Testing times: big difference in driving test pass rates

THE driving test pass rate differs considerably from one town to another and some drivers have to wait four times longer to sit the exam, depending on where they apply.

Figures available from the Department of Transport suggest that either some towns are producing far better drivers, or the testers in certain centres are a lot more lenient.

A person sitting their test in Shannon, Co Clare, has a 68% chance of getting a full licence that day, while somebody who sits the exam in Tipperary town will pass 43% of the time.