05.27.08
Why are we Waiting? Ten reasons for the lengthy delay in getting an Irish Driving Test Appointment.
The long waiting time to get a Driving Test Appointment here in
Ireland is of course the responsibility of the Department of
Transport. Or is it? It is so easy to blame your Government for
every ill that assails us, but let’s look at the real reasons
for the delay. There are many factors leading to the incredible
waiting time for Driving Test.
1.Demographics — here in Ireland we have a very high
proportion of the population in the age group 17 to 30 which is
the prime time for learning to drive.
2.Immigration — As a result of our new-found prosperity:
Celtic Tiger Economy and all that, we are not only attracting
back expatriates but we have become flavor of the month for
those looking to find a new life from both the European bloc and
further distant countries. Since the accession of 10 new States
to the EU during 2004 there are numerous ethnic groups wending
their way to Ireland. Most of these families will ultimately be
in a position to own cars and the children of these families
will also aspire to drive when they are old enough.
3.Government Legislation — introduced in JAN.2003,as part of
EU Directives ,has led to a large chunk of drivers being forced
to sit a Driving Test instead of being happy to drive on a
provisional license for upwards of 25 years! In the lead up to
this legislation, on one day alone, upwards of 8000 applications
were received by the Driver Testing Section.
4.Candidates failing to turn up. Many Test candidates just
don’t turn up at all. A recent grapevine comment from a Driving
Tester indicated that four of his first six appointments on one
day failed to show.
5.Cars not being up to the required Standard—Despite an
extensive two page list of requirements on the Day, which is
sent with all Test Appointments, cars are still being turned
down .Some of the most common faults are :- Faulty Brake Lights;
Cracked Windscreens; Faded and unreadable Insurance Discs; Poor
Tyres.
6.Novice Drivers Unprepared—Learner Drivers are to a greater
degree not taking adequate Driving Lessons. The result of this
is a high first time failure rate. Lack of practice, in addition
to Lessons is also contributing to candidates having to re- sit
the Test.
7.Driving Test standards and requirements unknown—The changes
due to recent Legislation will not always be known unless the
candidate takes the trouble to enroll with a professional
Driving School. Recently introduced on 14th February 2005 are
the Technical checks which require a candidate to know their way
around under the Bonnet (hood).
8.Cancellations —Obviously there will be genuine reasons for
last minute cancellations such as family problems, health
problems and so on but there are too many cancellations from
pupils who are chickening out at the last moment .A recent
candidate told me that her car had been stolen twice and of
course hiring a Driving School car for a Test at the last moment
is not an advisable course of action. Getting used to strange
car is not something that you can do in just a few minutes.
9.Overconfidence—It is a myth that the longer you are driving
the better you become. If a learner Driver hasn’t been taught
the basics and some more advanced skills at the start of their
driving career they will very quickly pick up poor techniques
and habits which will be difficult to rectify at short notice.
10.Learning to Drive with Mum, Dad, Boyfriend, Girlfriend.—
Many Adult Drivers have never taken a Driving Test, particularly
those over 60 years of age and are not equipped to teach their
offspring. In fact a high proportion of Adult Drivers exhibit
such disregard for the basic Rules of the Road that they
shouldn’t be permitted to be behind the wheel themselves, much
less try to teach their children.
