THOUSANDS of Irish learner drivers have expressed frustrations with delays as the latest stats from the RSA show that test waiting times have increased again.
The Road Safety Authority’s latest figure shows that were 74,674 people on the list waiting for a date in February, an increase of just over 2,000 compared to January.
The stats also revealed that the estimated national average waiting time has increased from 22 weeks in January to 23 weeks last month.
However, the RSA’s target meant that no one should be waiting more than 10 weeks for their driving test.
And none of the 61 test centres nationwide meet the goal.
Many learner drivers have been in the system for a total of ten months, including Matthew Duff.
Talking to RTE News, he revealed that he applied for a retest and still has not heard back with a confirmed date.
He said that the delay has a major effect on his daily life, including lengthening his commutes because he is only able to drive when accompanied by a fully qualified driver.
He said: “I’m extremely frustrated over it. I live in Ratoath. I go to college in Coolock, and I also work in town. Public transport wise, it just doesn’t cut it.
“I’m normally late to college because it takes about two hours to get there [compared to 40 minutes in the car].
“Not having a license prevents me from actually getting more work in other counties.”
In hopes to reduce the delays of waiting time, the RSA and the Department of Transport stated that additional testers have been recruited.
The first group of testers has begun their training and is set to see 200 testers once completed.
It is anticipated that the intention to reinstate the ten-week waiting period and steps to expedite that process will be at the forefront of the Minister of Transport’s upcoming meeting with the RSA.
Brendan Walsh, the chief operations officer at the RSA, said: “This is an important first step in bringing down driving test waiting times and I am confident that we will see a significant improvement over the coming months.”
CALLS FOR AN AUDIT
However, there are calls by a TD for an audit to be carried out to assess whether more test centres are needed and that more permanent staff are needed to reduce the waiting time.
Sinn Fein TD Mark Ward stated that it was a scandal that over 74,000 people were waiting on dates for their tests.
Matthew added: “I’d love to see more local testing centres.
“I live in Ratoath, but the closest one for me is in Navan. I’d like to see more testers, more slots. I think there’s a lot more they can do to accommodate learners.”
There were 17,045 with a planned test date last month, up from 16,933 in January, according to the most recent numbers for February.
