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Chapter 1: What are the latest statistics on learner drivers in Ireland?
There's been an increase of over 6,000 people driving without full driving licences. The new figures from the Irish Road Safety Authority were released to the Irish Road Haulage Association under Freedom of Information and revealed that there were 388,090 learner permit holders on Irish roads at the end of March 2026. That's 6,219 more. than on the same date last year.
The president of the Irish Road Haulage Association, Ger Highland, has said it shows that the RSA is not making real progress on driver testing backlogs and he says the organisation is out of its depth. Ger Highland, good morning to you.
Good morning, thanks for having us on.
Well, thanks for joining us. Now, those figures tell us how many learner permits are out there. They don't tell us anything about the number of tests that have been completed and perhaps failed, the pass rates, the waiting times.
Chapter 2: What challenges does the RSA face with driving tests?
There might be all sorts of factors behind this.
Well, we've heard all these excuses over the last number of years, and that's why I call them. First thing I want to say here, this is not a vendetta against the RSA, but it affects our members and it affects safety on the road. We will call it out. We've done it last year. We're doing it again this year. The RSA have not made any strides in reducing the number of learner permits on our roads.
There is over 10% of the drivers on Irish roads driving on some type of a learner permit or other. Now, last year, after the discussion that we had, the RSA came out and said that a lot of the reason for them not getting down the number of learner permits on our road was due to no-shows for the test.
Chapter 3: How do no-shows impact the driving test backlog?
When we looked into this in the last three and a half years, there has been 50,000 no-shows by the RSA. When people turn up for their driving test or their driving tests have been cancelled, on the side of the RSA, the RSA have cancelled 50,000 driving tests in a little over three years in this country.
Okay, and how many no-shows were there?
they're claiming that the no-shows are somewhere around 6,000 a year.
What's the evidence that drivers on learner permits are causing accidents?
I don't have that evidence, but what I do have is the number of learner permits that drivers that have had their cars taken off of them in the last year is over 11,000.
the majority of them are in country areas where, in fairness to them, and I'm not advocating anybody to break the law here, these young people are trying to get to work, they're trying to get to building sites, they're trying to get to school, they're trying to get to colleges. That's fine if you're in Dublin where you have a bus system. But you're living in the middle of the country.
I'll give you an example. I live in a very rural village, and the majority of young people around my area are moving into all the towns and cities... because they cannot get to work from where they live. There is two new pupils starting in the primary school here in my locality this year. And a lot of that is down to the fact that they can't live in the rural areas.
Well, the law is the law, as you say, Gerard, and obviously you're not suggesting anybody should break the law. There's plenty of drivers out there who have a full licence who probably aren't particularly safe. There's also a whole load of drivers who never sat a driving test. They got their licences through an amnesty back in the day.
That is correct. But we called over three years ago now at this stage
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Chapter 4: What evidence is there regarding learner drivers and road safety?
for a black box to be fitted into all learner drivers' cars and all novice drivers' cars. If that had to be done, it would have reduced the number of young people who have been killed on our roads. There is no doubt about that.
I mean, are you worried about driver behaviour? Is there anything that you're seeing that suggests it's getting worse?
Our members and our members' drivers... are telling us that what they're seeing on the roads on a daily basis now is frightening and it is getting worse. There were six people more killed on Irish roads on the 3rd of June this year than there was on the 3rd of June last year.
But it's not necessarily anything to do with learner drivers.
No, no, I'm not saying that.
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Chapter 5: How does rural living affect access to driving tests?
But I am saying that while the rest of Europe have a reducing fatality rate on the roads. Ireland, our fatality rate is increasing, and last year was certainly not a year to go by.
No, indeed, very tragic, obviously, and I'm sure every family in the country has been touched by road fatalities in some way or another. Gerard, just finally, I mean, what are you expecting the RSA to do?
Well, I'm calling on the government here today to make the RSA accountable. Last year, when we done this campaign last year, we were promised the sun, moon and stars by the RSA. The government gave them six or eight weeks at the time to get the test down to under 10 weeks. They moved all the driving instructors from the truck testing, the bus testing, the motorcycle testing.
All during that summer, you would not get a motorcycle test or a bus test or a truck test in this country to save your life.
Chapter 6: What accountability measures are being called for regarding the RSA?
And that was to massage the figures. It's pure and simple. And I'm calling on the government here this morning to make the RSA stand up and be accountable. It's taxpayers' money at the end of the day. We've thrown millions again at the RSA last year.
Chair Hyland, President of the Irish Road Haulage Association, thank you so much for joining us this morning.