Latest news with #learnerdrivers
BreakingNews.ie
15 hours ago
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Driving test backlog: Where to beat the queues
The crisis in Irish driving tests rumbles on, with an average wait for a test now stretching out to 27 weeks on average, according to figures from the Department for Transport. In some cases, the wait has been known to go on for much longer, as long as 10 months. Advertisement It's leaving Irish learner drivers footing the bill for higher insurance costs as they wait to pass the test - or at least get the chance to do so. Some 68,000 people are currently waiting to take their test. The delays have now become so bad that the relevant Minister, Sean Canney, told the Road Safety Authority (RSA) - an agency currently being shut down and broken into two new agencies - to 'publish their plan, showing their projections of average wait time and numbers of tests to be carried out on a fortnightly basis to end 2025". "The Minister further instructed the RSA to report publicly and to him fortnightly on delivery of their plan, with any deviations from projected timelines to be immediately addressed with the Department of Transport,' according to a spokesperson. That plan has now been published, and includes ideas such as expanding the number of driving test centres from 41 to 60, adding yet more examiners, and expanding the working day of driving tests, starting from 7am and extending to 7.25pm — something that presumably limits the effectiveness of the plan to summer months, and indeed there RSA has said that the plan is supposed to be in place until September. Advertisement Speaking of the RSA plan, Mr Canney said: "The provision of a timely and efficient driver testing service is a key priority for me. 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. "I welcome the RSA plan to bring wait times down to 10 weeks by no later than early September, and I expect the RSA to fully deliver on this commitment. "There can be no deviation from this timeline and I have instructed the RSA to ensure contingency plans and remedial measures are in place and ready to deploy to ensure that no slippage occurs.' Quite how the Government expects the RSA, which has failed so spectacularly in its other tasks that it soon won't exist in its current form, to fix this issue is another matter. Advertisement The Government has so far been keen to blame individual learner drivers for the problem, stating that some drivers book tests but fail to show up, thereby slowing the flow of tests taken. The issue of resources remains somewhat unaddressed — of 70 extra driving tests examiners promised before Christmas, the first tranche are only now starting to carry out tests. In the meantime, there is the potential for gaming the system somewhat, in an effort to get an earlier test. There's no onus on you to take your test in your local testing centre, and although you'd have to be confident that you can do OK on unfamiliar roads, you're perfectly entitled to book a test at any of the 41 centres around the country. Helpfully, Irish insurance aggregator Quote Devil has come up with a list of the centres with the combination of shortest wait time and highest average passing rates, so that you can maximise your chances of getting a test early, and then passing it first time. Advertisement According to Quote Devil's research, the testing centre with the shortest average wait time of those where more than 50 per cent of applicants pass first time out, with the wait at 13.3 weeks, half the national average, is Tuam in Co. Galway. That centre also manages to schedule 92 per cent of its applications within one month, so your chances of getting an early test are quite good. Ireland Driving test backlog reaches new high: Check the l... Read More Next best is Ennis, Co Clare on 13.5 weeks, followed by Thurles, Co Tipperary (14.3 weeks); Tipperary town (14.3 weeks); Loughrea, Co Galway (14.5 weeks); Shannon, Co Clare (15.8 weeks); Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim (17.2 weeks); Cavan town (17.6 weeks); and Monaghan town (18.8 weeks). What about the worst, though? According to Quote Devil's figures, the centre with the longest average wait for a test, of those with a passing average less than 50 per cent, is Dun Laoghaire/Deansgrange, with an average wait of 30.6 weeks, three weeks longer than the national average. That's a full seven months, and that's just the average. Advertisement Next worst is Naas, Co Kildare on 25 weeks, then Tallaght, Co Dublin on 24.4 weeks. The centre with the lowest passing rate? That'll be Charlestown, Co Dublin, where only 36.2 per cent of applicants pass on the first go. Mind you, Charlestown only makes you wait 16 weeks on average for a test, so at least you can get booked again quickly.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Automotive
