10-week average wait for a driving test is a priority says Deputy Lowry

Achieving a 10-week average waiting time to sit a Driving Test is a priority issue,
says Deputy Michael Lowry.
Referring to the Government’s insistence on the Road Safety Authority’s comprehensive action plan to return the driver testing wait time to 10 weeks by early September, Deputy Lowry says that everything possible must be done to ensure that this target is met and all preparations required to ensure its successful implementation must be in place.

"Waiting times have been reduced to under 23 weeks, but this is still way too long to wait for motorists who are anxious to obtain a fully qualified status on the road. At the present time, there are 100,000 people across the country caught up in the backlog of applications", he said.

"The RSA has laid out the requirements to meet the 10-week goal, incorporating strict weekly targets, which they must report on fortnightly. Failure to meet these targets must be addressed with the Department of Transport in a prompt and effective manner", he says.
 
Last September, the Department of Transport sanctioned the hiring of 70 additional permanent Driving Testers. Recruitment for these positions is ongoing, and once the positions are filled, there will be approximately 200 Driving Testers employed.

This represents double the number of Driving Testers compared to three years ago. It also necessitates the opening of additional Driver Testing Centres in a number of locations across the country.

"These new Testers must be trained in an efficient manner to enable them to be ready to safely and quickly take up their new roles and be deployed to Testing Centres", Deputy Lowry added.

"The availability of additional Testers must go hand in hand with increased Driver Testing times, such as making it possible to sit the Driving Test in the evenings and on weekends, particularly on Saturdays.

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"For their part, the RSA appeals to Driving Test candidates to cancel their test early if they cannot attend, so that appointments can be offered to others. Simply not showing up leaves a Tester idle and deprives someone else of availing of the time slot.

"Drivers are also reminded to be fully prepared for their Driving Test. More than 4,000 tests so far in 2025 could not proceed as the vehicle did not have a valid NCT, tax or insurance, or was not considered to be roadworthy."