RSA need to get act together to tackle driving test delays – Ward

Learner drivers are being unfairly hindered by the RSA’s inability to reduce driving test wait times, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Deputy Barry Ward hit out at the Road Safety Authority as it has emerged that the test centre in Dún Laoghaire has one of the longest wait times in the country at an average of 34 weeks, while the Tallaght test centre has the longest wait list in the country at 35 weeks.

Deputy Ward said: “The national average time to wait for a test is just under 23 weeks but many applicants have experienced significantly longer wait times, which is simply unjustifiable.

“Taking your driving test is a hugely significant step in anyone’s life; to have the additional hassle of unreasonably long waiting times after paying an application fee is totally unfair.

“I am contacted on a weekly basis by people awaiting driving tests who are at their wits’ end with the ridiculous delays they are facing. Learning to drive offers people significant freedom, particularly in areas where public transport is not available.

“It is particularly frustrating as a TD for Dún Laoghaire to see that our test centre is experiencing some of the highest delays in the country. To expect applicants to wait over 8 months for a test is unreasonable and it is particularly frustrating for people who require a full license for work or to commute.

“The excuse of the delays caused by Covid are no longer acceptable and there needs to be an urgent intervention from the Department of Transport to work with the RSA to reduce waiting times.

“I have written to the Minister for Transport and the RSA to outline the concerns of constituents who have been in touch with me, and I have asked that an urgent plan is put place to reduce waiting times, not only in the Dún Laoghaire test centre, but across the country,” concluded Deputy Ward.