Fewer ‘no shows’ for driving tests

The number of driving test “no shows” has been slashed under the new Essential Driver Training regime, while the pass rate has also improved, figures show.

Statistics provided to the Irish Examiner by the Road Safety Authority show that the mandatory training programme — which incorporates 12 lessons before sitting the test — has meant that the no-show rate has plummeted.

Fewer than 2% of driving test candidates who have undergone the EDT since it was introduced in Apr 2011 failed to turn up for the test, compared with 17% of non-EDT candidates who failed to turn up for their tests in the same period. It means 1,074 EDT candidates failed to turn up for their test, compared with 53,399 no-shows among non-EDT candidates.