Over 2,000 driving test no shows so far in 2025
Road Safety Authority figures, up to the end of April 2025, show that 2,397 people who had applied for and paid €85 to sit their driving test did not show up.
With approximately 81,000 people currently waiting for a driving test, the number of no shows puts more pressure on the waiting list.
Susan Gray, who is the founder and chairperson of road safety group PARC, has highlighted the number of learner licence holders who are on the waiting list but often do not turn up for their appointed test.
"These no shows are depriving other learners of sitting the test when they are anxious to get a date and pass their test and not have to be driving accompanied," she said.
This year, the RSA has received just over €203,000 in payments for driving tests for which the applicants did not show up.
The figures were presented by the RSA to Fine Gael TD Emer Currie under parliamentary questions.
In 2024, 8,863 people did not show up for their driving test.
The RSA received €753,355 from driving test applicants who did not turn up last year.
Brendan Walsh, Chief Operations Officer with the Road Safety Authority, acknowledged that some of those who do not show up for their tests are holders of multiple learner driving permit licences.
"We do have people who are running very high levels of multiple learner permits," he told RTÉ's This Week.
Mr Walsh said: "We have a programme that once we get through this backlog [driving test waiting list] we're going to kick it off.
"We have the legislation almost finalised with the Department of Transport, so we will be making some changes as to how learner drivers stay on the road with a learner permit.
"If you hold a learner permit you should be learning to drive.
"Last year, we had 8,863 people who failed to show up.
"While that sounds like a big number in the context of 253,000 tests, it's around 3.5%."
Ms Gray is particularly critical of people who hold a learner permit and who do not complete their test for a full licence.
She said: "A learner driver never has to turn up for the test.
"They can renew every year by simply sending the RSA €85, getting a booking date, not turning up and using that letter from the RSA to prove that they actually applied to book a test."
Chris Curran, an Ennis-based driving instructor, said that from his experience some learner permit holders make a decision not to turn up for their test.
"I believe there are a number of people still in the system that are continually not showing up," he said.
Mr Curran said the RSA is "actively trying to work on getting those people to sit their test".
"They don't want people driving for years on learner permits," he said.
"They need to get through the system, sit their test and either pass it or start working on how they might pass it at some stage," he added.
However, he noted that there are sometimes genuine reasons why a person does not show up for a driving test.
Mr Curran said: "The key one is nerves on the day. Some people are just too nervous.
"Other reasons may be that they have suddenly realised that the 10-day window that the RSA gives each candidate to reschedule their test has been exceeded.
"That means they have two choices on the day, turn up or don't turn up.
"Some people take the second option and don't turn up."
Kirsten Falloon has recently applied for a driving test date and was surprised to find how long her wait will be.
"When I applied for my test and realised the length of time that I've got to wait I thought that was abominable," she said.
"They said it could be up to 26 weeks or longer," she added.
Ms Falloon said she cannot understand why people book a driving test and then fail to turn up.
"I think it says more about the system than it does about those that are waiting," she said.
"I think it's very broken," she added.
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