Leitrim driving test wait times halved since January under RSA Action Plan

Good news has been confirmed for people across the country awaiting their driving test, as waiting times have been reduced under the Road Safety Authority (RSA) Driving Action Plan.

Driving test wait times now stand at 13.5 weeks nationally, while in Leitrim’s only test centre, Carrick-on-Shannon, the wait has dropped to just nine weeks, down from 20 weeks in January of this year.

At the end of July, 427 applicants were waiting for a test date at Carrick-on-Shannon, with 110 tests scheduled by month’s end.

In Sligo, the wait has been cut to seven weeks, compared to 18 in January, while in Donegal it is now 14 weeks, down from 25 in January.

READ NEXT: Leitrim residents urged to take on '100k for September' for children's hospice

The RSA reports a 42 percent increase in test capacity since May, now running 2.5 weeks ahead of target.

Brendan Walsh, Chief Operating Officer of the RSA, welcomed the improvements: “These results are a clear sign that our action plan is working. We’ve made significant strides in just a few months, thanks to the dedication of our staff and the support of the Department of Transport.”

To tackle the backlog, the RSA introduced several measures. These include accelerated training for new testers with additional facilities and a revised training approach, enabling earlier deployment. 

Testing hours have also been extended to weekday evenings, Saturdays, and bank holidays, with slots running from 7:25am to 7:00pm.

READ NEXT: Leitrim scores huge funding boost to transform outdoor amenities across the county

In addition, a targeted manual intervention in the booking system is helping prioritise areas with the highest demand, ensuring more efficient slot allocation.

In July, 11 people failed to attend their scheduled test in Carrick-on-Shannon, while in June, there were five such no-shows, which are factors that also contribute to delays in delivering tests.