Latest news with #RoadSafetyAuthority
Agriland
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Agriland
RSA ‘considering' driving test for working vehicles
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has said that it is considering the indroduction of a mandatory training programme, and a driving test for new category W only learner permit applicants. According to the RSA, category W vehicles are work vehicles and tractors with a maximum design speed of 40 km/h, that are constructed primarily for work other than for the carriage of goods or burdens by road. An RSA spokesperson told Agriland: 'This has been considered and it has been decided that it will become part of a review of the learning to drive curriculum. 'This work will be ongoing as part of phase 2 of the Road Safety Strategy, which is due to be launched shortly, and runs from 2025 to 2027,' the spokesperson added. RSA Separately, the RSA said it has witnessed early progress under an action plan it implemented to reduce driving test wait periods. The RSA announced the comprehensive action plan – which had a target of slashing wait times by over half – last month. In early April, average wait times were 27 weeks. As of May 31, under the new action plan, these wait times were reduced to 20.6 weeks. The RSA is targeting a 10-week wait period by September. RSA chief operations officer, Brendan Walsh said: 'While there is still a considerable journey ahead to get to the 10 weeks' SLA (service level agreement) by September, we are encouraged by the early indicators of progress.' Walsh added that over 700 tests were scheduled over the June Bank Holiday in a bid to stay on target. According to the RSA, there is currently a backlog of 100,000 applicants waiting to be tested. The RSA has implemented several measures to facilitate extra testing: Accelerated training of new testers through the use of additional training facilities; Prolonged testing hours, which include overtime during weekdays, as well as Saturdays and bank holidays – with tests running from 07:25a.m to 7:00p.m; Prioritising areas of greatest demand when issuing invitations to test in order to create a more efficient slot allocation system. On top of this, additional driving test centres will open in areas of high demand, bringing the national total to 60 centres. The number of driving tests conducted annually has steadily increased year-on-year, reflecting growing demand – from 157,183 in 2021, rising to 180,696 in 2022, 212,525 in 2023, and reaching 253,850 last year.
The Irish Sun
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Vow to cut ‘unacceptable' driving test wait times in half in 3 months despite some centres in country without examiners
MORE than 100,000 people are waiting to sit their driving test with road safety bosses promising to slash wait times in half by the end of the summer. Executives from the Road Safety Authority were grilled by 1 Wait times will go down to ten weeks by September Credit: Getty At the moment, there are 102,000 learner drivers awaiting an appointment to sit their full driving test. The authority has been ramping up its capabilities to carry out driving tests over recent years with 157,183 tests carried out in 2021 compared to 253,850 last year. At the start of the year, learners were being forced to wait up to 27 weeks on average to sit their test. READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS This wait time has now been slashed to 20 weeks with the RSA promising to cut this wait to 10 weeks by September. The RSA has rolled out its largest ever recruitment drive to beef up its tester numbers with 1,400 people applying to become testers. Some 41 new testers have been recruited so far with 32 more currently undergoing training. The RSA plans to recruit 18 more testers in the coming months to bring their full roster up to 200 testers across the country. Most read in The Irish Sun A number of test centres currently have no testers and will not have any until later this year – including Clifden in RSA boss Sam Waide apologised to the public for the lengthy wait times for tests which he admitted were 'unacceptable.' Louisiana Expands Distracted Driving Law: Social Media Posting While Driving Now Fined He said: 'I want to acknowledge that, and to apologise to you and your constituents for that frustration from the outset. 'This is not a situation any of us consider acceptable and I welcome this dialogue as a chance to outline the actions we are taking to address these challenges and improve the service we provide to the public.' The RSA also runs the NCT services with a backlog in tests this year resulting in people waiting up to two weeks for an appointment. WEATHER WOES RSA exec Sam Waide blamed the series of storms and cold He said: 'This is driven by the fall out of closures during the service's busiest period in quarter one due to the red weather event and snowfall affecting the operational capacity of the service. 'Over the past month the service has been below the SLA of 12 days on several occasions and the service is expected to be at 12 days by the end of June.' PROGRESS PROMISE Chair of the Transport Committee Michael Murphy warned the RSA that the watchdog will be keeping a close eye on the progress that is made on cutting wait times for both driving tests and NCTs over the coming months. He said: 'The RSA have said there are early indicators of progress, which will be welcome to many, but we need to see driving test waiting times below the target of 10 weeks. 'It's essential that the RSA are striving to get waiting times as short as possible.'
