Drivers across Clare can breathe a sigh of relief following a dramatic reduction in driving test waiting times in the county.Minister of State Tony Killeen T.D. announced this week that average test waiting times at Clare’s three test centres are down by 55%, from 61 weeks to 28 weeks. The local T.D. welcomed the significant decrease in waiting times and paid tribute to the Department of Transport and Road Safety Authority for their efforts to improve driver skills and reduce the number of people on the roads who have not sat a driving test.
Figures obtained by Minister Killeen indicate that the Ennis Test Centre recorded the most significant decrease in waiting times. In November 2007, approximately 1400 people were on the waiting list with average waiting times of 26 weeks. By 3 March 2009, there were 434 people waiting an average of 6 weeks to sit a driving test. During the same period, the Kilrush and Shannon Test Centres have experienced drops in waiting times of 30% (14 weeks down to 10 weeks) and 40% (21 weeks down to 12 weeks) respectively.
Minister Killeen explained that the lengthy waiting times had been a source of annoyance for motorists wishing to obtain full driver licences. “I am delighted to see that waiting lists and times for driving tests have been steadily dropping at Clare’s three test centres. The move to reduce waiting times has been part of an overall road safety strategy from the Road Safety Authority. The implementation of this strategy coincided with the introduction of new rules for Provisional Driving Licence holders,” he added.
