Kilkenny driving test centre records highest pass rate in the country this year

O'Loughlin Gaels driving test centre in Kilkenny has the highest pass rate in the country with over two thirds of testers passing this year, according to the RSA.

Data from the Road Safety Authority revealed by the Irish Times shows the Kilkenny Centre had a pass rate of 68.4 per cent in the first six months of 2024.

The figures were provided to Green Party TD Marc Ó Cathasaigh by the Road Safety Authority (RSA).

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The driving test centre with the lowest pass rate in the country in the first half of the year was Charlestown in Dublin at 36.8 per cent. 

These figures show there was a wide variation in the rate of motorists passing driving tests at different test centres around the country in the first half of 2024.

Waterford TD Ó Cathasaigh pointed out the difference between his local centre in Waterford, which had a 42.8 per cent pass rate, and the O’Loughlin Gaels centre in Kilkenny and argued that there should not be a 25 per cent divergence between pass rates.

He questioned if there’s a “difference in the testing regime” between centres and said, “if that’s what the issue is that’s a real problem”.

An RSA statement noted: “All driving tests conducted by the Road Safety Authority are operated in a fair manner and in accordance with the standard procedures for conducting a driving test.”