The number of learner drivers on the roads has jumped by over 12,000 in the space of six months.
That’s according to figures provided to the Irish Road Haulage Association through a Freedom of Information request to the Road Safety Authority.
Almost 400,000 drivers had yet to pass their test in September – 5,524 of them in Carlow with 7,022 more in Kilkenny – with the highest number of learner permit holders in Dublin, followed by Cork, Kildare and Galway.
President of the association, Laois based Ger Hyland says that’s despite the RSA saying it has successfully reduced the average wait time for a test to 10 weeks; “The Irish Road Haulage believe that the RSA is not fit for purpose, the RSA are talking about Vision Zero, we had more deaths on our roads up until last weekend and we have more deaths again this week, doesn’t it beggar belief to say that over 10% of the drivers on Irish roads today are on some form of learner permit”.
