Driving test failure rate is almost 50%

ALMOST half of all learner drivers failed their driving test last year, according to the Department of the Environment.

An analysis of numbers sitting the driving test in 2003 shows that just 54.5% of the 156,400 drivers who sat the exam in 2003 passed the test. In the case of repeat tests, a marginally better pass rate of 57% was achieved.

The increasing number of cars on the roads is also reflected by a 50% increase in the number of people sitting the driving test on an annual basis compared to just five years ago, even though there was been a slight decline in pass rates over the same period.