Kildare Registers High 'No-Shows' for Driving Tests, Contributes To Prolonged Wait Times

Monday, 1 April 2024 14:40

By Martin Osborne

The capital ranked top of the list.

Kildare is among the top six counties with the highest 'no-shows' for driving tests.

In 2023, the county had 258 no-shows, while Meath had 255.

The capital ranked top of the list.

Over 2,000 learner motorists failed to attend their scheduled driving tests, constituting more than one-third of the national total.

The absences, resulting in wasted testing slots, are identified as a significant contributor to Ireland's prolonged waiting times for driving tests, currently averaging five months.

The waiting period nearly doubles the targets set by the Government and the Road Safety Authority (RSA).

According to the Irish Independent, in 2022, 28,570 Irish motorists held a third or subsequent learner permit issued between 2009 and 2018.

The following year, 6,441 motorists failed to show up for their booked driving test appointments, constituting approximately 4% of all scheduled tests nationwide.

Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Kildare and Meath were ranked the counties with the highest no-shows.

Monaghan and Leitrim had the lowest number of driving test no-shows.

In a statement to Kildare North TD Catherine Murphy, the RSA said: “As part of plans to reduce the number of people on a third or subsequent consecutive learner permit, the Department and the RSA are considering a range of measures to ensure that learner permit holders sit a driving test before they can obtain a subsequent learner permit."

They added: “The Minister for Transport is committed to taking action on this issue after the driving test average wait times have been restored to their target level of 10 weeks, which we expect to achieve by the middle of 2024.”