Skibbereen is tops for driving test success

THE Skibbereen Driving Test Centre has the highest pass rate in the country.

At 73.2%, Skibbereen’s success rate is far and away the highest, with most other centres showing pass rates in the mid 40s and 50s. In 2022, Skibbereen’s success rate was 43% – a full 30% behind 2023’s remarkable score.

The next highest score in Ireland was Clifden at 64.2%, followed by Monaghan at 60.9%, and Carlow at 60%, while most of the other centres were in the mid-40 or mid-50 range.

A spokesperson for the Road Safety Authority (RSA) said the authority regularly publishes driving test pass rates for the various test centres, as well as the historic pass rates.

The RSA spokesperson acknowledged that at the end of November, there were 73,778 people around the country waiting to book their test, with a further 14,495 who had a scheduled test date. He estimated the national average waiting time for a car driving test is now 24.3 weeks for a new applicant.

The spokesman said a recruitment campaign to hire additional testers has taken place and the first and second tranche of new recruits have completed their training. These testers have been operational and conducting live tests since mid-September and early November. The third tranche of new recruits is currently in training and the expectation is that they would be operational by the end of December.

‘The service has already started to improve, and this is expected to continue over the coming months with pace of improvement expected to significantly pick up from the start of 2024,’ said the spokesperson.

Part of the delay has been attributed to the increase in learner permits in circulation, which has grown by about 30% since the second quarter of 2019.

Since the service resumed, post-Covid, there are more people now taking the driver theory test before sitting the practical test and this has added to delays in the system.

The fact that there are now more driving instructors available has, ironically, also contributed to the backlog because there are more people eligible to take their actual test.

Independent TD Michael Collins welcomed the ‘B+’ result of the Skibbereen centre and praised the skill and expertise of local driving instructors for putting learner drivers ‘properly through their paces.’

‘The pass rate in Skibbereen gives you an insight into the high quality of driving instructors we have in Skibbereen and Bantry, and West Cork in general,’ said the TD.

‘I know a lot of them and they put a huge amount of effort into making sure people get across the line. But the problem we have is that people are waiting for between six and eight months to take their driving test and that is a huge issue for people, many of whom are young people starting new jobs,’ said Deputy Collins.

‘A driving licence is a huge factor in most jobs today, and I am constantly dealing with people who are affected by the delays – not just in Skibbereen but in other driving test centres too.’

‘It’s a huge frustration,’ said the deputy who, like other Cork South West TDs, has raised the issue in the Dáil.