- Irish Times
About 600 learners fail to show for driving tests each month
Almost 2,400 learner drivers failed to attend for their driving test appointments in the first four months of this year, it has emerged. This brings to 17,500 the number of unusable driving test slots since January 2023 because of 'no show' candidates, which means the Road Safety Authority (RSA) received almost €1.5 million in non-refundable test application fees. It has also emerged that there are no driver testers in 12 of the State's 57 car test centres. Currently, 137 driving testers are in place at 45 centres. The RSA is recruiting and training new testers and expects to have 200 in place by the end of the year. The RSA has said that while some test centres do not have driving testers, this does not infer that these centres are not being serviced. 'The service is managed to balance available skilled resources across all locations,' the authority said. READ MORE Across the 57 test centres, 6,440 learner drivers failed to show up for their test in 2023. This increased to 8,663 last year. Figures released by the RSA to Fine Gael TD Emer Currie show 2,387 candidates did not show for their test scheduled in the first four months of this year, having failed to cancel in advance of the test. Ms Currie said no-shows this year are working out at 600 a month. 'That level of waste should be re-examined when so may people are desperate to take their tests,' she said. 'It also brings into focus the bizarre situation where learner drivers can miss driving tests but continue to reapply to renew their learner permits.' Once a learner has written confirmation that they applied for their test, they can then apply to renew their learner permit. [ Irish motorists face up to 10 months wait for driving tests with longest in Dublin and Meath centres Opens in new window ] The Dublin West TD added: 'The RSA should be clamping down on waste and workarounds. I'm not sure we are seeing the urgency we should if people are gaming the system.' Chair of road safety campaign group Parc Susan Gray said that since the beginning of 2023 up to the end of April, the authority 'has received €1,486,650 in payments from the no-shows'. 'We believe the RSA are rewarding these drivers for not showing up by issuing a new permit at a cost of €85, which will last a year. Then the learner will be back the following year looking for another renewal for €85.' A learner who completes the test and fails can renew their permit for two years, while a no-show has to renew annually. 'These no-shows know it doesn't matter to the RSA if they fail to turn up for their scheduled test date as the RSA will continue to renew their permits every year.' She added that the Department of Transport is working on secondary legislation, which does not have to go through the Dáil and Seanad, to limit the number of learner permits issued to candidates who fail to show for driving tests. [ TD calls for free-of-charge driving tests if applicants obliged to wait more than 10 weeks Opens in new window ] But this cannot be done until the Minister for Transport receives the RSA's implementation plans to close the loophole, said Ms Gray. The new testers being recruited will have permanent contracts. In a previous recruitment campaign, a number of testers were on temporary contracts, which adversely affected waiting times when their contracts ended. Ms Gray said the lack of testers is 'very alarming'. For example, Buncrana, the only test centre to cover the Inishowen peninsula in Co Donegal, has no driver tester, she said. 'We don't have much confidence in the RSA system that these test centres will be adequately resourced because effectively they will have to take testers from another centre.' Ms Currie said she is looking forward to seeing the RSA appear before the Oireachtas Committee on Transport in the coming weeks to explain why 12 out of 57 driving test centres do not have any testers. The 12 test centres with no driving testers are: Charlestown, Maple House in Mulhuddart, and Killester, Dublin; Buncrana, Co Donegal; Clifden, Co Gaway; Talbot Hotel, Co Carlow; Mallow and Skibbereen, Co Cork; O'Loughlin Gaels centre, Co Kilkenny; Kilrush and Shannon, Co Clare; Longford; and Portlaoise. RSA chief operating officer Brendan Walsh said the authority 'will have employed 91 people on permanent contracts to bring the number of permanent driver testers up to the sanctioned 200″.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Driving instructors face ban on booking tests to stop bots taking slots
