[Article] Cullen in desperate bid to resolve driving test pile-up before election

Victor

http://www.tribune.ie/article.tvt?_scope=Tribune/News/Home%20News&id=67016&SUBCAT=Tribune/News/Home%20News

Cullen in desperate bid to resolve driving test pile-up before election
Martin Frawley

MORE than 130,000 people are still waiting to sit their driving tests despite the expenditure of millions of euros last October on clearing a massive backlog . . . up to 59 weeks in some counties.

Now transport minister Martin Cullen plans to spend a further 10m buying in another 100,000 tests from the private sector in a desperate attempt to reduce the waiting list before the general election.

The minister has also agreed to recruit extra stateemployed driver testers.

Existing staff will get up to 50 for each extra test they do after normal working hours.

A spokesman for the Road Safety Authority, which operates the driving test system, said that an announcement of the extra tests will be made "within the next few weeks".

Although he agreed the backlog remained high, he said the waiting time had been reduced from an average of 40 weeks last year to 27 weeks today. Waiting times vary considerably, rising from 11 weeks in Cavan to 59 weeks in Navan.

Dub13

What kind of background do these private testers have..?

aphex™

As someone who is waiting for a test, I am not impressed by that figure which says he is spending an extra '10m' on buying another 100,000 tests. I've paid for a test. I expect it in 10/15 weeks as is the DOE's aim. I really don't care who they throw the money at to pay for it. It is not like it is cash coming from the DOE, people have already paid for the tests.

Chris_533976

He has failed MISERABLY. He promised the test would be down to 8 weeks by the middle of June. Disgraceful.

murphaph

Sure this crowd have been in govt for 10 years. There was a problem 10 years ago. Nuff said. Would FG/Labour do a better job? That's for you to decide.

Zoney

murphaph wrote:

Would FG/Labour do a better job?

I'd be interested to know how they could possibly do worse! As you say, the govt. have had 10 years and just let the problem get bigger and bigger.

SeanW

^^ What he said. ^^

Capt'n Midnight

murphaph wrote:

Sure this crowd have been in govt for 10 years. There was a problem 10 years ago. Nuff said. Would FG/Labour do a better job? That's for you to decide.

Complete bollix - it was no where near 10 years
Back in 1979 it was such a problem they gave an amnesty, loads of people on provisionals got a full license without doing a test. And since the problem in 1979 didn't occur overnight it's more like a 30 year problem. The only reason it isn't older that back in the 60's there wasn't a driving test.

The 130,000 refers to those people who for one reason or another have actually applied for the optional test , many no doubt because they have to apply for a test to get their provisional renewed. There are another 300,000 people who have provisional licenses who are NOT on the waiting list.

As long as provisional license feel they can drive unaccompanied we won't see the true size of the waiting list.

Too little, far too late.

Victor

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

As long as provisional license feel they can drive unaccompanied we won't see the true size of the waiting list.

Fine them or in lieu make them buy an annual commuter ticket that will cover their needs.

spacetweek

Victor wrote:

Fine them or in lieu make them buy an annual commuter ticket that will cover their needs.

The problem is basically that if we got tough with the provisional license holders and made them all apply for tests continuously until they passed (the situation in other countries), our driving test backlog/waiting period problem would become even worse.

Without a major ramping up of capacity - loads more testers, more centres, etc. - this problem will continue.

Capt'n Midnight

spacetweek wrote:

The problem is basically that if we got tough with the provisional license holders and made them all apply for tests continuously until they passed (the situation in other countries), our driving test backlog/waiting period problem would become even worse.

It won't be worse.
It will just be visible.


We have 430,000 on provisional licenses. Do you think we should let 300,000 of them drive around without facing a test, because that's what they can do right now.

The only reason you should have a provisional license is so you can learn to drive before doing your test. In Italy you get a folio rosso , it's valid for 6 months. You have to take your theory test and pass your driving test before it expires - you are allowed to fail either the theory or driving test once.

On the premise that you are only allowed the provisional to learn to drive should businesses be allowed to employ people on provisional licenses in a driving capacity, should people on provisional licenses be allowed to claim milage ?

As an example of companies using provisional drivers "Domino's L" springs to mind.

Raskolnikov

Like the Capt'n said, this has been a problem for over 30 years now, it's hilarious that Cullen thinks he can get this wrapped up within a few weeks.

Stark

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

We have 430,000 on provisional licenses. Do you think we should let 300,000 of them drive around without facing a test, because that's what they can do right now.

We don't know how many of those 430,000 are actually driving around. I had a valid licence for over a year that I wasn't actually driving on (I drove around for a few months with the parents then didn't drive any more after moving out of home). I know lots of people who got a provisional when they were 18 so they could drink in pubs without bringing out their passports (before the introduction of the age card). I know quite a few people who first got into the driving seat of a car when on their 3rd provisional licences.

A more interesting figure would be the number of people insured to drive on provisional licences (plus a few % for those **** driving around uninsured of course).

SeanW

While I would agree in principle that provisional licenses should only be for learning to drive, in reality it's not practical.

Until we have a driver testing system that actually functions, many people simply won't be able to wait for years (if you're in Navan with a 59+ week waiting list and you fail your first test, assuming you pass the second, it's a total 2 year, 4 month gap between your first test request and your obtaining a license).

That's simply not acceptable. End of. And while it's going on, any kind of crackdown on provisional licenseholder, in particular those who are genuinely waiting for, and intending to do a test, would simply not be fair. As for the people driving on provisional licenses long term who have no intention of ever taking a test, well, they're another story.

Capt'n Midnight

SeanW wrote:

Until we have a driver testing system that actually functions, many people simply won't be able to wait for years (if you're in Navan with a 59+ week waiting list and you fail your first test, assuming you pass the second, it's a total 2 year, 4 month gap between your first test request and your obtaining a license).

http://www.drivingtest.ie/frameset.html

Navan 54.3% pass rate 59 weeks wait

so 45% of people have a further year to go

Most of the Dublin centres and Cavan / Monaghan / wicklow have less than 50% pass rate - why ??

cyclopath2001

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Most of the Dublin centres and Cavan / Monaghan / wicklow have less than 50% pass rate - why ??

Poor training and preparation?

Capt'n Midnight

Stark wrote:

We don't know how many of those 430,000 are actually driving around.

Well it's a pretty safe bet that of the 300,000 who haven't applied for a test, at least one is driving around.

Anyone remember how many people applied in a panic when there was a change in the law, that said you would have to apply for a test before you got your provisional renewed. They didn't need to apply but thousands did.

SeanW

But do you accept that people who are genuinely waiting for a test, under an essentially non-functional driver testing system. are a different case to people who have no interest in obtaining a full license?