Driving test wait time of 26 weeks in Cavan
Councillors call for test centre in Virginia or Kingscourt.
The need for “tackling” recruitment and other problems in the driver testing system were raised at last week’s monthly meeting of Cavan County Council members after it emerged that some people are now waiting as long as 26 weeks to sit their driving test.
The matter was initially raised by Cllr Stiofán Conaty (SF) who noted with “concern” the 72,000 people - an increase of 60% since 2022 - are currently waiting to sit their test in this country.
“The crux of the issue seems to me to be one of supply and demand, and we are struggling to match that increased demand for driving tests with appropriate resources,” Cllr Conaty added. “This has resulted in an over-reliance on temporary driving instructors, the solution for which lies in expediting the recruitment of permanent instructors.
“No test centre in the country, including Cavan, is meeting the statutory maximum of 10 weeks in the service level agreement. The unsatisfactory performance of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) can’t be ignored in all of this.
"Simply, there are not enough permanent driving instructors and many areas are without a permanent, let alone temporary test centre.” Cllr Conaty went on to say that the government has failed to “keep pace” with increasing demand and as a result, is now presiding over “yet another increase in the driving test backlog”.
“I am calling on the government to acknowledge its responsibility to ensure that when demand for public services increases, this must be matched by additional resources to meet that demand,” he continued.
“I propose that we ask the Minister to immediately address these unacceptable delays by expediting the recruitment process and to conduct an urgent review into the workings and failings of the RSA.”
Cllr Shane P. O’Reilly then offered his “full support” to the motion. “The number of young drivers out there; people returning from the US and Australia are all facing the same ridiculously long waiting list,” he continued before adding that some people are waiting 26 weeks to do their test. “That’s not right,” fumed Cllr O’Reilly.
“There is a major need for a test centre to be established in Virginia or Kingscourt; it doesn’t have to be in the county town. All of this is yet another lesson in how a state or semi-state body does what it decides to do and there is no adherence whatsoever to the rules.”