Almost 10,000 'inexperienced' drivers on local roads

President of hauliers' group says the RSA needs to get a handle on the driving test system.

THERE are currently over 9,500 learner drivers on the roads of Cavan and Monaghan.

That’s according to latest figures obtained from the Irish Road Safety Authority by the Irish Road Haulage Association.

In September, there were 5,799 learner driver permit holders on the roads in Cavan which is an increase of 208 in six months.

In Monaghan, the number rose by 125 since March to 3,768. In total, there are now 9,567 learners registered in the two counties.

Nationally, the number of learner drivers has risen to a new high of 394,128 – that’s up a staggering 12,257 since just March.

In a statement the Irish Road Hauliers Association said: “The extraordinary number of learner drivers on Irish roads comes at a time when road deaths are spiralling.”

As of today (Monday, November 24) 161 people have died on our roads compared to 154 by this day last year.

The RSA data shows that most learner permit holders in County Cavan – 1,752 drivers - are aged between 17 and 20 years. The next largest cohort is learners aged 30 to 39.

In Monaghan, the picture is similar with the most learners, or 1,323 drivers, are aged between 17 and 20 with 579 belonging to the next age bracket up, the 30 to 39-year-olds.

President of the Irish Road Haulage Association, Ger Hyland, says the number of “inexperienced” drivers on our roads “beggars belief”.

He warned that the surge in learner drivers on our roads “poses a direct threat to Irish road safety” and he pointed to garda figures which show that 2,754 fixed charge notices were issued nationally in the first three months of this year alone to learner drivers caught driving without a fully licensed driver.

“To have 394,128 inexperienced drivers on our roads is a testament to the failure of the Road Safety Authority and their mismanagement of our driver testing system,” Mr Hyland said.

“It is a mess and not getting any better,” he blasted, “and that’s despite all the creative accounting that the RSA are doing with driver testing figures.”

“Over 30 organisations representing road safety, cycling, and pedestrian advocacy groups across Ireland issued a joint statement last year expressing a lack of confidence in the Irish Road Safety Authority,” he added.