Driving instructors could be banned from reserving tests to stop bots from mass-booking new slots. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is also considering preventing bookings from being swapped between candidates. Learners currently face a huge backlog to take a driving test, with 603,000 future tests booked as of the end of April – up from 521,000 a year ago. The demand for tests has prompted an influx of bots that use complex systems to block-book new slots so they can be resold on the black market for inflated prices. Nearly a third of learners, newly qualified drivers and their parents or guardians responded to a call for evidence by the DVSA saying that they had used an unofficial booking service to get earlier test dates, paying an average of £122. Bookings made through the DVSA website cost £62 for weekdays and £75 for evenings, weekends or bank holidays. Preventing reselling Currently, instructors are able to book and manage tests for their pupils, and tests can be swapped between learners. The DVSA's consultation on removing these abilities stated that it wants to 'stop the mechanisms that make reselling possible'. It added: 'Preventing reselling rather than an outright ban is a better approach.' Lilian Greenwood, the minister for the future of roads, said: 'This consultation is an important move towards giving learners more say over how and where they can book, alongside setting out options to better enable DVSA to block bots from stealing slots, so learners can get on the road without unnecessary delays. 'Working with the DVSA, we want to make driving test booking fairer, protect all learners from exploitation and reduce lengthy waiting times.' Loveday Ryder, the DVSA chief executive, said the agency had been 'working tirelessly' to reduce waiting times. She added: 'DVSA's goal is to make booking a driving test easier and fairer for everyone while preventing excessive charges for learner drivers.'
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Driving test backlog surpasses 600k - why can't DVSA clear the mounting queue of learners?
Britain's ever-growing backlog of learners waiting to sit their driving test has now surpassed 600,000 - the record longest queue ever formed, new statistics show. Some 603,352 future practical driving tests were booked as of the end of April, according to analysis of Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) figures by the PA news agency. That is up 16 per cent from 521,190 this time one year ago. Despite the huge logjam of budding motorists eager to get on the road, DVSA records show that the number of tests conducted over the first four months of this year is 15 per cent lower than the same period in 2025. Some 610,000 practical driving tests were sat by learners between January and April, down from 718,000 in the opening four months of last year. With hundreds of thousands of learners fuming at facing an average wait time of 20 weeks for a practical test slot, the Government last month introduced a raft of new measures to tackle the enormous queues - but ministers admitted it will take eight months longer than estimated to clear the 600,000-long waiting list. When did the driving test backlog form - and why? The huge waiting times for driving tests formed during the pandemic, when test centres were shuttered and driving instructors were unable to work. It saw the number of drivers waiting to sit their test quadruple during Covid-19 lockdowns. At the end of August 2020, the queue of learners awaiting an available practical driving test slot was 147,716. By August 2021, waiting numbers had mounted to 592,987 - and the DVSA has been unable to tackle the problem with great effect. The only significant dip recorded was between October 2023 and March 2024, which was due to an above average volume of tests being taken. This was because the agency had temporarily deployed all eligible staff from other roles to act as examiners as part of a stream of measures to tackle the backlog. This also included bringing former driving test examiners out of retirement, extending driving test availability to weekends and even opening the doors to HGV test centres for passenger car tests. Latest statistics published this suggest learners are better prepared than ever to sit their tests, with April's pass rates up to 50.2 per cent - growing from 48.3 per cent in April 2024. In fact, it's the highest pass rate recorded since August 2021 (50.3 per cent). The DVSA previously attributed the backlog to 'an increase in demand and a change in customers' booking behaviour'. Rise in driving test cheating and scams: Fraudsters have been booking test slots and trying