Latest news with #SamWaide
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.'
Irish Times
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Times
Driving testers working evenings, weekends and bank holidays to clear backlog, RSA says
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is 'steadfast in its dedication' to lower the average waiting time for a driving test to 10 weeks by September, its chief executive told the Oireachtas Committee on Transport this morning. Sam Waide recognised the 'ongoing frustration' felt by the public on this issue and said it 'is not a situation that any of us consider acceptable'. Last week, the average waiting time to secure a test was 19.7 weeks, a slight drop from a May figure of 20.6 weeks, itself a notable decrease from 27 weeks in April this year. Recognising this goal as 'ambitious', he and fellow RSA representatives said they were 'very confident' it would be achieved due to the 'largest ever recruitment exercise in the history of the RSA' since its foundation in 2006. READ MORE [ About 600 learners fail to show for driving tests each month – RSA Opens in new window ] With a recruitment drive that aims to have 200 trained testers working full-time by September, an increase from the current figure of 152, testers have also been working extended hours and across different testing centres. RSA chief operations officer Brendan Walsh said testers are now working evenings and weekends, including bank holidays. He said 700 driving tests took place on the Monday of the June bank holiday weekend. They 'are working under significant pressure', however, the goal to increase supply is 'not just a target but a national imperative for the RSA', Mr Waide said. The organisation conducted 157,183 driving tests in 2021, which rose to 253,850 in 2024. Mr Waide cited growing population, delayed demand from the pandemic , and lack of rural public transport as causes for this 61 per cent increase. The RSA will soon be in a position to accommodate up to 360,000 tests a year, Fine Gael TD Michael Murphy said, when accounting for each tester conducting up to eight tests a day. Mr Murphy said 'we should be able to bring the waiting list significantly lower' than 10 weeks under these circumstances. However, Mr Walsh said 'I don't think it would be right from a driver education perspective [ ...] for someone to get a test in a week'. Fellow Fine Gael TD Emer Currie said people continuously not attending their driving test appointments is an 'extremely serious issue' which affects the availability of tests for others. [ Driving test logjam: how to beat the long waiting times Opens in new window ] Mr Walshe said 56,000 people are 'on three or more [learner's] permits' after failing to show up for their test, with 'a handful' of drivers on more than 10. Three hundred and seventy thousand people have a learner's permit in Ireland currently. The RSA also holds responsibility for the National Care Testing (NCT) service. The average national waiting time for an NCT assessment was 14 days last week, however the RSA expects to lower this to 12 days by the end of this month. There are currently 50 NCT testing centres across the State, with 'expansion to additional locations actively under way'.
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.
Extra.ie
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Extra.ie
Driving test waiting times to be cut to 10 weeks, says RSA
Lengthy waiting times for driving tests will be cut to ten weeks by the start of September, the Road Safety Authority has claimed. Currently, provisional licence-holders are waiting an average of 27 weeks for their test. And there is an 'unprecedented' backlog of 100,000 L-plate drivers seeking a test date. Now Road Safety Authority (RSA) staff have offered to work bank holidays and conduct tests early in the morning, later in the evening and on Saturdays to bring down the waiting times. Lengthy waiting times for driving tests will be cut to ten weeks by the start of September, the Road Safety Authority has claimed. Pic: Shutterstock RSA chief Sam Waide apologised for the delays and said: 'Our team has developed a focused, projectionbased plan to improve availability and reduce wait times. Every part of the system is being mobilised to deliver for the public. 'The RSA will publish progress updates every fortnight via its website to ensure full transparency and public awareness as the plan advances. We're asking customers to support the effort by cancelling early if they cannot attend, so that appointments can be offered to others.' Learner drivers were also reminded to make sure their car is fit for a test, as more than 4,000 tests could not be carried out this year because cars did not have an NCT disc, were not taxed, the driver was not insured, or the car was not roadworthy. Provisional licence-holders are waiting an average of 27 weeks for their test. Pic: Shutterstock The RSA's plan includes fast-tracking new examiners, enabling early deployment of them to test centres; longer testing hours, including Saturdays and bank holidays, with tests running from 7.25am to 7pm; and targeted manual intervention in the