Driving test situation 'an utter shambles'

12 October 2001: A new study shows an average increase in waiting times for a driving test of almost two weeks in most areas since July, leaving some 60,000 people still waiting to do the driving test.

There’s also a wide difference in waiting times in different areas, whith an alsomt 4-week longer time in Carrick-on-Shannon than in Tallaght, for instance.

The situation has been described as an ‘utter shambles’ by Labour’s Environment spokesman, Eamonn Gilmore, who says the situation is directly contributing to the high number of unqualified drivers on our roads, and thereby to the number of accidents.

And he claims the Government is ‘sitting on their hands’ despite report earlier in the year that recommended the establishment of a driving test agency as well as a number of other radical changes to the service.

"It is now imperative that Bobby Molloy produce a concrete set of initiatives to speed up the availability of driving tests and address the geographical imbalance in this area,” he says. “Until he does, the likelihood of more accidents and fatalities on our roads due to the number of unskilled drivers is likely to continue to rise.” BB