Dáil debates

Wednesday, 14 May 2025

Driving Test Wait Times: Statements

 

8:15 am

Photo of Carol NolanCarol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)

I have written to the new Chair of the Oireachtas transport committee to demand the appearance of senior management from the Road Safety Authority before the committee members. The RSA is clearly an organisation not fit for purpose, with an increasingly bad track record that is generating chaos for learner drivers and industry sectors such as hauliers. Last year there was a call, and indeed an expectation, that the RSA would be disbanded given its failure to tackle the learner driver waiting time crisis. Unfortunately, that came to nothing with the result that as of this March, over 81,000 people were waiting for a date for their test. This is a rise of 10,000 from the 75,000 who were waiting in February. We now have wait time increases of an average 24.1 weeks, which is a more than a 140% increase on the RSA target time of ten weeks. How is that defensible? How is the RSA still in place given the prolonged nature of this crisis, which is severely disrupting tens of thousands of people on an annual basis?

This is also causing huge concern to organisations such as the Irish Road Haulage Association, which through its own freedom of information investigation, has established that thousands of people are driving on provisional licences in Offaly. This clearly points to a system in absolute crisis. It also points to increased levels of danger on the roads because learner drivers are being forced to make hard choices between travelling to work and to apprenticeships or sitting at home with no access to work or education.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.