Details of a new driver testing agency and efforts to deal with the current backlog of people awaiting driving tests are to be published this autumn.The new arrangements are to be published in a new road safety Bill to be introduced by the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, when the Dáil resumes.
A spokeswoman for the Minister said yesterday that details of the proposed agency could not be released in advance of the Cabinet being briefed on the measure. The spokeswoman was commenting after The Irish Times revealed yesterday that the number of people who are driving on the roads with provisional licences has increased by more than 6,000 since the end of last year.
According to the Bulletin of Vehicle and Driver Statistics, the number of provisional licences held as of December 31st, 2002, was 352,500. The Department of Transport said the number of people now holding provisional licences was 358,845, indicating that the situation was getting worse.
The Minister's Bill is expected to include a package of measures to improve driving standards as well as reform of existing legislation in relation to penalty points and a dedicated traffic corps.
Mr Brennan has made no secret of his distaste for the present system which allows someone to fail a driving test and then drive away on a provisional licence.
Driving tests conducted in 2002 totalled 149,000. An overall pass rate of 54 per cent (80,900) was achieved while in the case of repeat tests, a pass rate of 57 per cent was achieved.
