RSA must explain driving test delays to Transport Committee – Murphy

An early meeting with the Road Safety Authority (RSA) over the dramatic increase in average waiting times for driving tests will be sought by the newly-appointed chair of the Oireachtas Transport Committee.

Fine Gael TD for Tipperary South, Michael Murphy said that he will invite representatives from the RSA to appear before the committee at the earliest opportunity, to allow them to outline what they are doing to tackle growing waiting lists for driving tests.

It comes following recently-published figures showing that the RSA’s own target of ten weeks average waiting time for applicants to take their tests is not being met. The figures show that there has been a consistent increase in the average waiting time since last year.

Oireachtas Transport Committee Chair, Deputy Murphy said: “A year ago it was a 15 week wait time, while in January this had risen to 21 weeks. By last month it was just over 24 weeks. Such waiting times are completely unacceptable with learner drivers facing unfair, unjustifiable and unacceptable delays after spending hundreds of euro on lessons and an application fee.

“I was delighted to be appointed chair of the Oireachtas Transport committee by Tánaiste Simon Harris recently and I intend to hit the ground running. While I will be consulting with all members on our work programme in the days ahead, I think all will agree that these growing average waiting times for driving tests are not acceptable.

“In my own constituency of Tipperary, the latest figures show that in Tipperary town the estimated number of weeks for an invitation to a test is 28; while it is 20 weeks in Thurles, 24 weeks in Nenagh and 28 weeks in Clonmel.

“These waiting times are not only bad for those who are frustrated by delays, but they are detrimental to our overarching goal as a government and a society to reduce road deaths and create safer roads for everyone in Ireland.

“I look forward to engaging with the RSA constructively and productively in a bid to get to the bottom of why waiting times have grown considerably in recent months and what can be done to address this issue as a matter of priority.”