Waiting times for driving test in Carlow and Kilkenny exceeds 11 weeks

Local learner drivers are waiting 11 and a half weeks or longer to sit their driving test.

Recent figures show that’s the average waiting time in Kilkenny and Carlow, but some have had to wait up to 20 weeks.

Between the 2 counties more than a thousand people are waiting for a date for their test.

Kilkenny driving instructor Brenda Bolger says the long wait has many implications for learners who can often stop taking lessons and run the risk of their driving habits deteriorating.

Brenda says a wait of 4-6 weeks would be more acceptable but acknowledges that at least one new tester has been taken on in Kilkenny recently.

It had been the case that only one tester was operating in the county at one point.