By Digital Desk Staff
People who apply for a driving test will now have to wait about six months to be examined, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has said.
The wait times are a result of backlog due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with test centres currently operating at reduced capacity.
There are now over 50,000 people waiting for a driving test in 51 centres across the country.
Nearly 5,300 people are waiting for a test in Tallaght, while there are over 3,300 on the waiting lists for two centres in Cork.
A total of 15 test centres have over 1,000 people on the waiting list, including Dundalk, Carlow, Galway, Gorey and Limerick.
Driving test services resumed on a gradual basis on July 20th, after a suspension during the nationwide lockdown which began in March.
However, the RSA said waiting times are now significantly longer than the pre-pandemic norm of six weeks, with people who apply now likely to wait between 25 and 30 weeks.
It said it is putting a suite of measures in place to reduce waiting times.
Road safety campaigner Alec Lee has urged learner drivers not to drive unaccompanied while waiting for a test.
“You wouldn’t hand someone a gun without giving them instruction, I mean a car is a two-tonne lethal weapon," he said.
"Learner drivers, they don’t realise it’s just a small piece of rubber in the brakes stopping them."
