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Irish Independent
27-05-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Independent
Geraldine Herbert: Driving test waiting times can be driven down by volunteers in the passenger seat
Pairing learners with experienced volunteer drivers will give them a better chance of passing – and not being sent to the back of the queue Today at 21:30 Few rites of passage feel as unevenly stacked as the Irish driving test. Your chances of success can feel like an Eircode lottery. In April, learners in Tallaght, Dublin faced a 43-week wait and a pass rate of 42pc. Over in Loughrea, Galway, it's a different story: the wait time was half as long and the pass rate is 65pc. Same country, same test, very different outcomes. Nationally, the average wait time ballooned from 15 weeks to 27 in just a year – a far cry from the Road Safety Authority's (RSA) promised 10-week turnaround. The RSA's latest report shows that waiting times are falling, with the national average now below 23 weeks and projected to drop sharply as new measures take effect. However, the national pass rate hovers around 53pc, meaning many learners are sent back to the queue multiple times, compounding delays across the system. Two big questions are going unanswered: why are so many learners failing? And what kind of support are they getting before they sit the test? Ireland's approach to learner drivers has long been a patchwork of contradiction and compromise. In 1979, a postal strike caused such a backlog that about 45,000 full driving licences were issued en masse to those with a second provisional licence. For decades, we turned a blind eye to unaccompanied learners and ballooning wait times – a textbook example of the 'Irish solution to an Irish problem'. More recently, though, the pendulum has swung in the other direction. The Clancy Amendment, introduced in 2018, gave gardaí the power to seize vehicles driven by unaccompanied learners. It also made both the driver and the vehicle owner legally accountable. But while this move was necessary – arguably even life-saving – it hasn't fixed the deeper dysfunction. Let's be clear: driving unaccompanied is dangerous. Since 2016, over 80pc of learner drivers involved in fatal crashes were unaccompanied. In 2023 alone, 13 out of 14 fatal learner collisions involved drivers who were alone in the car. The picture is just as grim when it comes to serious injuries – between 2019 and 2023, nearly three-quarters of learner drivers in serious collisions were driving solo. A learner without proper support is not just more likely to fail a test – they're more likely to crash. We've known this for years. So why haven't we fixed it? The purpose of accompanied driving isn't just to meet a legal requirement – it's to help learner drivers build confidence and develop safe habits in a controlled, supportive environment. Real learning happens through steady, supervised practice with the safety net of an experienced passenger. The 12 mandatory essential driver training (EDT) lessons are just a starting point. They were never designed to create fully competent drivers on their own. The system assumes learners will get extra practice between lessons, but many don't have access to a car or someone to sit beside them. For those without this support, the system sets them up to struggle. Relying solely on the EDT lessons leaves many underprepared. Some are tempted to bend the rules, while others are simply locked out, missing opportunities for work, education or independence. Ireland should pilot a national volunteer system, pairing vetted, experienced drivers with learners who lack backup. It's not a new idea. In New Zealand, a similar scheme matches learners with trained volunteer mentors, provides insured vehicles and covers costs like fuel. These programmes have improved pass rates and reduced road offences – but they've also proved a lifeline for those otherwise left behind. Here, volunteers could be drawn from retired drivers, community groups, or local businesses, with training and oversight from the RSA. It's a practical, scalable solution that could genuinely change lives. Technology could also be used more effectively. Digital resources such as Virtual Driving Instructor could be formally integrated into the learning process to help learners structure their practice, track progress and improve between lessons. Evidence from other countries shows they can accelerate learning and reduce costs. A national pilot could offer free or subsidised access to those who need it most. It's not a replacement for instruction, but a smart supplement – especially for those who can't afford multiple extra lessons. And yes, we do need to recruit more testers. But in a country where 83pc of employers report talent shortages – according to the 2025 ManpowerGroup Talent Shortage Report – we can't pretend recruitment alone will solve this. What we need is a system that works for everyone: one that gives learners a safe, fair and timely path to independence. We've muddled through for decades. Our young people deserve better.
The Journal
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Fianna Fáil TD says learner drivers should be allowed drive a car unaccompanied
A FIANNA FÁIL TD has said he believes learner drivers should be allowed to drive without being accompanied in the car by a licenced driver. Since 2018, it has been an offence for an unlicensed person to drive a vehicle unaccompanied. Under the law, gardaí can seize a vehicle if a learner driver is discovered to be driving without a qualified driver present. If caught driving unaccompanied, a learner driver faces an initial €160 fine and two penalty points. If you allow a learner driver to drive your car unaccompanied, you could be fined up to €1,000. The change in the law seven years ago was dubbed the 'Clancy Amendment' in recognition of Noel Clancy, who campaigned to have the law changed after his wife Geraldine and daughter Louise were killed in 2015 when their car was struck by a learner driver who was driving unaccompanied. The Transport Minister at the time, Shane Ross said : 'Once and for all we need to stamp out the entirely false notion that once someone has a learner permit they are free to drive as they wish. A learner permit is not a driving licence.' Advertisement The Journal / YouTube Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon during a debate on the long wait times for learners to get a driving test, Fianna Fáil's Cathal Crowe said: 'I believe learner drivers should be allowed to drive without someone accompanying them in the car. I live in a rural county and west of Ennis there is no Luas line, no DART and no public transport of any significance.' He went on to state students can't afford on-campus student accommodation meaning parents have to buy a car for their son or daughter so they can drive to and from college every day. Crowe said young people sometimes bring other students who live in the catchment area to the college campus with them. 'Criminalising young people' 'We are criminalising all of these young people with the requirement that they must have an accompanying driver in the car with them. It is unacceptable. There is no public transport network and this criterion is unacceptable. 'It is criminalising a lot of young people who just cannot have that college experience on campus. They are living at home and using their car to get in and out,' he said. The Fianna Fáil TD said there must be a 'smarter' or more 'sensible way' to deal with the matter, stating that instead insurance companies should have to require learner drivers to not exceed a certain speed. 'Surely that is the way to have controls on how they drive rather than this punitive rule requiring them to always have an accompanying driver in the car with them, which is not realistic,' he said. 'If we were to really apply the spirit of that law in a rural area, the mom or dad would have to take time off work to drive their child to college and sit in the car while they attend eight hours of lectures before driving home. It just does not work in practice. The reality is that we are criminalising many young people every day with this,' he said. 'No excuse' At odds with Crowe, Fine Gael TD Emer Currie said there is no excuse for unaccompanied learner drivers being on the road. Related Reads Road safety crisis: Readers share their stories of worsening driver behaviour on Irish roads A number of TDs spoke today about the lengthy wait time for driving test appointments, which they said are preventing people from taking up employment in some cases. Speaking during a Dáil debate on the issue, Minister of State Sean Canney said the average waiting time for driving tests is now 27 weeks, a figure he said has risen significantly in part due to a 'backlog of tests'. He said the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has now told him that it plans to reduce waiting times to 10 weeks by September, and that in order to reach this target he will seek a regular update every two weeks over the coming months. The RSA has committed to reduce the wait time to 22 weeks by end May and to 18 weeks at end June. He also said the RSA has been sanctioned to recruit up to 200 more driving test examiners, a figure he said is double that of two years ago. Canney said the provision of a timely and efficient driver testing service is a key priority for him. 'The experience of learner drivers seeking a driver test over the last number of years has been unacceptable and the service being offered needs to be greatly improved as soon as possible,' he said. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
