Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane has called for the appointment of additional testers and the extension of test centre opening times in order to reduce waiting times for driving tests.
Deputy Kerrane said figures she obtained from the Road Safety Authority show 817 people currently waiting for a test appointment in County Roscommon.
“Last March there were over 98,000 people in the State on waiting lists to sit their driving test – this was acknowledged as mainly being due to a backlog due to Covid-19, and yet today, there are over 100,000 people waiting to sit their driving test across the State. This figure is astounding,” she said.
“Every week, I am being contacted by people, particularly young people who are waiting for a date for their driving test. They are finding it impossible to hold down a job or plan for college in September not knowing if they will be able to get there. In rural areas especially, a driving licence is essential.
“We need to see additional testers brought on board, longer opening times for test centres and a greater number of tests each day, and we need to see approved driving instructors and their unions consulted with in order to create a roadmap to reduce these waiting lists”.
