Driving instructors could speed up tests - Tully

Average waiting time now more than 27 weeks

CAVAN Senator Pauline Tully has weighed in on the driving test waiting times row as the numbers currently waiting to sit their test across the country stand at 83,000.

That is up from 72,000 in January. The wait time in Cavan is currently five months. Raising the matter in the Seanad recently, the Sinn Féin senator highlighted the plight of one Cavan learner as a typical example.

“A mother told me her son applied in March but won’t get a test until the end of August. He has a summer job that requires a driver’s licence, so he will be unable to take up that job,” she told the Seanad. Senator Tully pointed to the RSA’s own service legal agreement, which stipulates a wait time of 10 to 12 weeks. The average waiting time in 2019 was six weeks but that has “ballooned”, she said, today to 27.1 weeks.

She attributed the increase in the number of unaccompanied learner driver offences nationally to the excessive test wait times. “While we cannot condone driving unaccompanied, many feel they have no choice as they need to get to work, their apprenticeship, or their place of study,” she said.

The RSA’s plans to increase the number of testers from 130 to 200 but Senator Tully questioned if that would be enough.

"Additionally, there is not guarantee that those who complete the training will take up the positions,” she remarked.

Instead, Senator Tully proposed utilising the over 2,000 driving instructors in the country to alleviate the backlog.

“With minimal training, these instructors could conduct tests a couple of days a week. They are willing to help, and this could significantly reduce waiting times,” she suggested.