Driving tests - Backlog and failure rate is an outrage

ONE-SIXTH of all drivers on the road are driving on provisional driving licences.

There are some 135,000 drivers waiting to take a driving test, which means that almost 270,000 are driving having either failed a test, or have not yet bothered to apply to take a test.

The problem is exacerbated by a high failure rate, as 48.5% initially fail the test the first time.