LIMERICK learner drivers are waiting up to five months to get a driving test appointment, according to the latest figures.
And drivers who apply in the Woodview test centre in Limerick City, as well as centres in Newcastle West and Shannon, will be waiting until St Patrick’s Day 2025 before they can sit the test.
That’s according to the Road Safety Authority’s (RSA) website, which lists February 24 as the earliest date that city learners can sit a test in Castlemungret, with March 17 as the earliest available test in Woodview.
According to RSA data, the longest waiting time in the country is in Kildare, where applicants in Naas will be waiting up to April 24, 2025, before they will be able to sit a test.
The shortest waiting time is in Mayo, where one test centre is offering a test within just under three months of applying.
Plans are in train to disband the RSA and set up two new bodies. The core recommendation is that there should be a separation between the two key responsibilities of the RSA, which are the delivery of road safety customer services and wider road safety public interest activities.
It is envisaged that one agency will focus on the delivery of services – including driving tests – and operations, while the other will be responsible for wider road safety initiatives including media campaigns, education, and research.
This recommendation was accepted by the government, who also approved the “development of a comprehensive implementation plan to progress this reform”.
Written by Pheilim English
