drivers are currently waiting for a test.
Despite a bonus scheme for driver-testers, the transfer and training of seven Department of Agriculture staff and the hiring of six additional driver-testers, waiting times have not fallen significantly. Outsourcing of tests to SGS Ireland commenced shortly before Christmas and by the end of the year it had carried out 6,264 of the 40,000 tests it is contracted to provide.
Brian Farrell, spokesman for the Road Safety Authority (RSA), said the waiting list data "masks the fact that there was an increase of 40,000 in the number of people who applied for a test last year".
Last year 216,800 drivers applied for a test, some 39,600 more than in 2005. A rush by drivers to sit their test before new driver-training requirements come into force is thought to be behind the surge in applications.
Mr Farrell added that January usually showed a rise in waiting times due to Christmas holidays and increased applications.
A figure for the number of driving tests carried out last year is not available yet. In 2005 more than 137,500 driving tests were carried out, significantly fewer than the 177,300 applications. The RSA took over responsibility for driver training and testing last September. "The overall point is that in 2006 you had more people waiting but for a shorter waiting period. The private operator has been dealing with outsourced tests for just two months and this will have a huge impact."
He added that the RSA has over €10 million to try and reduce the waiting list. This will include a new overtime scheme for testing at weekends and in the evenings this year, and provide for a second contract for the private sector to carry out tests, subject to union consultation.
The RSA is also looking at hiring up to 20 additional driver-testers on fixed-term contracts and seconding driver-testers from the UK.
A failure rate of almost 50 per cent and the high number of no-shows leading to 16,000 cancelled tests a year are hampering efforts to reduce the waiting list.
Regional disparities are also clear in the latest data figures. The southeast now has the longest wait times in the State, with the 2,542 drivers seeking a test in Clonmel waiting 50 weeks.
The number of drivers on the list and the waiting time have both increased in the last 12 months. The next longest wait is for Nenagh motorists who face a 46 week wait for a test, while their neighbours in Carlow must wait 44 weeks. In all these centres, waiting times have increased in the last year.
In other centres progress has been made. Raheny, one of the busiest test centres has just under 8,000 drivers waiting 34 weeks for a test, down from the 46 weeks wait in January 2006.
However, there has been less progress in Churchtown/Rathgar centres where the number of drivers waiting has fallen slightly but the waiting time has risen by two months to 32 weeks.
There is a similar story in Tallaght where the number of drivers waiting has fallen from 9,805 to 5,440 but the waiting time has stretched out from 21 to 31 weeks.
SGS Ireland is processing over 18,000 driving test applications. Its 10 test centres are based along the east coast and include centres at Naas (where waiting times have increase by 50 per cent to 34 weeks) Kells, Fonthill, Enniscorthy, Dundalk, Drogheda, Deansgrange, Citywest, Ballymun, Arklow.