Driving test targets have been met, says RSA

A TARGET that all learner drivers waiting for a test last October would have been tested by the end of March has been met, according to the Road Safety Authority (RSA).

The RSA said the average waiting time for a test is now 14 weeks and that it is on course to reduce this to 10 weeks by the end of June.

A second commitment that would see any holder of a second provisional licence who applied for a test to receive one by the end of June will also be met, the RSA has said.

The commitments were made following a public outcry over the October bank holiday when the Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey and the RSA announced that holders of a second provisional would no longer be allowed to drive unaccompanied. The reaction forced the deadline for the change to be extended until the end of June to allow drivers on a second provisional the opportunity to get and pass a test.

An RSA spokesman said second provisional licence holders who notify the authority would continue to be prioritised when it comes to obtaining a test date before the deadline. He said the 122,460 learner drivers who were awaiting a test as of last October have all been tested. Increased testing capacity meant that the RSA could offer test dates to all holders of a second provisional licence, he added.

However, with a pass rate of just over 50 per cent, a significant cohort of second provisional licence holders will face restrictions after June when the ban on driving unaccompanied will be extended to them. As of March 10th - the last week for which data was available - there were 182,754 drivers awaiting a test with a national average of 14.6 weeks.

The longest test waiting times are in Clifden where learner drivers have to wait 23 weeks, with drivers in Shannon and Tuam waiting 21 weeks and 20 weeks in Gorey.

Cavan has the shortest waiting time of six weeks.