Agriland
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- Agriland
RSA conference highlights dangers of drink driving
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is hosting its annual International Road Safety Conference today (June 11) in Dublin. The conference brings together national and international experts to examine the challenge of driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs. It will also explore the latest research, behavioural insights, technological innovations, and international best practices to better understand and address the issue. The RSA has launched a new TV ad campaign, which challenges the social acceptability of drink-driving. The ad appeals directly to the public to protect their friends, and other road users, by ensuring that their friends do not drink and drive. According to the latest international e-survey on road users' attitudes (ESRA) in 2023, 9% of drivers in Ireland admitted to driving within one hour of taking drugs, other than prescribed or over the counter medication, at least once in the previous 30 days. The RSA said that this is higher than the EU average of 7%. RSA In the survey, 10% of Irish drivers admitted to drink driving in the previous 30 days. The EU average, is 15% of drivers. The RSA said that while drink-driving reports are lower in Ireland than in the EU, alcohol continues to play a 'devastating' role in crashes. Analysis carried out by the RSA of coronial data of driver fatalities between 2016 and 2020 revealed that 35% of drivers with toxicology results available tested positive for alcohol. According to the RSA, that figure jumps to 70% for driver fatalities that occurred between 10:00p.m and 6:00a.m. The chief executive of the RSA, Sam Waide said: 'Driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs means slower reaction times, reduced alertness, impaired judgment, and poor vision, which drastically increases the risk of serious collisions. 'We at the RSA are committed to educating and informing drivers of the risks, so that motorists can make informed decisions.' 'Everyone has a role to play when it comes to road safety, and I urge everyone to do better so we can reduce the number of injuries and fatalities on Irish roads,' Waide added.
Sunday World
10-06-2025
- Sunday World
Man convicted after using vice grips to clamp leaking brake pipe hose
Aidan McCullagh had the brake pipe hose, which was leaking, clamped to the front driver's side wheel of his Honda Civic. A Letterkenny man who used a pair of vice grips to clamp a leaking brake pipe has been convicted in court. Aidan McCullagh had the brake pipe hose, which was leaking, clamped to the front driver's side wheel of his Honda Civic. Letterkenny District Court heard details of the incident. Sergeant Vincent Muldoon told the court that gardai were operating a checkpoint with the Road Safety Authority at Cashelshanaghan, Letterkenny, on June 20, 2024. Sergeant Muldoon outlined that it was the day before the start of the Donegal International Rally. The NCT on the vehicle was out of date since November 2022, the court heard. Sergeant Muldoon said that the car was examined by an RSA inspector. The brake pipe hose was leaking and was clamped by the vice grips to the wheel and Gardai seized the vehicle. Judge Eiteáin Cunningham said she was satisfied that the vehicle was tampered with. Mr Rory O'Brien, solicitor for McCullagh, told the court that his client – a 20-year-old of Rann Mor Walk, Oldtown, Letterkenny – was taking the car to a mechanic who was to assist him in making repairs. Aidan McCullagh leaving Letterkenny District Court. (North West Newspix) News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday June 10 Mr O'Brien said the car was fully licensed and insured, but McCullagh accepted that his NCT was out of date, although he had a date booked. 'He was endeavouring to do his best,' Mr O'Brien said, adding that his client was tendering a guilty plea to the court. McCullagh, who was accompanied to court by his mother, was fined €200 for the driving of dangerously defective vehicle, an offence contrary to section 54 of the Road Traffic Act, 1961. Judge Eiteáin Cunningham also fined McCullagh €150 for having no NCT. McCullagh was given five months to pay the fines.
Irish Times
08-06-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Times
People trying to book a driving test facing ‘ridiculous' wait to log in
Some people attempting to book a driving test have had to wait over an hour to log in to the Road Safety Authority (RSA) website amid 'particularly high levels of traffic'. When attempting to access the site in recent days, users have been notified they are in a queue 'due to exceptional demand'. In some cases, people have been told their estimated wait time is more than an hour. One person who attempted to log in to the site described the wait time as 'ridiculous'. A spokesman for the RSA said the organisation has 'experienced particularly high levels of traffic to the booking system' in recent weeks following efforts to tackle the backlog of people waiting to take their driving tests. READ MORE 'This has led to intermittent delays for some users, especially during peak times which we appreciate can be frustrating,' he said. Some people have reported difficulty logging in to the RSA website The spokesman noted that most people are able to log in and complete their booking within an average of 10 minutes. 'However, this can vary depending on a number of factors and variables – including the time of day, the level of traffic on the site, internet connectivity and the device being used,' he said. The spokesman added that the RSA's current focus is on 'reducing waiting times and delivering additional capacity' for driving tests, but there are also plans in place to 'upgrade the booking platform and IT infrastructure once service levels have sufficiently reduced and stabilised'. As of May, around 100,000 learners were waiting to sit their driving test with many people waiting several months to get an appointment. The RSA recently launched an action plan to reduce this wait time to 10 weeks by early September 2025. Measures announced under the action plan include hiring more testers, setting up new driving test centres in key areas to bring the national total to 60 centres, and expanding testing times from 7.25am to 7pm. [ Driving test logjam: how to beat the long waiting times Opens in new window ] The action plan also notes there will be 'targeted manual intervention in the booking system to ensure invitations are issued to areas of greatest demand to ensure more efficient slot allocation'. On Thursday, the RSA said a fall in the average national waiting time for a driving test to just under 21 weeks was 'encouraging early progress'. The average wait was 20.6 weeks as of May 31st, down from 21.4 the previous week, which the RSA said was 'significantly ahead of the forecasted 25 weeks'. It said the reduction reflected the 'pace and focus' with which the RSA had been implementing targeted measures. The waiting time for those booking a driving test varies significantly depending on location, with Tallaght currently having the longest estimated wait time of about 36 weeks.
