Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has proposed that driving tests should be provided free of charge when the Road Safety Authority (RSA) fails to meet its 10-week waiting time target, similar to the financial penalties applied in the National Car Test system.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Whitmore criticized the lack of accountability within the RSA as driving test backlogs reached record levels, with approximately 83,000 people currently waiting an average of 27 weeks for tests. Some testing centers are experiencing delays as long as 43 weeks.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve heard ministers say we’d be getting down to the 10-week target,” Whitmore stated. “The unacceptably high waiting list for driving tests has been an issue for many years now, and really what I feel is that there is just really no accountability within the RSA for them to actually meet their 10-week target.”
Whitmore emphasized the significant impact these delays have on people’s lives, particularly young people who need licenses for employment or commuting to college due to accommodation shortages. She noted that despite government promises to address the issue, waiting lists have actually increased by approximately 1,000 people since February.
“With the NCT test, if you don’t get your test within 28 days under their service level agreement with the Government that test should be provided for free, and I believe that actually it should be the same for the driving test,” Whitmore suggested. “I think if you saw that level of financial incentive or financial accountability, then we would really see movement.”
The TD recommended measures including weekend openings for test centers, overtime opportunities, and stronger contracts to attract more driving testers.
Whitmore strongly rejected a suggestion from Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe that learner drivers should be allowed to drive unaccompanied, calling it “really dangerous” and pointing to high fatality rates among unaccompanied learner drivers. Crowe had earlier proposed on Newstalk radio that learners in rural areas without public transport options might be permitted to drive with speed restrictions or monitoring devices.