Labour outlines plan to slash driving test waiting lists

Driving test waiting times would be slashed to six weeks within two years under new Labour proposals, the party claimed today.

A major study on the ‘boy-racer’ phenomenon should also be commissioned to help reduce the massive death toll on the roads, it was proposed.

The Labour Party said a failure to modernise the testing and licensing system is contributing to the state’s poor safety record.

It published a 49-page ‘Driving for Life’ document proposing a radical overhaul of what it terms one of the most lax driving regimes in Europe.

“It is costing young people money and opportunities, and most importantly it is costing them their lives,” said the party’s transport spokeswoman, Roisín Shortall TD.

Learner drivers can wait up to 60 weeks for a test while insurance bills mount and job opportunities are lost, she said.

The plans, drawn from best practice measures on the continent, provide for more testers, an upgrading of the IT system and changing work practices.

It further proposes:

:: new provisional drivers be banned from driving alone, the current practice being phased out.

:: a three-stage graduated licence system, with a new ‘restricted licence’ for a year after passing the test.

:: road safety built into the school curriculum

:: driving instructors be regulated

:: a reduction in wide variation in test pass rates.

“The failure to adequately prioritise, fund and regulate driver education and licensing has led to Ireland having one of the most lax regimes in Europe,” said Ms Shortall.

“This has undoubtedly contributed to a lowering of driving standards and a loss of respect for safe driving.

“The current minister, like the previous incumbent, has promised to end the system whereby certain provisional drivers may drive unaccompanied. However, he refuses to do so until the driving test backlog is cleared,” she added.

The target in the National Road Safety Strategy to reduce road fatalities to 300 this year is set to fail dramatically, according to Ms Shortall.

She said it was the responsibility of Government to ensure a culture of safe driving by providing a driver training and testing regime which “fosters good driving standards and a respect for the lethal potential of a vehicle.”

The Labour Party is to produce a separate policy paper on the wider road safety issues shortly.