Hundreds of examiners are to be recruited to cut ‘sky-high’ driving test waiting times.
The government announced yesterday that 450 driving examiners would be employed across Britain as part of a wider seven-point plan to help drivers get on the road quicker. Lilian Greenwood, minister for the future of roads, admitted there was currently a ‘huge backlog’ and said ‘no one should have to wait six months when they are ready to be out on the road’.
It’s hoped the plan will reduce waiting times to seven weeks by December 2025.
According to figures released by the Department for Transport (DfT) earlier this year the number of driving tests being taken had reached a record level in the 12 months, at 1.9 million.
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The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) new plan recognises that the government needs to take action to fix the driving test booking system and get new drivers on the road quicker.
As well as recruiting, the DVSA plan to review and improve the driving test booking system to make sure that learner drivers can book their driving test easily and efficiently.
They will also introduce tougher terms and conditions for the service driving instructors use to book and manage car driving tests for their pupils, as well increasing the amount of notice people need to give to change or cancel their car driving test without losing their fee to 10 clear working days.
DVSA said they plan to explore ways of changing how far ahead car driving tests can be booked. This is currently set at 24 weeks.
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Lilian Greenwood said: “Passing your driving test is a life changing opportunity for millions – but sky-high waiting times for tests in recent years have denied that opportunity to too many people.
“No one should have to wait 6 months when they’re ready to pass, travel to the other side of the country to take a driving test or be ripped off by unscrupulous websites just because they can’t afford to wait.
“The scale of the backlog we have inherited is huge, but today’s measures are a crucial step to tackle the long driving test wait times, protect learner drivers from being exploited, and support more people to hit the road.”
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