There are calls for a third permanent driving tester to be hired in Ennis as waiting lists for tests in this county continue to climb.
Figures revealed by the Road Safety Authority to Clare Independent TD Michael McNamara have revealed more than 1,500 learner motorists are waiting for a test in either Ennis, Shannon or Kilrush.
Just 174 of these have a test date given to them, with another 2,965 people awaiting to undertake their Driver Theory exam.
The RSA has told Clare FM it has increased its presence in Shannon and will increase presence in Kilrush ‘as needs require it’.
Driving Instructor Don Barrett of the Ennis School of Motoring says more testers are needed to address the backlog here.
RSA Statement:
Driver Tester volumes across the nationwide Driver Testing Estate is dictated by the customer demand for a test at each centre. The Driver Testing Service balances its resources depending on how much demand exists and where one centre has a much larger backlog than another centre driver testers are temporarily relocated in order to meet that demand.
Given the current backlog situation, this demand is high across the majority of centres. In response to this we have increased our presence in Shannon test centre in particular for the next 12-18 months and will increase presence in Kilrush as needs require it. At the time of intake of any new staff the Driver Testing Service review capacity across the full network to determine where those staff will be placed.