to sell them at inflated prices, and over 2,000 instances of cheating - including impersonators to take theory and practical tests - were recorded in 2023-24 Rise in driving test fraud Extended waiting times has also seen a sharp spike in fraudulent activity around driving tests, including trying to sell practical driving test slots they've secured at hugely inflated prices to take advantage of the massive demand. There's also been an increase in instances of impersonators selling their services to learners to pass practical and theory driving tests for them. A recent BBC investigation revealed 21 cases across Kent, Surrey and Sussex last year, where somebody else tried to sit the practical test for a learner driver. The DVSA said 2,059 incidents of cheating were recorded in the 2023-24 financial year across both theory and practical tests. In 27 cases of suspected theory test fraud, covert technology devices were used to assist with the cheating. How the Government intends to tackle the backlog Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said last month the Labour Government 'inherited an enormous backlog' but is 'acting fast' to tackle the issue, with at least 10,000 extra tests to be available each month. She told the Commons' Transport Select Committee her department is aiming to reduce the average waiting time for driving tests in Britain to seven weeks by summer 2026 - some eight months later than the previous promise of curbing the backlog by the end of this year. To achieve this target, she has instructed the DVSA to offer additional overtime payments to incentivise instructors to conduct more tests. Staff at the agency qualified to conduct tests are being asked to voluntarily return to the front line, while the number of permanent trainers for new examiners is being doubled. Recent analysis by the AA Driving School showed the average waiting time was 20 weeks in February. However, in large cities and towns where demand is highest, learners could be looking at delays of more than six months to get a test slot. Learners have blasted the wait times and ongoing struggles to book slots, with some claiming it's easier to secure tickets to Oasis's comeback tour than get a practical test. Some are travelling hundreds of miles across the country to take their tests at centres with the shortest waiting times. Last year, Kayla Van Dorsten, 18, told This is Money she had travelled 400 miles from her home in Surrey - where the average wait time for a practical test was six months - to Cornwall to obtain her licence. Kayla Van Dorsten drove from Surrey all the way to Cornwall to obtain her licence last year. This was after learning the average wait time at her local test centre was over six months Emma Bush, managing director of AA Driving School, said 'it should not be this hard to book your driving test'. She added: 'There have simply never been enough test slots in the system to make up for those which were lost during coronavirus lockdowns and, as such, the backlog has persisted. 'New measures recently announced to tackle this are welcome and we eagerly await positive movement in the waiting times to ease the pressure on pupils. 'Unblocking the backlog is vital to ensure people are not held back from work or education opportunities through the lack of a driving licence.' Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: 'Rather than driving forward to clear the backlog, it feels like the gearbox is still stuck in reverse. 'A driving licence is often a key employment qualification, but a growing number of would-be drivers are being frustrated in their efforts to get on the road independently. 'This is way beyond being an inconvenience. It is seriously impacting people's lives.' When asked to comment on the 600,000-plus logjam of learners, a Department for Transport spokesperson responded: 'The current backlog facing learner drivers is completely unacceptable, but we are taking decisive action to address the situation inherited from the previous government. 'Thanks to the intervention of the Secretary of State, an additional 10,000 driving tests will be made available monthly. 'This will ensure ready learners can book their tests more quickly, helping unlock opportunity and support economic growth.' The Government will shortly launch a consultation on amending the driving test booking system, in an attempt to stop bots mass-booking new slots so they can be resold on the black market for inflated prices. This will be conducted over eight weeks instead of the usual 12 to enable changes to be made sooner.
News.com.au
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
Can you legally use your phone in the car if it is mounted?