booking system to ensure test dates are issued to the areas of greatest demand. The RSA will also open new driving test centres, bringing the national total from the current 41 to 60. It is also looking at other ways to deal with any potential future surges in demand for driving tests. The number of driving tests has steadily increased year on year. In 2021 there were 157,183 tests. In 2022 that rose to 180,696 and it hit 212,525 in 2023. The number hit a record 253,850 last year, a 61% increase since 2021. Road Safety Authority (RSA) staff have offered to work bank holidays and conduct tests early in the morning, later in the evening and on Saturdays to bring down the waiting times. Pic: Shutterstock The wait for learner drivers in April varied significantly depending on the test centre, though all centres had at least a five-month wait. Navan, Co. Meath, and Tallaght in Dublin had the longest wait at 43 weeks. Galway's Carnmore test centre had the next-longest wait, estimated at 42 weeks. The centres in Clifden, Co. Galway, Tralee, Co. Kerry, and Gorey, Co. Wexford, had the shortest queue time last month – but applicants still faced a 21-week wait. Minister of state Seán Canney said that 'all options' are under consideration to address the backlog. 'The service is not right and it needs to be rectified,' he told the Dáil last week. The wait for learner drivers in April varied significantly depending on the test centre, though all centres had at least a five-month wait. Pic: Shutterstock Mr Canney said he had instructed the RSA to review its plan to get test times down to ten weeks and 'identify further measures that will bring forward the date for achieving the target'. The new chair of the Oireachtas Transport Committee, Michael Murphy TD, said he was seeking an early meeting with the RSA 'to allow them to outline what they are doing to tackle growing waiting lists for driving tests'. Out of almost 370,000 L-plate drivers last year, nearly 160,000 were on their second provisional licence at least, while 37,000 drivers have rolled over to at least their fifth. All face premiums of around €2,000 for annual motor insurance and lose out on significant savings by not passing their test. Dominic Lumsden of Peopl Insurance said: 'There are substantial savings to be made by moving from a learner permit to a full licence – to the tune of about €386 a year for some young drivers.'
The Irish Sun
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
New Irish driving test centres & longer opening hours come in amid cut to wait times for 100k backlog
NEW driving test centres and more test slots have been announced to combat the huge backlog of potential new drivers waiting for a date. The 3 The government has tasked the RSA with fixing the backlog Credit: Getty 3 The RSA are opening new test centres and adding new hours Credit: Getty They have been tasked by the A comprehensive action plan has been announced with multiple steps in place to tackle the ongoing issue. It's hoped that results will be seen by September of this year. The new measures include speeding of the training of new testers through the use of more training facilities and a new approach to training. READ MORE IN MOTORS There will also be expanded testing hours, meaning more time slots will be available. Overtime bookings will be made available for weekday evenings, Saturdays, and bank holidays. And tests will now take place between the hours of 7.25am until 7pm. There will also be "targeted manual intervention" into the booking system. Most read in Motors This will allow test invitations to be sent out to the areas where they are in highest demand. And multiple new test centres are set to open in key areas to facilitate more examinations. I'm an Irish driving instructor and here's what you have to do in order to apply for a licence CONTINGENCY MEASURES The new centres will bring the number of testing facilities in the country up to 60. And the RSA have said that they are currently looking into contingency measures to deal with any future backlog. Sam Waide, Chief Executive Officer at the RSA, said: 'We know how frustrating and disruptive these delays are - especially for people who need a licence for work, college, or caring responsibilities. "I want to offer a sincere apology to everyone who has been affected. SUPPORT THE EFFORT "Our team has developed a focused, projection-based plan to improve availability and reduce wait times. "Every part of the system is being mobilised to deliver for the public. "The RSA will publish progress updates every fortnight via its website to ensure full transparency and public awareness as the plan advances." He continued: 'We're asking customers to support the effort by cancelling early if they cannot attend, so that appointments can be offered to others. "Every cancelled slot that's re-used helps us reduce the backlog faster. "Also, we're urging customers to ensure they prepared for their test as over 4,000 tests so far this year couldn't be conducted for reasons such as vehicles without a valid NCT, Tax, Insurance or not deemed roadworthy." 3 There's a backlog of 100K people waiting for tests Credit: Getty
