Waiting Time for Driving Test Down By 1/3
Back to List11/09/2007
Archived item. This item is published here for historical reasons. The information below may be out of date.
Waiting Time for Driving Test Down By 1/3
RSA announces the opening of 32 additional driving test centres
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has announced today 11 of September 2007 that the average waiting time for a driving test is now down to 23 weeks. This represents a 30% drop in waiting times as the average waiting time stood at 33 weeks a year ago.
Efforts to reduce waiting times further were also given a major boost with the news that the Road Safety Authority has announced the opening of 32 additional driving test centres nationwide. This is in addition to the 51 driving test centres which the RSA currently directly operates. The 32 new centres will be operated on behalf of the RSA by SGS Ireland who was awarded a contract by the RSA to conduct a minimum of 100,000 additional driving tests over the next 15 months.
22 of the new centres are now in operation and a further 10 will open for business during the next six weeks. This brings the total number of driving test centres nationally to 83. The centres will bring additional services to areas with the longest waiting times.
Commenting on the news Mr. Noel Brett, CEO, Road Safety Authority said, “Waiting times have reduced steadily throughout the last twelve months and the RSA is now on track to have an average waiting time of ten weeks or less by March
“Our ability to reduce both waiting times and the numbers of people waiting to take a test will now speed up over the coming months.” He added, “I now strongly urge all learner drivers to start preparing for your test because you will be called for your driving test much quicker than has been the experience up to now. The best way to prepare is to undertake a course of lessons with a quality driving instructor. I also make an appeal to those drivers who are offered a test and who are unable to attend to please contact the RSA so that we can offer the test slot to another driver. At present 20% of tests are being lost due to cancellations and with your co-operation we could make those slots available to other customers.”
Mr. Brett concluded “we will not be satisfied until every driving test applicant can get a test appointment within ten weeks and the plans for the future include external accreditation of driving testing services, a review of test content and introduction of better customer services and in particular IT systems which allow customers greater flexibility in managing their test application, selecting a test centre and more choice in the date and time of their test.”
Mr. Noel Dempsey TD, Minister for Transport and Marine said "Road safety is a top priority for this Government. Today's announcement by the RSA of this significant cut in waiting times for driving tests is very welcome news. Most learner drivers are impatient to take their test as soon as possible. I am delighted that we are moving quickly to reduce the average waiting time to under 10 weeks from March next year. I want to see safer drivers on safer roads and fewer tragic road collisions. The RSA is doing fantastic work to raise awareness of safe driver behaviour and it has made very significant progress over the past twelve months in cutting driving test waiting times."
Drivers can apply for a driving test online www.drivingtest.ie
For further information please contact:
Sean Dolphin, Carr Communications, 087 – 2490930
Or
RachaelO’Brien, Communications Dept, RSA, 096 - 25132
Editors Note