Meath's learner drivers waiting 41 weeks for a driving test

Navan has the second longest waiting time for driving test at 41 weeks, up from 33 weeks in January.

Back at the start of the year, Meath's learner drivers were waiting longer than those in any other county to do a driving test, and they are now facing a wait of eight weeks longer.

A ten week wait has been the government's target for applicants to take their test, but the latest figures show a consistent rise in the average waiting time, which was 24.1weeks last month up from 15 weeks a year ago and 21 weeks last January.

The latest Road Safety Authority (RSA) figures show that the Tallaght test centre has the longest waiting time at 42 weeks, up from 25 weeks in January. Newcastlewest, Co Limerick has the shortest wait for a test at 17 weeks. This was down from 21 weeks in January, one of the few centres to report a fall in waiting times.

The increased waits have been attributed to a rise in the number of no-shows, applicants who pay for a test but then fail to arrive. As many as 6,440 learner drivers failed to show up for their test in 2023 and this increased to 8,663 last year.

Deputy Darren O'Rourke said the waiting list was causing major problems for people. "There has been no improvement and there is real frustration among young people who need to be mobile for education and work." It means that people are restrained from taking up new roles.

The solution is straightforward and it is incredible that the government hasn't been acting to improve the situation, in fact it is just getting worse.

"We need to see an increase in capacity, the recruitment of more testers and the extension of hours of operation into the weekends, as well as more test centres," he said.