Mobile phone detection cameras are becoming more widespread, and they're catching thousands of Aussie drivers, resulting in hefty fines. One popular workaround is using a phone mount. But does mounting your phone mean you're in the clear? Not necessarily. While phone mounts can make it easier to follow the rules, you can still be fined for touching your phone — even if it's secured in a cradle — depending on how and why you're use it. The laws around mounted phone use vary by state and territory, especially for learner and provisional drivers. A common misconception often involves whether learners and P-platers can use a phone-mounted cradle while driving. Nearly all states and territories ban P1 and learner drivers from using a phone mount for any purpose, with the only exception coming from Victoria (more below). Green P-platers in QLD, SA, WA, and TAS can have the phone in a cradle as long as you follow the rules for full-licensed drivers listed below. Here is everything you need to know about phones in cradles. New South Wales According to ServiceNSW's website 'phone holders must be commercially manufactured and fixed to your vehicle and must not obscure your vision.' Full license holders are allowed to use and touch their phones while it's in a phone holder to make and receive calls, play audio, or use them as a driver's aid, like navigation. However, touching a phone while it's in the holder for texting or watching videos is strictly prohibited. It's a $410 fine, or $544 if the offence is detected in a school zone, and five demerit points. Victoria The Transport Victoria website states, 'drivers with a full licence can use a mobile phone or device to make or receive a phone call, use audio and music functions, use GPS navigation, or use in-built driver assistance or vehicle safety features.' However, this only counts if the device is ' properly mounted or in-built to the vehicle.' For learners and probationary drivers, using a phone for audio and GPS is allowed only if the phone is mounted in a commercially designed cradle and the driver does not touch it while moving. Drivers holding any license are not allowed to text, scroll, or watch videos while operating a moving vehicle. The fine for using a phone while driving in Victoria is $593 and four demerit points. Queensland Transport Queensland says drivers with an open or P2 licence 'are allowed to touch their mobile phone for hands-free use if the phone is in a cradle attached to the vehicle.' Hands-free use includes accepting a call, using navigation apps, skipping a song or accepting/ending a trip as a rideshare driver. The website also notes, 'the position of your mobile phone must not obscure the driver's view of the road.' The fine for using a phone while driving in Queensland is $1209 and four demerit points. Western Australia Western Australia also enforces tough restrictions on mobile phone use behind the wheel. According to Transport WA, 'drivers can only touch a mobile phone to make, receive and terminate calls if the phone is secured in a cradle mounted to the vehicle'. 'It is illegal for all drivers to create, send or look at a text message, video message, email or similar – even if the phone is mounted in a cradle or can be operating without touching it.' Even if the phone is mounted, dictating a text through Siri could still get you fined. WA's laws also prohibit touching your phone to skip a track or adjust navigation, similar to South Australia's restrictions. Drivers can be fined $500 and given three demerit points if they're caught touching their phone. But if you're caught creating, sending or viewing a message, email, or social post, the penalty jumps to $1000 and four demerit points. South Australia n South Australia, the rules around phone use are particularly strict. According to the Department of Infrastructure South Australia 'A mobile phone may only be used to make or receive a phone call (defined to exclude email, text or video messages) and only if the phone is either secured in a mounting affixed to the vehicle or remotely operated'. Unlike in other states, you can't touch your phone to skip a song, change a podcast, or adjust navigation, even if it's sitting in a legal cradle. Breaking these rules comes at a high cost, drivers caught using their phones unlawfully face a $556 fine, an additional $102 Victims of Crime Levy, and three demerit points. Tasmania According to Transport Tasmania, 'using a mobile phone while driving is banned except to make or receive a phone call provided the phone is secured in a commercially designed holder fixed to the vehicle; or can be operated by the driver without touching any part of the phone'. 'All other functions (including video calls, texting and emailing) are prohibited.' Accepting, declining, and making a phone call are allowed if the phone is in the cradle, but drivers could be fined for all other actions while driving. Drivers caught misusing their phone face a $390 fine and three demerit points. Australian Capital Territory Full licence holders can play music, use GPS navigation, and make or receive phone calls, but only if the phone is secured in a cradle mount or connected via Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, or Android Auto. You're also allowed to make and receive phone calls on your full licence, 'If your mobile device is mounted to the vehicle using a mobile phone holder or connected via Bluetooth or wired connection (such as CarPlay or Android Auto), you can touch your device while it is in a mobile phone holder (or use your steering wheel controls or touch the CarPlay or Android Auto screen) to make or receive calls but for no other reason'. If you're caught using your phone for anything else, you could face a $654 fine and four demerit points. Northern Territory In the Northern Territory, mobile phone rules are slightly more flexible, but still come with clear limits. Road Safety Northern Territory says 'drivers can only use a mobile phone while driving to make or receive an audio phone call or as a driver's aid. This is only permitted if the phone is secured in a commercially designed mount fixed to the vehicle or can be operated by the driver without touching any part of the phone'. Drivers can touch their phones when making or receiving a phone call or operating navigation, but texting, watching videos, and video calling are prohibited. The fine for misuse of mobile phones is $500 and three demerit points in the Northern Territory.
