First-time failure rate for driving test jumps to 49.5%

DRIVING standards among Irish motorists appear to be worsening according to a report which reveals driving test pass rates have been continuously falling over the past few years.

Figures released by the Central Statistics Office show that record numbers of learner drivers are failing both the driving test and the driver theory test.

The CSO figures go on to reveal that about one in five motorists on Irish roads are provisional licence holders. A total of 426,219 motorists failed their driving test in the period 2001 to 2006.