Aggressive parents among those abusing driving testers in more than 160 incidents logged by RSA

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) logged more than 160 incidents over a fifteen-month period including over 40 where staff were subject to verbal abuse, threatened, attacked, or accused of racism. Stock photo. 

Driving testers got abused by parents after their kids failed their tests or turned up for an exam without valid insurance discs.

Another person became aggressive with a staff member who reported afterwards that the test candidate didn’t “understand the rules around traffic lights” and refused to listen.

Other cases logged by the Road Safety Authority included an exam-induced panic attack and one person who crashed their vehicle in a car park at the end of their test.

The incidents were among more than 160 recorded by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) over a fifteen-month period, including over 40 where staff were subject to verbal abuse, threatened, attacked, or accused of racism.

There were multiple cases of aggressive parents including one mother who dished out verbal abuse because a driving examination did not go ahead.

A note of the incident said: “Her daughter was not taken out on test as there was an issue with the insurance. 

“It was out of date.” 

The RSA listed one case of “extreme verbal abuse” and threats of violence after a man’s partner failed to pass her exam.

In another case, a member of the public verbally abused staff after showing up with an insurance disc that was “printed in black and white.” 

A note said: “Applicant had previously gotten a ‘non-conduct’ for no proof of insurance.” 

One person became aggressive after being refused a test because their insurance disc did not have the familiar “green strip.” Another became threatening after showing up fifteen minutes late for their test only to return an hour later to abuse staff.

One member of the public was listed as having carried out “aggression towards [an] object.” 

A note of the incident said: “Applicant didn't provide certificate of insurance and alleged I was lying to him about the requirement to provide one.” 

There was another case of a “direct physical assault” where a test was not conducted, according to the RSA records.

A wider log of accidents and incidents from the authority listed 161 reports in the period from April 2025 to June 2026.

In one case, an ambulance had to be called after somebody had a panic attack.

There were other cases where people crashed during their exams and one where a person bumped their head on a door while leaving a test centre.

Another incident report said: “Test applicant illegally driving to their driving test at 10.05 at Finglas driving test centre, unaccompanied and not displaying L plate.” 

One case logged by the RSA involved a “collision with a pedestrian” while another test candidate drove into a parked lorry.